Aliaksei Protas and Ilya Protas scored again on the same night — a feat we’ve nicknamed a Dueling Goaltas. The Pro Bros both lit the lamp on Friday, January 23, in their respective games for the Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears.
The January 23 event marked the second time this season they’ve scored on the same day. It came eight days after Ilya, 19, was named an AHL All-Star and learned of the nod from his older brother, Aliaksei, six years his senior.
Aliaksei Protas goal
Aliaksei’s tally on Friday came 7:35 into the third period at the Calgary Flames’ Scotiabank Saddledome. After Justin Sourdif forced a turnover along the boards, the centerman sent a pass to Tom Wilson near the crease. Wilson jammed the puck to the opposite side of the net, giving Big Pro a layup. The goal, Washington’s second of the night, would stand as the Capitals’ game-winning goal in their 3-1 victory over Calgary.
The tally marked Aliaksei’s 17th goal of the NHL season.
Ilya Protas goal
At Hershey’s Giant Center, Ilya Protas started the scoring for the Bears, finding paydirt 43 seconds into the game. A Louie Belpedio point shot was stopped by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Sergei Murashov, but the rebound went right to Little Pro on the doorstep, giving Hershey a 1-0 lead.
The goal was Ilya’s 16th of his AHL rookie season, which leads the Bears and is second-most among all AHL rookies (Quinn Hutson, 24). The Bears would go on to lose to the Penguins 4-3 in a shootout.
The Pros’ next opportunity for a Goaltas will be on January 31, when the Capitals play the Carolina Hurricanes at home, and the Bears face off against the Utica Comets.
