Ice Chips

December 13, 2013 - Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release

Dayton Hands Whalers 2nd Straight Loss

Danbury,CT - Every team goes through a tough stretch during a long season. The Whalers have had a touch of bad luck over their last two games. Jesse Felten scored the overtime winner and Ahmed Mahfouz had 2 goals and 2 assists as the Dayton Demonz handed the Whalers their second straight loss Friday night by a final score of 6-5.

The Demonz would get the offense started right away, as Ahmed Mahfouz would connect on his 14th goal of the season just thirty seconds into the opening frame. A bad turnover in the Whalers zone allowed Anthony Battaglia to skate into the slot all alone. He fed a pass across to a wide open Mahfouz who buried it to give the Demonz the 1-0 advantage. Justin Brausen would make it 2-0 Dayton before the game was ten minutes old. Brausen blindly fired a shot towards the Whalers goal and somehow it found its way off the blocker of a surprised Mike Brown and into the net. It was his 2nd goal of the season. However, the Whalers would fight back and it all started on a power play goal courtesy of Connecticut native Tim Richter. As the Demonz penalty kill unit was going for a change the Whalers moved the puck ahead quickly and caught the defense out of position. Jason Pietrasiak skated into the zone and dropped a pass to Richter (his 4th) who fired it home on the short side past Jeff Rose to cut the Demonz lead to 1. With 30.4 seconds left in the opening period Ryan Patsch would pull the Whalers even with his 4th of the season. Patsch carried the puck behind the Demonz net and sent a backhand pass into the slot. The puck redirected off one of the Dayton defenders and in behind Rose to make it 2-2 entering the first intermission.

Just 2:42 into the second period the Whalers would take the lead on a goal by Rob Vanwynsberghe (5th). Myles McCauley registered his first point as a Whaler by carrying the puck behind the Dayton net and feeding a perfect centering pass onto the stick of Vanwynsberghe who buried it past Rose to make it 3-2. The offensive onslaught would continue at 6:05 of the second as Julian Fraser poked home his third of the season and third in three games to make it 4-2 Danbury. The play was started by Tim Richter, who centered a pass onto the stick of Ryan Patsch whose one time try was stopped miraculously by Rose. However, the rebound lay loose in the crease and Fraser was able to cash in. The Demonz would finally answer back at 7:45 of the second on a power play goal by Brian Marks (6th. August Aiken made a perfect pass to Marks at the point who drilled a one timer past Brown to make it a 4-3 game.

The seesaw battle would continue in the third period as the Demonz would tie the game on the second power play goal of the game for Brian Marks. After Iyla Solarev took a questionable interference call and the Whalers were assessed a bench minor the home team found themselves on the wrong end of a 5 on 3 advantage. Marks (7th) one timed a pass from Shaun Fisher right through the five hole of Brown to make it 4-4. The Whalers would kill off the ensuing 5 on 4 power play try. However, Ahmed Mahfouz would cash in on his second of the game and 15th of the season at 10:58 to put the Demonz back in front. Jonathan Juliano's centering pass deflected off the skate of Battaglia and trickled right into the wheelhouse of Mahfouz who put it home to make it 5-4. Matt Caranci would pull the Whalers even at 16:09 with his 7th of the season. Caranci stick handled to the slot and pushed a shot on goal that appeared to be stopped by Rose. The rebound bounced around in the paint and somehow found its way over the goal line to make it 5-5. For the 4th straight game between these two teams, overtime would be needed to decide a winner.

In the OT period both teams exchanged tremendous scoring opportunities. At one point it appeared as though the Whalers were going to win the game as Andrew Willock and Matt Caranci came down on a two on one. Willock sent a perfect pass across the slot to Caranci who looked as though he had a slam dunk and an OT winner, but somehow the puck stayed out of the net. On the ensuing rush the Demonz would make the Whalers pay as Jesse Felten would bury a one timer past Brown to send Dayton to victory. Juliano waited for the trailer Felten to enter the offensive play and fed a cross ice pass right to the veterans stick. Felten made no mistake about it and silenced the Danbury crowd with his 5th of the season.

Jeff Rose made 31 stops in the win for Dayton, while Mike Brown made 44 saves in the defeat. Danbury was 1 for 4 on the power play, while Dayton finished 2 for 7. The two teams have played four games against one another this season and all four have gone to overtime. These two teams are back in action Saturday night at the Danbury Ice Arena. Puck drop is at 7:35.

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Privateers Attempted Comeback Falls Short

We all knew it would be a crazy game with Chase Tippin and Jeff Dill returning from suspensions, but crazy would be an understatement for what transpired, in a game which really saw just about everything.

It started out hot for Danville, as Brandon Blair, Justin Barr, and Matt Dietrich would score within the first 10 minutes as the Dashers rocketed into the game. At that point, the fisticuffs began, as former Dasher J.D. Gordon squared off with Dustin Henning. However the offense would continue as Joe Pace and Lucas LaBelle would add goals, and Jamie Zaleski would come to blows with former teammate Kris McCarthy, and the period ended 5-0 in the Dashers favor.

The 2nd period would start very crazily, as technical issues caused the first 5 minutes of the period to be off the live game stream. In that timeframe, Dustin Skinner would score twice and Brenden Parkhouse would add another as they cut the lead to 5-3. After withstanding more Watertown chances, Danville would take charge once again, as Lucas LaBelle would score his 2nd of the night, with Jamie Zaleski adding another one 21 seconds later as the Dashers took a 7-3 lead before A.J. Tesoriero would score an amazing goal on an individual effort to make it 7-4.

While the scoring was done, the real fireworks would begin in the 3rd period. Chase Tippin and Marcus Mitchell would get into it with 6 minutes to go and nearly fought on the way to the penalty box, Tippin pushing the linesman all the way, shades of Stu Grimson, and continued yapping while serving the 2 minute roughing penalties. It was easy to tell that as soon as they exited the penalty box they would go for real. And as soon as they exited the box, they lined up at the faceoff circle and instantly dropped the gloves as everyone stood back and watched the show. Now the craziness continues, when with 4:55 to go, head coach Mike Chighisola was ejected from the game, for reasons unknown, although it seems that league officials are holding a grudge against Chighisola and will seemingly punish him whenever a chance arrises, or at least it seems as the season progresses, marking the 3rd time Chighisola has been ejected from a game. While the game ended 7-4, a fight nearly broke out after the game as Joe Pace and Jeff Dill starting hurling words at one another, nearly throwing fists. However calmer heads would prevail and the action was over.

Lucas LaBelle would lead the scoring with 2 goals and an assist, Jamie Zaleski and Joe Pace added a goal and assist, Justin Barr, Matt Dietrich, and Brandon Blair would add goals, 1 apiece, and Ryan Stern added 2 assists. Nick Niedert stopped 25 of 29 and earned the victory.

For Watertown, Dustin Skinner scored twice, Brenden Parkhouse and A.J. Tesoriero added goals, and Dane Erickson would add 2 assists. Matt Anthony stopped 31 of 38 for the loss. Chase Tippin led the game in PIM with 19, and Zaleski would lead Danville with 12.

The 2 teams will square off again tomorrow, same place, same time. Same results? We'll have to see. Will definitely be a physical one. Perhaps the officials will eject Chighisola for arguing again? One thing is for sure, I will have a lot of fun recapping and calling it.

Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from December 13, 2013

• Ice Chips - FPHL
• Danbury Whalers Home Tonight - Danbury Whalers

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