The recipe was very simple for the Georgia Swarm going into their game Saturday night. Win and you’re in. The visiting Las Vegas Desert Dogs came in with no playoffs to play for, but they absolutely could put a damper on the home crowd and the Swarm’s playoff chances.
The first quarter in this game was a track meet, with nine total goals scored. The rest of the way was pretty even keel, eventually resulting in Georgia scoring the game’s final three goals, en route to a 13-9 victory over Las Vegas. The Gas South Arena was as energized as ever when the clock hit zero. Let’s do it.
As we said, the first quarter set quite the tone in this game. Las Vegas buried the first goal, courtesy of Charlie Bertrand, but that was quickly answered by two-straight from Georgia, one from Lyle Thompson and the other from Andrew Kew. Las Vegas quickly tied it back up, as Zack Greer tallied his first, but that sparked the first of two three-goal runs from the Swarm. Scorers in that run were Seth Oakes, Lyle, and Brendan Bomberry on the power play. Bomber with a power play goal? No, couldn’t be. Las Vegas jumped right back into the mix, as Connor Kirst and Greer scored the quarter’s last two goals. 5-4 Swarm after one.
After a back-and-forth, furious paced first quarter, the second finally saw a bit of a break. Only three total goals were scored, one from Shayne Jackson and the other two from the Desert Dogs’ Casey Jackson and Dylan Watson. The defense on both sides really settled in and we were tied 6-6 going into the break.
Both goaltenders were brick walls in the first half. On one side, Brett Dobson faced a flurry of shots, stopping 26 of 32. On the other hand, Landon Kells was equal to the task, stopping 20 of 26.
The intensity and back-and-forth ramped back up in the third quarter. As far as the scoring was concerned, the goals were scored in twos. The first two and last two belonged to Georgia, specifically, Jackson, Kew, and Bryan Cole twice. The middle two were scored by Watson and Jackson, both of which were on the power play. 10-8 Swarm after three.
Las Vegas made it very interesting as Bertrand scored the first goal in the fourth to cut the deficit. Unfortunately, that goal, just 1:20 into the frame, would be it for their scoring. Georgia scored the game’s final three goals and in between, their defense and Dobson were outstanding. Goals were scored by Kew and Jackson twice. When the clock hit zero, everyone in Sting City was on their feet, as the Georgia Swarm were playoff bound for the first time since 2019. Your final from Duluth, 13-9 Swarm.
Players of the game for Georgia were Jackson (4+1), Kew (3+3), and Thompson (2+3). Dobson was a stud all game long, once again he’s one of the up and coming youngsters in the league. He made 47 saves on 56 shots. For Las Vegas, Jackson (2+1), Watson (2+1), and Bertrand (two goals) led the way. Kells had his shining moments, ultimately coming up short. He stopped 39 of 52 for the game.
“It’s special,” said Swarm captain Jordan MacIntosh after the game. “It’s been a while since we’ve punched a ticket, it feels good, it feels like we’re back where we belong.”
Georgia (10-7) has won four of their last five. They still can taste the home playoff game they are so close to grasping. They have a week off before their season finale next Friday at 7:30 p.m. as they host Rochester (6-9). Las Vegas (4-12) have lost six straight and eight of nine. They look to close out the season on a high note. Their next contest is this Saturday at 10 p.m. when they host Colorado (5-10).
