The Knoxville Ice Bears gutted out a close 4-2 win against the Fayetteville FireAntz.

Each team kept the other at bay throughout the game, and Danny Cesarz secured the win for Knoxville with a goal in the third period.

The Ice Bears were sparked by Cesarz, who tallied one goal. Cesarz scored 14:15 into the third period to make the score 3-2 Knoxville. Trever Hertz picked up the assist.

Knoxville put 26 shots on net during the contest, more than the 20.0 it averages per game. The Ice Bears' defensemen also contributed in the offensive zone and ended up with 11 shots between them.

Others who scored for Knoxville included Garrett Vermeersch, Zack LaRue, and Doug Reid, who each put in one. In addition, Knoxville received assists from Jason Price, who had two and Brad Pawlowski, Dennis Sicard, and Adam Sedlak, who each chipped in one.

Fayetteville's offense was clicking better than usual and put 27 shots on goal during the game, better than the 20.9 shots per game it averages.

The FireAntz were helped by Benjamin Rubin, who had one goal. Rubin scored 1:36 into the second period to make the score 2-0 Fayetteville. Nick Lazorko also scored for Fayetteville. More assists for Fayetteville came via Kyle Gibbons and Tayler Thompson, who contributed one each.

Brian Billett recorded 25 saves for Knoxville. The Ice Bears incurred six minutes in penalty time with three minors. Fayetteville's Parker Van Buskirk stopped 22 shots out of the 25 that he faced. The FireAntz incurred 12 minutes in penalty time with six minors.