Ilya Protas’s first goal as a professional was on an empty net. His first tally on an actual goaltender was spectacular.
Wednesday against the Bridgeport Islanders, Protas lit the lamp on a semi-breakaway to tie the game 1-1 at 2:38 of the second period.
Little Pro showed off some highlight-reel moves that perhaps even his older brother, Big Pro, doesn’t have.
After Aaron Ness moved the puck quickly into neutral, Graeme Clarke hit Protas wide open on the right wing. The 19-year-old centerman then faked a shot before going forehand-backhand and depositing the puck past a stunned Parker Gahagen — Bridgeport’s starting goaltender on the night.
Protas’s goal was one of three the Bears scored in the second period — the other two from Ryan Chesley and Clarke — to take a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. Fellow prospect Andrew Cristall earned the primary assist on Chesley’s tally, a sharp-angled shot that the former Minnesota Golden Gopher defenseman tapped into the net.
The Bears held on to win 3-1.
Among all Bears skaters, Protas now sits in a four-way tie for second in points with five (2g, 3a) in his first seven AHL games.
