March 29th, 2005- After two consecutive losses, the ‘Bulldogs’ hoped to rebound from their sub-par performances in the last two games, on Monday night. They played well for the most part, winning the game 6-4 against the ‘Panthers’.

Playing in front of a near capacity crowd of about 14, the ‘Bulldogs’ scored first. Mike Mancuso snapped a one timer off of a feed from Joey V. The play started with Joey V. skating and passing to James Senne from behind the net. Senne fired a slapper that Joey rebounded, dished it off to Mancuso who deposited it easily past the goalie.

Right winger, Frank Lionello scored later off of a Ross LeMesurier rebound to give the ‘Bulldogs’ the 2-0 lead. The defense also played superbly to close out the period, despite several penalties to preserve the shutout.

The ‘Bulldogs’ gave up two goals (one on a power play) in the second but scored two more of their own. Returning from an aggravated back injury, Kurt Swanson connected off of his own rebound to score the first of the two. The other came on Lionello’s deflect, off of a hard pass from in front of the net (Darfler & Sal Karim assisted). The exuberant ‘Dogs’ seemed like easy winners heading into the third period.

Looking to protect their lead in third frame, the ‘Bulldogs’ played conservatively. The crisp offensive attack they had exhibited earlier was now replaced by tight defense and cautious play. Having only three defenseman available for the game, was beginning to take its toll physically.  With about six minutes left in the game, the ‘Panthers’ scored twice within a minute of one another. What appeared to be an easy victory just moments before, had suddenly turned into a 4-4 tie. The momentum was definitely beginning to sway in the ‘Panthers’ favor.

The ‘Bulldogs’ could have easily panicked at that point and broken down. However, after calling a timeout and collectively motivating one another, they came back with every intention to recapture the lead. They skated hard and moved the puck well from blue line to blue line.

‘Swanson’ scored his second goal of the game with approximately three minutes remaining to break the deadlock. The goal was the result of an excellent breakout pass, leading to a 3-on-1 odd man rush. His goal was unassisted. LeMesurier would score another, just over a minute later virtually the same way to seal the deal. Lionello & Sal Karim assisted.

“We almost let the game slip by, but we hung in there” said Alex Martinez. “It was a great call on Jason’s [Darfler] part for calling the timeout to get our heads back in the game. We displayed great poise at gut-check time and showed everyone what we were made of.”

The ‘Panthers’ failed to score again despite, pulling their goalie with just under a minute left in the contest, and a badly blown penalty shot. It was their third consecutive defeat to the ‘Bulldogs’ dating back to last season.

The win gives the ‘Dogs’ a 5-5 record and second place. This team needs to show the same offensive consistency, execution and heart for their remaining four regular season games to secure a playoff spot.

The Good:

• -Passing: Mainly on the breakout pass, the ‘Dogs’ executed it well.

• -Rebounds: Three of the six goals were scored on rebounds.

• -Power Kills: The ‘Dogs’ killed 6 of 7 ‘Panther’ power plays, including a 5-on-3 in the first period.

• -Line Changes: For the first time all season, the team kept their shifts short, and made the changes at the right times.

   

The Bad:

• -Conditioning: The Bulldogs’ defense showed some fatigue in the final five minutes of the game. Was it the result of poor conditioning or shortage of defensemen. (Thanks Tony)

• -Penalties: Not much you can do here. Both teams played extremely physical and aggressive so penalties were to be expected.

 The Ugly:

• -Referee M. Tong: Subtle homo-eroticism at its peak when he’s nearby. What is this guy’s fetish with biceps? Maher, Jason & Ross (with his massive guns), beware.

• -Ringers: Not that it helped them, but the ‘Panthers snuck in a couple ringers for the game.

• -Coach Rich Runoio : In every contest with the ‘Bulldogs’, ‘Panther’ coach Rich Runoio delays the game at least ten minutes, to argue calls, dispute the rule book, or exchange recipes with Polish goalies.

• -Game Protest: The ‘Panthers’ protested the game, complaining that several ‘Bulldogs’ didn’t wear shoulder pads. Pretty petty protest, considering that the ‘Panthers’ utilized the services of a couple ringers for the game

Player(s) of the Game:

• Frank Lionello & Kurt Swanson. It was a great comeback game for both players. Frank broke out of his slump by scoring twice. ‘Kurt’ returned from his back injury, considerably slimmer and a few steps quicker, to score two goals himself, including the game-winner.

• Tony Feeny receives honorable mention for showing up at the critical moment of the final period to give the ‘Dogs’ some of his Irish luck. His appearance also boosted the ‘Bulldogs’ season attendance to 100 for the first time in the franchise’s ice hockey history.

Next up: The ‘Piranhas’ on Wednesday April 6, 2005 at 9:50PM