Despite Comeback, Gems Fall 5-4 to Blaze in Overtime

Published on October 22, 2011 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Dayton Gems News Release


Bloomington, Illinois - Despite a strong start and a stronger comeback in the closing minutes of regulation, the Dayton Gems would ultimately fall 5-4 in overtime to the hometown Bloomington Blaze in the 2011-2012 regular season opener.

Wasting no time in formally welcoming the league's newest club, the Gems hit the gas from the opening faceoff, pressuring the Blaze into their zone early to begin the period. Testing Boomington's veteran netminder with an barrage of quality chances in the opening minutes, Dayton would light the lamp for the first time in 2011-2012 off a centering pass from former Toledo Walleye Nick Fanto, who fed a rushing Damian Surma in the slot to take the 1-0 lead just 2:15 into the opening frame. Perhaps dusting off the opening night jitters, Blaze head coach Paul Gardner got his club to settle down, leading to a much more even tempo for the remainder of the period. After twenty minutes of regular season play, Dayton took their 1-0 lead into the dressing room, and led Boomington in shots on goal 8-7.

Feeding off the opening night crowd, the hometown Blaze would fire out of the gates to begin the second, and would not look back. In similar fashion to Dayton's start in the previous stanza, Bloomington cashed in a well fed pass at the 4:53 mark to tie the game 2-2. Bouncing back off an odd man rush the other way, Dayton's Brandon Naurato tied the game 2-2 with a rebound goal, assisted by Nick Duff and Brett Lutes a little over two minutes later at the 6:23 mark. Changing the momentum, Gems forward Kyle Bochek would be whistled off the ice for spearing, and issued a game misconduct at the 18:04 mark. The Blaze would turn their sights on Gems netminder Kristofer Westblom to finish out the frame, firing a barrage of shots throughout the remainder of the period, adding two more goals in their fourteen total shots in the second, taking a 4-2 lead against the Gems into the dressing room after forty minutes. Bloomington led the Gems in shots 21-13 through two periods.

Starting the third period, Dayton would be able to kill the remainder of the Bochek major penalty that carried over from the second, but would be forced into a defensive mind frame until near the middle of the period, thanks to a burst of offensive energy generated from a Nick Duff pass at the blueline to Jon Ornelas who blasted in the lamplighter at 10:58 to cut the lead back to one. Silencing the previously raucous Bloomington crowd, the Gems used this momentum to their advantage, nearly evening the shots on goal total, and finally adding the tying goal at the 16:16 mark, again thanks to Duff making a sprawling save at the Blaze line to set up an on sides pass to goal scorer Nick Fanto. Feeding off the energy of the comeback, Dayton would keep the tie to take the game to sudden death overtime.

Despite a number of chances, and the eventual injury to Blaze starting netminder Marco Emond and subsequent replacement by his backup, Dayton would be powerless to prevent Bloomington from scoring a very controversial scramble goal past Westblom to end the game a 5-4 Blaze victory.

With the loss, the Gems start the 2011-2012 campaign 0-1-0, and travel back to Dayton for a week of practice to prepare for a trip to Rapid City to battle the Rush for the first time since last season's playoff series.

The Kettering Medical Center is proud to be the official presenting sponsor of the Dayton Gems.

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Central Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2011


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