Ice Chips

Published on January 11, 2014 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release

Whalers Down Dashers

Danbury, CT- After a rough road trip, which saw the Whalers drop three out of four games, one would assume that Danbury couldn't wait to get back on home ice. Add in the fact that the Whalers have yet to lose a game in regulation at the Danbury Ice Arena and that Mike Brown was back between the pipes and the recipe for victory was right in front of the packed house on Friday night. Ilya Solarev collected two goals and an assist and Rob Dongara collected his first two tallies of the season as the Whalers defeated the Danville Dashers Friday night 7-5.

The Dashers would open the scoring just forty-five seconds into the opening period as a former Whaler would come back to plague his old team. Ryan Dolence, who was a key member of the Commissioner's Cup Championship team last season, skated down the right wing and fired a snap shot over the shoulder of Mike Brown to make it 1-0. For an instance it appeared as though the puck had rung off the crossbar. However, referee Eric Ernst determined the puck had gone off the bar inside the goal giving Dolence his 1st tally of the season. The Dashers would maintain their lead until there was just five seconds remaining in the 1st period. Stan Vlasov sent a wrist shot towards the Dashers' net which was redirected on Nick Niedert who made the initial save. The rebound ended up on the stick of Cody Ayers who buried it past Niedert for his 13th goal of the season and tying the game up at one. The Whalers outshot the Dashers 20-7 in the first twenty minutes.

The second period would begin much like the first, as the Dashers would retake the lead just thirty-nine seconds into the middle period. Billy Hunt's initial shot was stopped by Brown, but the rebound was poked home by Ray Tremblay to make it 2-1 Danville. It was the 10th goal of the season for Tremblay. The Whalers would tie the game at 5:25 thanks to the first goal of the season by Rob Dongara. Dongara corralled the loose puck behind the Dashers net and was able to lift a backhander over the glove of Niedert to make it 2-2. Just forty seconds later Danbury would take the lead courtesy of the 8th goal of the season for Ilya Solarev. The former draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning was able to the emerge with the loose puck at the Dashers blue line and unleash a wrist shot from the slot that beat Niedert low to the blocker side to give the Whalers the 3-2 lead. The Dashers would tie the game at 14:50 of the second on the 17th goal of the season by Justin Barr. The Dashers' leading scorer, Barr took a beautiful stretch pass from Ryan Dolence and skated in all alone on Brown beating him high to the glove side. It was the third breakaway of the period for Danville as Brown had stopped the previous two. The teams went into the second intermission knotted at three.

In the third the Whalers would jump ahead on the power play thanks to the second goal of the game by Ilya Solarev. Andy Willock carried the puck up the ice into the Danville zone and made a pass below the circle the Cody Ayers. Ayers centered the puck to Solarev who put it between the legs of Niedert to make it 4-3. The Dashers would tie the game at 11:41 thanks to another former Whaler in Robert Vanwysberghe. Vanwynsberghe got to a loose puck in the slot and fired a turnaround shot on goal that beat Brown. The tie would be short lived as just thirty-five seconds later Andy Willock would give the Whalers the lead back on his 5th goal of the season. Willock's initial shot was stopped by Niedert, but the rebound came right back to Willock who somehow banked the puck off Niedert and into the goal to make it 5-4. Ryan Patsch and Rob Dongara would connect just twenty-eight seconds apart to extend the Whalers lead to 7-4. For Patsch it was his 11th, while Dongara collected his second of the game and 2nd of the season. CJ DelVaglio, a native of Stamford CT, collected his first professional point in his first game on the Dongara tally. Justin Barr would add his 2nd of the game and 18th of the season on the power play at 19:07 of the third to cut the Whaler lead to 7-5. That's as close as the Dashers would get on this night, as the Whalers won their second in a row after dropping their previous three.

Mike Brown made 34 saves in the win for Danbury, while Nick Niedert made 55 stops on 62 shots for Danville. The Whalers outshot the Dashers 62-37. The Whalers are back in action Saturday January 11th when they host the second place Dayton Demonz. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35.

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Privateers Edge Demonz

After 59 minutes and 4 seconds the Watertown Privateers and Dayton Demonz were tied at four, when Dustin Skinner scored a power play goal from Britt Oullette and Beni Berisha. The goal was the sixth goal of the period, each team scoring three.

Dayton opened the scoring with Jonathon Juliano scoring from Roger Tagoona and Wehebe Darge. The Privateers tied the game with three and a half left in the first, Beni Berisha scoring a goal from Skinner and Brent Clarke. Watertown scored the next two, JR Harris from Oullette and Dane Erickson, and Erickson from Craig Cole and Skinner on a power play goal. Dayton answered with the next two coming from Tagoona, assisted by Juliano and Brian Marks from Juliano and Anthony Battaglia, a power play goal.

Oullette scored a power play goal to put the Privateers up 4-3 assist from Erickson and Skinner, but Ahmed Mahfouz scored a short handed goal unassisted with 1:32 left to play.

Enter Skinner with the game winner with 56 seconds left to play.

Goalie Brian Kalczynski stopped 29 of 33 shots. Demonz Matt Kinsella stopped 29 of 34.

Privateers Dustin Skinner was the games first star, JR Harris receives the second star and the third star was awarded to Daytons Jonathin Juliano.

Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from January 11, 2014

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

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