Zydeco Escape Dashers Comeback in Topeka (1/24)

Topeka, KS - Neutral site games always provide a thrill for a new market, and this matchup would be no exception. In a night with a revolving door at the penalty box, Tyler Larwood’s pair of goals with a Shane Haggerty game-winner proved to be enough as the Dashers comeback from down 3-0 fell short at 3-2. 

It was a lively crowd hovering around 4000 raging Topeka fans excited to drop the puck in professional hockey for the first time in 20 years. The Dashers wore specialty white Topeka Scarecrows jerseys as the Zydeco sported navy blue Topeka Roadrunners uniforms. There was a moment of silence held before the game for 29 year old Johnny Bonta, an FPHL veteran who passed away suddenly earlier this week. After the pregame shenanigans concluded, it was time for some hockey. The Zydeco came out ready to go in period 1. It took just over 3 minutes for Tyler Larwood to open the scoring off his own rebound to make it 1-0. Another 6 minutes rolled on by, until Tyler Larwood buried his second of the evening on a bounce off the end wall that found him wide open on the back door to beat Rutherford again. 4 short minutes later, Shane Haggerty swatted one home to make it 3-0. This felt like one of those games that would get away from the Dashers quickly, with the shots 11-4 Zydeco after the conclusion of the opening 20.

The Dashers had created a hill to climb as the puck was dropped for period 2 with a 3 goal deficit. However, a hefty diet of Zydeco penalties the rest of the way would put the game up for grabs. Around the midway point in the period, Zac Horn took a shot from the slot in a 1-on-1 battle that deflected off the defender and past Bailey Stephens’ blocker to make it 3-1. Following the tally, Aaron Shahin was sentenced for a hit from behind that led to yet another Dashers man advantage. Everett Thompson also received an unsportsmanlike conduct call that made it a full 5 on 3 man advantage. On the powerplay, rookie Jhuwon Davis found himself with room in the slot and buried a goal over the blocker of Stephens to make it 3-2. 3 more penalties between the two sides the rest of the frame paved the way for back and forth action that would bleed out the clock with the score remaining 3-2. The Dashers outshot the Zydeco 13-10 in the second frame.

Period 3 had a similar feel to period 1, just with a lot less offense. The penalties continued to flow, with the Zydeco receiving 2 majors and 2 game misconducts for a whopping 30 total PIMs in just the third period. Everett Thompson, Ryo Namiki, and Aaron Shahin were all ejected in a 5 minute span. With an arsenal of power play time, the Dashers struggled to mount any offense. Both teams had a few quality chances that were surrendered by bad bounces. Despite all the madness, a roaring crowd was excited to see which team could outlast the other in a tooth and nail battle. However, a penalty by Kim Miettinen with just over 2 minutes to go sealed the Dashers fate of defeat for the 25th consecutive time. The Zydeco surprisingly outshot the Dashers 11-6 in period 3, as their penalty riddled effort proved to be enough for their 5th straight defeat in as many contests against the Dashers this season. 

The two teams will go at it again tomorrow at 7:30 CST inside Topeka’s Stormont Vail Events Center.