Mocs Sweep Dashers (12/7)

DANVILLE, IL - After a difficult loss last night, the Dashers cleared their heads to take on the Moccasins once more. In a highly physical battle, Monroe held on late to squeak by the Dashers 4-3 and hand them their 13th straight defeat.

Period one had a little bit of everything. There were hits, there were goals, there were big saves and penalties. The referees did everything they could to let the boys play, but there were a handful of obvious penalties that led to a lot of man advantage opportunities on both sides. Monroe came out hot early, dominating in shots through the first half of the frame 11-1. A chaotic play in front of the Dashers net led to the first goal of the game by Declan Conway. Trailing by a goal, the Dashers decided it was now or never to turn it on. With 4 straight minutes of powerplay time, there was no answer. Just as the time expired, Brandon Stojcevski buried a rebound to even the score at 1. It was Teddy Bear Toss night for the Dashers, with all proceeds going to toys for tots. A plethora of stuffed animals rained in as a result of the goal, and provided a pretty cool moment inside the venue. As the story has been for the Dashers, 1 step forward and two backward. 41 seconds after the equalizer, Trygve Many Guns cashed in on the powerplay and it was once again a one goal game.

Period two showed some promise for the home team, but Monroe only got better. Early in the period, Parker Rutherford was run over in the crease by Blake Anderson, who would be bagged for goaltender interference. The Dashers couldn’t make anything out of the period, and the score stayed the same for the first 14 minutes of the period. A door was opened for Monroe when Lester Brown was assessed a controversial elbowing call. Shorthanded, Dashers rookie winger Jhuwon Davis made a great play on the half-wall to burn the defense and found himself all alone. After a couple deke moves, he opened the five-hole of Ekholm Rosen and slid the puck through to tie the game at 2. The Palm erupted, but their cheers would be overshadowed by Declan Conway’s second goal of the game on the powerplay just 45 seconds later. Less than 3 minutes later, Dale Deon sniped home a fourth goal in the high slot. The period expired with a 4-2 score in favor of the visitors on the board. 

Period three was filled with competitive, chippy hockey. Both teams exchanged slashes, shoves, and face-washes with nothing boiling over to a fight. The officials had a loose hold on the game that allowed for extracurriculars to commence on both sides. The Dashers controlled the tempo in the frame, and were rewarded when Nick Gullo tipped home a shot from Jacob Gagnon to make it 4-3. Both teams had plenty of opportunities to score the rest of the way, but both goaltenders stood tall. The game hit a climax when Dylan Hullaby took a delay of game penalty with just under 2 minutes remaining in regulation. Unfortunately for the Dashers, the O-zone could never be established and Monroe killed the clock to end the game.

The Dashers fall to 1-13-2 as the Moccasins improve to 8-7-4. The shots favored the visitors heavily at 55-31. The Dashers close out their 8-game home stand next Friday and Saturday at 7:05 CST against the top seeded Binghamton Black Bears. The Moccasins are slated to travel to Athens on Thursday (permitting Akins Ford Arena is open) to take on the Rock Lobsters at 8:05 CST.