By John Packett
      Renegades writer

      After going most of the home season without playing beyond regulation, the Richmond Renegades were forced into overtime by their last two opponents at the Coliseum.
     
      Knoxville scored with just over a minute to go on Friday, while Pee Dee tallied twice in the third period to set up the five-minute OT period on Saturday.

      Because of the 3 on 3 scenario under which the Southern Professional Hockey League uses to try and end the game as soon as possible, the Renegades were lucky to win both games.

      Donald Melnyk scored 3:04 into OT to beat Knoxville 3-2, then Dean Jackson broke in alone to score at 2:18 and defeat Pee Dee 4-3.

      “I like it,“ said Richmond left winger J.J. Wrobel, whose OT goal beat Pee Dee earlier this season in Florence, S.C. “I’d much sooner see a game get settled the way it should, rather than going into penalty shots.  Give it a chance first. With three on three, there’s so much room out there. It’s exciting for the fans to see, too.“

      If the teams are still tied at the end of OT, the outcome is determined by a shootout. That’s when five players from each team go one-on-one with the goaltender, and whichever team scores the most goals in the shootout is declared the winner.

      Richmond has played in only one shootout this season, that coming two days before Christmas in Fayetteville, N.C., when the Renegades outscored the FireAntz 2-1. Wrobel had one of Richmond’s shootout goals.

      The Renegades lost their first two games that were decided in overtime—in Jacksonville and Columbus—but have captured the last three.  Counting the shootout win, Richmond is 4-2 after regulation.

        “The games could easily go either way,“ Wrobel said of the OT setup. “One bad break, or a lucky bounce. We’ve been fortunate the last three times. It’s a matter of when you get those chances, you’ve got to bury it, because it can very easily go down and turn against you at the other end.“

        The winner of OT or a shootout receives two points in the standings, while the loser leaves with one.

        After winning three straight at home, the Renegades (25-15-2) hit the road for three in a row, starting Friday night in Huntsville.  Richmond is 10-7-2 on the road.