Machine squeaks past Boston 19-18

[Sonny]

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - Attackman Kevin Leveille scored the game-winning goal with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Machine (2-6) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 19-18 victory over the Boston Cannons (4-5) at TOYOTA Park on Saturday evening.

It was the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

After Leveille gave the Machine a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the first quarter, the Cannons went on a five-goal run to take a four-goal advantage with 7:20 left in the period. Attackman John Christmas scored two goals during the run.

The teams traded a pair of goals before Matthew Karweck tallied an unassisted goal with 51 seconds remaining in the first stanza, sparking a five-goal run by the Machine. Midfielder Doug Shanahan scored twice during the run, which gave Chicago an 8-7 edge with 7:13 left in the first half.

Rookie attackman David Mitchell ended the Machine's spurt by scoring off an assist from midfielder Ben DeFelice before the teams traded goals twice to end the first half, tying the score at 10-10 at the intermission.

Shanahan scored an unassisted goal just 13 seconds into the third quarter before midfielder Brad Heritage followed with a goal off an Eric Pittard feed, giving the Machine a 12-10 advantage. The teams exchanged goals three times before Mitchell tallied an unassisted goal with 18 seconds left in the period, narrowing the Machine's lead to 15-14.

After rookie midfielder Pat Heim scored off a Pittard assist just over a minute into the fourth quarter, the Cannons scored three goals in a row to take a one-goal lead with 11:52 left in regulation. Christmas tallied a goal with an assist during the rally. However, the Machine regained their one-goal advantage with goals from Leveille and Sean Morris before attackman Mikey Powell tied the game with an unassisted goal with just under six minutes left in the period to set up Leveille's heroics.

Leveille scored five goals to lead the Machine to the victory while Shanahan added four goals. Morris recorded two goals with three assists for the Machine, who earned their second win in franchise history.

Mitchell scored four goals to lead Boston in the loss while Powell added a three-goal, two-assist effort. Christmas had three goals and an assist for the Cannons, who have dropped two of their last three games.

Boston (4-5) 7-3-4-4 / 18
Chicago (2-6) 4-6-5-4 / 19

Goals:
BOS – David Mitchell 4, Mikey Powell 3, John Christmas 3, Chris Mucciolo 2, Kevin Dougherty 2, Matt Poskay 1, Tom Zummo 1, Brett Bucktooth 1, Joe Kostolansky 1.
CHI – Kevin Leveille 5, Doug Shanahan 4, Brad Heritage 3, Nicholas Schmidt 2, Pat Heim 1, Matthew Karweck 1, Dan Kallaugher 1.

Assists:
BOS – Ben DeFelice 3, Mikey Powell 2, John Christmas 1, Brett Bucktooth 1.
CHI – Sean Morris 3, Eric Pittard 3, Pat Heim 2, Matthew Karweck 1.

Saves:
BOS – Kip Turner 12 (60:00, 19 goals allowed).
CHI – Harry Alford 0 (7:40, 5 goals allowed), Mike Gabel 12 (52:20, 13 goals allowed).

Attendance: 1,382