Playoffs: Bullets 6, Squirrels 5

The Squirrels’ season ended Saturday with a 6-5 loss to the higher-seeded Bullets, but not without a scrappy fight that had the Squirrels coming back from a 6-2 third-period deficit to make it interesting.

Down 3-0 after the first period, and getting beat easily on zone time and getting stung by top-corner shots, the Squirrels finally got on the board at 5:55 of the second period as Geoff Grek fought for a goal in front of the net. But the Bullets answered with two more goals to go up 5-1. Vivek Pinto scored another dirty goal, only for the Bullets to answer again.

In the third period, Grek scored with a knuckler at 6:09. Then with a power play, Pinto scored another dirty goal. With less than three minutes left, Pinto stole a puck at the blue line and got a breakaway, poking a shot through the 5-hole to cut the lead to 6-5. In the last two minutes, the Squirrels needed a whistle but couldn’t get one, and time ran out.

The Bullets outshot the Squirrels, 33-22.

Despite the playoff loss, the Squirrels were at least happy to make the game interesting.