After building a 5-1 lead — their largest lead in six games this year — the Imps needed a fourth-period from senior Taylor Davis to eek out the 6-5 win.

It was Davis' third goal of the night. Davis also had assists on each of the other three Imps' goals. "Taylor's a great player. You have to drag him off the field," Cary coach Scott Gordon said. "He sees the field very well."

Cary drew first blood with a Davis goal on the assist from David Whelan at the 10:30 mark in the first period. Millbrook answered at 8:52, but Cary regained the lead when Whelan and Davis switched roles at 7:04.

Whelan's goal was the first in a streak of four unanswered goals by Cary in the first half.

Daniel Steed, Kieran Hill and Davis each scored in the second period, and the Imps were rolling going into halftime. But that's where their momentum ended.

Millbrook scored four unanswered goals of their own in just the third period — the final three coming within 2:30 of each other — to tie the game at five apiece.

"Normally we're a second half team," Davis said. "We just kind of dragged in the second half, we needed to pick it up."

Cary's struggles came mostly on the defensive end, as the Imps couldn't match the same aggressiveness of their counterparts.

"As much as you tell them at halftime 'guys keep up the intensity,' it's hard sometimes," Gordon said. "They lost their edge in the third period."

No sooner did the fourth period begin than the Imps ended the Wilcats' run with — what else — a goal from Davis. The game-winner came 1:37 into the final period.

"I challenged these guys after one of our games this year," Gordon said. "We needed a guy who was going to step and just take over a game and say 'guys hop on my back' and you saw it tonight — that guy was Taylor Davis."

Cary's record now stands at 2-4 on the season (1-1 in the Tri-Eight) and the Imps will return to action at Cooper Field on Friday against Apex.