Dunlops fall short in spit of spirited effort
Article courtesy of the Whitby Dunlops
WHITBY - When is a 4-1 loss not a 4-1 loss? This is what appeared to be the case on Saturday night in Whitby, as the front running Hamilton Steelhawks defeated the Dunnies by this score.
With outstanding goaltending by Whitby's Nathan Perry and Hamilton's Daniel Svedin, the game was tightly played throughout, with a one-goal differential holding for Hamilton until the last five minutes of the contest when Josh Ranalli (his second of the contest) sealed the deal with a masterful backhand over a prone Perry in the Dunlop cage to give them a 3-1 lead. Kris Newberry shortly thereafter potted the final tally into an empty net. Whitby had pulled their goaltender with under 2 minutes to play but to no avail, as they buzzed around the Steelhawk cage but could not beat Svedin in the 'Hawk net.
Ranalli opened the scoring in the first frame with a precise, low wrist shot to the far corner of the Whitby net to give the Steelhawks a 1-0 lead. Whitby continued to press and Darren Doherty potted an accurate shot past Svedin to tie things at 1-1 at period end. Whitby outshot Hamilton 12-8.
In the second Stephon Thorne tapped a loose puck past Perry to give them a 2-1 lead entering the third period. In a period of excellent chances, both goalies came up with sensational saves, with Hamilton outshooting the Dunnies 11-10. At this point, it was anyone's game.
The final period began with a close in a scramble in front of the Hamilton net, but the Dunlops couldn't capitalize. It was not until five minutes remaining that Renalli mastered Perry with his beautiful backhand. In the period Hamilton held a 15-13 shot advantage, yet Whitby held the game advantage to the tune of 35-34.
The Dunlops continue to improve, and with a non-top, aggressive style of play is showing they cannot be taken for granted going into the playoffs. The early season malaise appears to be a thing of the past for Whitby, giving reason for optimism at years end.
