Andrew Loewen stood on his head and made 34 saves to lead the Columbus Cottonmouths to a 2-1 victory over the Fayetteville FireAntz.

Columbus pulled out the victory even though it was hit with 14 penalty minutes.

The Cottonmouths were led by Matt Gingera, who finished with one goal. Gingera scored on the power play 10:26 into the second period to make the score 2-1 Columbus. Columbus had gotten the advantage when Fayetteville's Brandon Richardson was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct. Tom Maldonado assisted on the tally.

The Cottonmouths' penalty kill was spotless, allowing no goals on six Fayetteville power plays. The 31 shots that Columbus put on net surpassed the Cottonmouths' average of 25.3 shots per game this season.

Biff McNally also scored for Columbus. In addition, Columbus received assists from Jordan Braid, Brett Hammond, and Jason Yuel, who contributed one a piece.

The FireAntz were held below their usual level of production. Fayetteville puts an average of 3.3 pucks into the net per game. The FireAntz's offense rang up 35 shots on Columbus' net.

Fayetteville was led by Josh McQuade, who scored the team's only goal. McQuade scored 4:11 into the first period to make the score 1-0 Fayetteville. Bobby Reed picked up the assist.

The Cottonmouths registered one goal on five power play opportunities. Marco Emond recorded 29 saves for the FireAntz. Fayetteville incurred 12 minutes in penalty time with six minors.