Renegades stay on roll, top FireAntz

There was a blissful atmosphere at the Coliseum on Valentine's Day, in part because of a wedding on the ice about 45 minutes before faceoff.

But there was no love lost between the Fayetteville FireAntz and Richmond Renegades when the puck was dropped before a crowd of 3,559.

In a chippy affair, the Renegades got a pair of goals from Ryan Busby and three assists from defenseman Cody Cole to knock off the FireAntz 5-2 for their fifth straight victory.

The decision also capped a 4-0 homestand for Richmond, which goes on the road for its next eight games.

The win gave the Renegades a 17-9-1 record at home and assured them of no worse than a tie for second with Huntsville, which played a late game against Columbus.

With Richmond on its heels in the third period and Fayetteville attacking relentlessly, Beau McLaughlin iced it with a goal 4:06 from the end. McLaughlin's slap shot from the circle hit the crossbar and went in.

Goaltender Ryan Scott finished with 34 saves for the Renegades, who improved to 25-20-2.

Early lead: The Renegades took a 2-0 edge into the first intermission, thanks to a strong effort by the special teams.

After Kyu Kim missed an open net with a backhander, Richmond got a two-man advantage for 53 seconds when Marc Norrington sent the puck into the netting behind the Renegades' goal in a clearing attempt.

Just as the 5-on-3 was expiring, defenseman Dan Vandermeer got off a shot from the point that appeared to hit a defender's stick and trickle across the goal line at 5:30.

Later in the period, Fayetteville was up a man, when Cole stole the puck and fired a shot from the point that hit the boards and bounced back in front.

Busby had been behind the FireAntz' goal and was in the right spot to tap it past goaltender Chad Collins with 7:03 left. It was Busby's fourth short-handed goal and Richmond's 11th, tying for the league lead.

Big advantage dwindles: Richmond increased its lead to 4-0 midway through the second period on goals by Kim and Busby before the FireAntz fought back to trim it to 4-2 by period's end.

Kim scored his first North American goal during a 2-on-1 rush with Justin Joy. The South Korean native took a feed from Joy and ripped a shot between Collins' pads to make it 3-0 at 7:35.

The bulge grew to 4-0 on Busby's second goal of the evening, when the little center slid a backhander into the net off a rebound at 10:19.

But Fayetteville, which outshot Richmond 18-7 in the second period, cut its deficit in half on goals by Corey Hessler and Emery Olauson (power play).

Still on the roster: With his first stint up, Kim was signed to another three-game tryout yesterday and continued to take regular shifts. The native of Seoul will be with the club until at least Friday in Huntsville.

In four games, Kim has one goal and one assist.

Forward Bill Zalba was scratched for the ninth straight game because of a broken bone in his hand. Coach Brian Goudie still isn't sure when the veteran will be able to return.

Getting hitched: Lori Donati and Brandon Hawkins got married before the game and the Renegades formed a cross-sticks exit for the newlyweds when they left the ice. The reception was held in the Coliseum Club.

The second annual Miss Renegades contest was held during the two intermissions, and the winner chosen from a field of eight was Megan Smith, 19, of Richmond, who received a prize of $500.

On deck: The Renegades begin their eight-game road swing on Tuesday in Fayetteville. They don't return to Coliseum ice until March 13 against the FireAntz.

Fayetteville ------------------------- 0 2 0 -- 2
Richmond ------------------------- 2 2 1 -- 5

First period -- 1, Richmond, Vandermeer 12 (Karasiewicz, McLaughlin), 5:30 (pp). 2, Richmond, Busby 17 (Cole), 12:57 (sh). Penalties -- Cryer, Fay (hooking), 3:29; Norrington, Fay (delay of game), 4:36; Kim, Rich (holding the puck), 5:51; Snyder, Fay (holding), 7:20; Lyke, Rich (slashing), 12:32; Klann, Fay (slashing), 15:47.

Second period -- 3, Richmond, Kim 1 (Joy, Cole), 7:35. 4, Richmond, Busby 18 (Cole, Price), 10:19. 5, Fayetteville, Hessler 10 (Olauson, Needham), 11:24. 6, Fayetteville, Olauson 14, 18:51 (pp). Penalties -- Oke, Rich (hooking), 3:50; Sich, Fay (diving), 12:52; Sicard, Rich (tripping), 12:52; Ma. Ruberto, Fay (roughing), 17:53; Lyke, Rich (roughing), 17:53; Rollins, Rich (hooking), 18:19.

Third period -- 7, Richmond, McLaughlin 26, 15:54. Penalties -- Sich, Fay (cross-checking), 4:11; McLaughlin, Rich (tripping), 6:14; Geerlinks, Fay, minor-misconduct-game misconduct (unsportsmanlike conduct, abuse of official), 6:14; Price, Rich (tripping), 8:15; Needham, Fay (tripping), 13:42; Natress, Fay (roughing), 18:39.

Shots on goal -- Fayetteville 10-18-8--36; Richmond 16-7-11--34. Power-play opportunities -- Fayetteville 1 of 5, Richmond 1 of 7. Goalies -- Fayetteville: Collins 15-14-2 (34 shots-29 saves); Richmond: Scott 12-7-2 (36-34). Referee: Brent Coulombe. A -- 3,559