Despite a lengthy weather delay, the Whipsnakes’ spirits weren’t dampened, as they were able to come out on top of the Redwoods with a 14-12 victory on Friday night. 

Matt Rambo put an exclamation mark on his return to the lineup with four goals and a pair of assists while Zed Williams (5G) and Brad Smith (1G, 2A) were also big offensive contributors for the Whips. 

On the other side, Myles Jones was dominant for the Woods, posting four goals and seven points on the night. 

The teams traded singles in the first quarter. The Woods jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead off the strength of goals from Sergio Perkovic and Ryder Garnsey before the Whips answered with three of the last four tallies of the frame. 

The teams continued to trade goals in the second, but the game was put on hold due to a severe weather warning. It would take nearly two-and-a-half hours to get back into action, but the Whips hopped on their opponents off the restart, scoring on their first touch coming back out. 

Jay Carlson and Williams had a pair of goals coming out of the room while Jones answered to make it a 6-5 Whips lead at the half. 

Jones continued to stay hot, scoring two of the Woods’ three goals in the third quarter. Charlie Bertrand added another goal while Rambo and Williams each scored to knot the teams at 8 heading into the final stanza. 

The fourth quarter was by far the most action-packed of the contest, as the teams combined for 10 goals. But the final frame was controlled by the Whips, who went on a four-goal run that would help them push ahead. 

Rambo finished with a hat trick in the fourth while Williams scored his fifth of the night to cap off another signature performance. 

Unfortunately for the Redwoods, they came up just short in the end, and they also suffered a scare, as faceoff ace TD Ierlan went down with a lower-body injury and did not return to the game. That forced the pair of Kyle Hartzell and John Sexton to split faceoffs the rest of the way.

The Redwoods cut the lead to just one late, however, Smith and John Haus connected to make it a two-goal game. They’d hold that lead the rest of the way. 

The Whipsnakes have improved their chances of securing a higher seed in the playoffs with the victory. On the other side, the Redwoods are guaranteed a quarterfinal matchup now with the loss. 

Both teams will be back in action on Sunday to wrap up their respective seasons.