Chiefs Take Early Series Lead On Bombers With 3-1 Win
April 6, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Dayton Bombers News Release
Dayton, OH- Rejean Beauchemin and his Defending American Conference Champion Dayton Bombers entered the 2008 Kelly Cup playoffs for the second consecutive season, but would be unable to battle back from an early deficit against the Johnstown Chiefs, falling 3-1.
With Saturday night's overtime loss to the Bombers fresh in Johnstown's minds, the Chiefs stepped onto the Nutter Center ice with intensity, quickly challenging the skills of Bombers netminder Rejean Beauchemin. Johnstown captain Randy Rowe set the tone for his team with his first goal of the playoffs just : 39 into the game to take an early 1-0 lead. Dayton struggled to counter and began to battle back thanks to several power play opportunities, but would continue to trail the Chiefs 1-0 after twenty minutes. Johnstown also led in shots on goal at the break 15-8.
The second period began in nearly the same way as the first, with Johnstown's Randy Rowe notching his second goal of the night this time just 1:36 in. The goal, which put the Chiefs ahead 2-0, was also the game's first power play lamplighter and eventual game-winner. Despite the efforts of the Bombers defense, the Chiefs extended their lead to 3-0 on the power play thanks to Alexandre Imbeault who scored his first goal of the playoffs from a bad bounce off the end boards. Dayton continued to battle back in the period, and with help from Brad Bonello, broke the shutout with their first goal of the night at 4:54. Bonello's goal, his first of the postseason, was scored on the power play and was assisted by Masahito Nishiwaki and Petr Pohl. The rest of the period remained scoreless, with Johnstown once again out shooting the Bombers 17-8, and carried a 3-1 lead into the dressing room after forty minutes.
Despite out shooting the Chiefs 10-9 in the third period, the Bombers would be unable to mount a comeback against the Chiefs. Both teams found themselves scoreless in the final period of regulation, with Johnstown holding onto their 3-1 lead after sixty minutes. Final shots favored the Chiefs 41-26.
With the win, Johnstown takes a 1-0 lead on Dayton in the best-of-three North Division Quarterfinals, which will now shift to Johnstown Pennsylvania's Cambria County War Memorial for game two on Tuesday night at 7pm. The Chiefs will also host game three if necessary on Wednesday night at 7pm. The winner of this series will move on to face the Cincinnati Cyclones in the North Division Semi-Finals to begin next weekend. Fans can also tune into the games at echl.com, daytonbombers.com and b2livetv.com.
ECHL Stories from April 6, 2008
- Thunder Opens Kelly Cup Playoffs Friday At Las Vegas, Schedule Announced - Stockton Thunder
- Chiefs Pummel Bombers - Johnstown Chiefs
- Chiefs Take Early Series Lead On Bombers With 3-1 Win - Dayton Bombers
- Salmon Kings' Estrada Returns From The AHL - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Wranglers Reveal First Round Playoff Schedule With Stockton - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Desharnais Named CCM Tacks Rookie of the Year - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Cincinnati's Desharnais Named CCM Tacks Rookie of the Year - ECHL
- Kelly Cup Playoffs Schedule Released - ECHL
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Inferno Announce Playoff Schedule - Columbia Inferno
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Grizzlies Complete Regular Season With 4-3 Overtime Win - Utah Grizzlies
- Salmon Kings Win West - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Salmon Kings And Fans Best In The West - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Salmon Kings To Face Bakersfield In Round One Of Playoffs - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Victoria beats Alaska for West title, Aces open playoffs in Boise Wednesday - Alaska Aces
- RoadRunners' Season Ends With 4-3 Loss - Phoenix RoadRunners
- Wranglers Finish Off Phoenix, Win 4-3 - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Steelheads Begin Defense Of Kelly Up On Wednesay At Qwest Arena - Idaho Steelheads
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
