Playoffs: Bullets 4, Squirrels 3 (OT)

The Squirrels suffered a heartbreaking season-ending loss Wednesday, blowing a 3-1 lead in the last four minutes, giving up the tying goal with a second remaining and falling 4-3 in overtime against the Bullets.

The Squirrels also had two goals washed out – one early in the game that a ref claimed was deflected in – a reason that didn’t make much sense to anyone on the Squirrels, and a puck over the line that was pulled back before the refs could see it.

Brent Machado put the Squirrels up 1-0 in the first period, and Neil Shah notched one in the second period. A quick shot during a zone entry netted the Bullets their first goal early in the third. The Squirrels also had four power plays – two in the third period – but couldn’t convert.

At 11:52 of the third, Ben Sumner intercepted a clearing attempt up the boards and passed to Machado, who put the Squirrels up 3-1. On the very next shift, the Bullets answered.

Down the stretch, the Squirrels had a couple of shots at an empty net, but came one second short of a victory. The winning goal came with 31 seconds left in overtime.

The Squirrels outshot the Bullets, but the scorekeeper made up numbers.