The two hottest teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League got together last night in what Richmond coach Brian Goudie called a "playoff atmosphere."

It certainly had a postseason feel to it, as Jacksonville and Richmond battled to a near standstill for more than two periods in a free-wheeling game before a Coliseum turnout of 4,004.

Then the Renegades scored twice in a span of 1:12 in the third period to put it away and register a 4-1 victory in the opener of a two-game series with the Barracudas.

"That's how we treated it, like a playoff game," Goudie said. "We had to play with that kind of mentality. They're one of the best teams in the league, so we had to show them we're one of the best, too."

It was Richmond's 11th straight win, tying the league record for consecutive victories, while Jacksonville's seven-game winning streak came to a end.

"We wanted to come out and prove ourselves," said Richmond goaltender Ryan Senft, who had 21 saves in winning his ninth straight start.

Leading 2-1 entering the final period, Richmond took a two-goal advantage at 11:26 when defenseman R.C. Lyke deflected a shot by Donald Melnyk during a 5-on-3 power play. The Barracudas took exception to Craig Geerlinks joining a teammate in the penalty box for tripping, but it didn't matter.

A little over a minute later, Tyler Schremp banked a shot off Jacksonville netminder Ryan Person and into the goal to make it 4-1 with 7:22 left and ensure Richmond's 13th triumph in 14 outings.

"Obviously, both teams were on fire coming in," said Melnyk, who had a goal and two assists. "This could be the same matchup in the [playoff] finals. Tonight, we were the better team."

The Renegades lost one of their defensemen three seconds into the game, when Clay Lewis suffered a shoulder injury during a fight with Jason Bone. He was taken to the hospital after the period ended and could be out for a while.

Some 2½ minutes later, the Barracudas scored the only goal of the opening period when Kahlil Thomas sent a ice-hugging shot through traffic from the top of the right circle between the pads of Senft.

"I never saw it," Senft said. "It didn't faze me. I knew we'd get going. We had a big crowd, and once they got into it, we used it to our advantage."

Before taking the lead late in the second frame in a span of 26 seconds, the Renegades had to survive being two men down for 1:13. That defensive stand seemed to inspire Richmond for the remainder of the period.

"That was a big kill," Goudie said. "I think the guys fed off that, and we came down and got two quick ones."

Moments after a Richmond power play ended, the Renegades tied it when Melnyk took a feed from Schremp behind the net and ripped a one-timer from close range that flew inside the near post at 18:44.

Less than 16 seconds later, Drew Madeiros skated down the left wing and unleashed a slap shot from the circle that eluded Person and gave Richmond a 2-1 edge at the break.

"There's no better momentum swing than killing a 5 on 3 penalty," said Senft, who improved his record to 13-5-0 and lowered his goals-against average to 2.99.

ON DECK: The same teams will tangle again tonight at 7:35. It's NASCAR Night, with several racing cars on display before and during the game. The first 2,000 fans will receive a set of player cards.

Jacksonville ------------------------- 1 0 0 -- 1
Richmond ------------------------- 0 2 2 -- 4

First Period -- 1, Jacksonville, Thomas 16 (Colangelo, Rebernik), 2:39. Penalties -- Bone, Jax, major (fighting), :03; Lewis, Rich, major (fighting), :03; Joy, Rich (tripping), 16:10; Rochefort, Jax (interference), 19:27.

Second Period -- 2, Richmond, Melnyk 17 (Schremp, Vandermeer), 18:44. 3, Richmond, Madeiros 11 (Melnyk, Joy), 19:09. Penalties -- Wrobel, Rich (cross-checking), 4:08; Geerlinks, Jax (roughing), 7:43; Sicard, Rich (elbowing), 13:51; Lyke, Rich (cross-checking), 14:38; Murphy, Jax (hooking), 16:37.

Third Period -- 4, Richmond, Lyke 2 (Melnyk, Vandermeer), 11:26 (pp). 5, Schremp 3 (Vandermeer), 12:38. Penalties -- Madeiros, Rich (tripping), 3:57; Rollins, Jax (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:21; Jacksonville, bench minor (too many men), 10:13; Geerlinks, Jax (tripping), 10:25; Sicard, Rich (interference), 14:13; Gill, Rich (tripping), 15:14.

Shots on goal -- Jacksonville 6-6-10 -- 22. Richmond 10-11-11-- 32. Power-play opportunities -- Jacksonville 0 of 7, Richmond 1 of 6. Goalies -- Jacksonville: Person 9-7-1 (32 shots-28 saves); Richmond: Senft 13-5-0 (22-21). Referee -- Dan Dreger. A -- 4,004.