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Dayton Gems Weekend Review

March 14, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Dayton Gems News Release


The Dayton Gems clinched their first ever playoff berth during this weekend's three-game road trip. The Gems clinched their spot in the postseason when Evansville suffered a 5-0 loss on Friday night.

It was the main highlight of the weekend for the Gems. During the remainder of the weekend, Dayton struggled to gain leads against its opponents as the Gems lost their first two games of the weekend before defeating Evansville 5-4 on Saturday night.

Dayton at Mississippi: Thursday, March 10. 3-2 Loss

The Dayton Gems held the lead going into the final period of Thursday night's game with a guaranteed playoff berth just 20 minutes away.

The Gems were not able to hold on to that lead, eventually falling to Mississippi 3-2 in a shootout.

The Gems' first goal came on a powerplay goal by Nathan Oke in the first period. Chris Lipsett put the Gems up 2-1 in the second period with his 16th goal of the season.

The RiverKings tied the game in the third and eventually put the Gems away in a shootout.

Dayton at Bossier-Shreveport: Friday, March 11. 7-2 Loss

The Gems entered Friday night's game on a two game losing streak. The Gems were looking for revenge against Bossier-Shreveport after a 5-4 loss to the Mudbugs on Tuesday night.

That revenge never came for the Gems.

The first period was a defensive period as both teams combined for a total of six shots (Dayton -1, Bossier-Shreveport - 5). Bossier-Shreveport jumped out in front of the Gems midway through the first period when Shawn Limpright scored a goal for the Mudbugs.

The Mudbugs would add four more goals in the second period, with the only Gems goal in the period coming from defenseman Nick Canzanello.

Dayton was on the scoreboard first in the third period when Brandon Naurato scored his 13th goal as a Gem. But that would be all the scoring the Gems would get Friday night.

The Mudbugs added two more goals in the third period en route to handing Dayton their third straight defeat. The loss was Dayton's second to Bossier-Shreveport in four days.

The evening's highlight was Evansville suffering a 5-0 defeat to Quad City and allowing the Gems to capture a CHL playoff berth.

Dayton at Evansville, Saturday, March 12. 5-4 Win

Just one night after clinching a playoff berth, the Gems looked to end their three game losing streak with a win over Evansville, the same team that gave Dayton a slot in the playoffs.

The Gems and IceMen needed extra time to determine a winner on Saturday night.

It's the fifth straight time the two teams have gone beyond regulation to determine a winner. With Saturday's 5-4 win, the Gems have now claimed victory in their last four games against Evansville.

The Gems took Saturday's game down to the wire in regulation.

After an Evansville goal, the Gems found themselves down themselves down 4-2 in the third period.

That's when Matthew Larke and Chris Lipsett stepped up for the Gems.

Larke recorded his goal to make it a 4-3 game, the closest Dayton had been to the IceMen on the scoreboard since the beginning of the second period. Chris Lipsett then tied the game with only 1:19 remaining on the clock and sent the game into overtime.

After a scoreless overtime, the game went into a shootout.

In the shootout, Tim Hartung and Brandon Naurato each found the back of the net for Dayton, but it wasn't until Damian Surma slipped one past the IceMen's goaltender that Dayton was able to claim the win.

The Kettering Medical Center is proud to be the official title sponsor of the Gems for the 2010-11 season.

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