Andrew Loewen was superb between the pipes for the Columbus Cottonmouths, as he did not allow a goal in a 3-0 victory over Mississippi RiverKings.

Mississippi RiverKings' power play was ineffective against Columbus' penalty kill, which allowed zero goals while shorthanded.

The Cottonmouths were sparked by Preston Shupe, who tallied one goal. Shupe scored on the power play 12:34 into the first period to make the score 1-0 Columbus. Columbus had taken the advantage when Mississippi RiverKings' Todd Hosmer got sent off for hooking. Neilsson Arcibal assisted on the tally.

The Cottonmouths were often in penalty trouble, totaling five minors and five majors for 35 minutes in penalty time. Columbus surpassed its season average of 24.0 penalty minutes per game. The Cottonmouths' penalty kill was spotless, allowing no goals on seven Mississippi RiverKings power plays. Columbus put 28 shots on net during the contest, more than the 24.7 it averages per game.

Others who scored for Columbus included Steve Mele and Will Aide, who scored one goal each. Other players who recorded assists for Columbus were Matt Gingera and Seth Ronsberg, who contributed one a piece.

Mississippi RiverKings forced its penalty killing units to work especially hard during the game, picking up four minors and four majors for 28 minutes in penalty time. The total exceeded the 19.0 minutes per game Mississippi RiverKings had been spending in the box. Mississippi RiverKings was held below its usual level of production. Mississippi RiverKings averages 3.0 goals per game. Mississippi RiverKings' penalty kill unit could not stop the Cottonmouths' power play, which converted on two of three opportunities. Mississippi RiverKings relied on a core group of players for most of its offense, as Matt Harrington, Matt Whitehead and Daniel Sobotka took 13 of the team's 25 shots.

Loewen rejected 25 shots on goal for Columbus. Matthew Krahn recorded 25 saves for Mississippi RiverKings.