Expecting a dirty game from the Falcons the Mad Dogs kept their focus and concentrated on skating hard, scoring goals and staying out of the penalty box. The Falcons picked up 6 penalties (reminding us why we refer to them as the Dirty Birds) compared to the Dogs 3 penalties, 2 coming from Nielsen for checking and hooking.
The pregame scouting report pointed out that the Mad Dogs were usually stronger in the first period and less productive in the second and third periods. In an interview with Pete Lobe before the game he promised the Dogs will be skating their asses off until the final buzzer. That is exactly what they did. Skating noticeably shorty shifts their legs were well rested and the players looked fresh through the entire game.
Pete's line displayed that pressure during their first shift of the game with a quick goal coming from Nielsen assisted by defenseman Jeff Snyder and center Pete Lobe. The Falcons responded 2 minutes later with a goal of their own to tie the game up at 1-1. The game remained tied up until about half way through the second period when rookie Rousey Johnson picked up his first goal of the game 16 seconds into the Dogs first power play. Johnson also picked up one more goal late in the second after a nice set up from Mastro to end the second period with a 3-1 lead.
The Falcons found themselves in penalty trouble again early in the third period. Again the new line combination of Mastro, Loehr, and Johnson capitalized on the pp advantage and Johnson scored his third goal of the game for his first hat trick of the season. Another rookie Tim Moeller also decided the scoring looked like fun and wanted to get in on the action so late in the game during his final shift he scored two goals. One coming by way of a beautiful two line pass from defenseman Jeff Warren and another coming from a scramble in front of the Falcons net after a feed from the corner.
Shortly after that Rousey Johnson snuck back on the ice to pick up his 4th goal with 27 seconds left on the clock. After the game he admitted to feeling guilty for scoring a goal so late in the game with a 6-2 lead. Off the record he was overheard saying if it would have been any other team then the Falcons he would have never even taken the shot.
The Falcons did manage to score 1 more goal in the 3rd period while putting on tremendous pressure. The scouting report said they were a third period team and the third period shot stats proved that. The Dirty Birds out shot the Dogs 18 - 8 in the third period. Despite the tremendous pressure Mad Dogs goalie Larry Amundson was poised to win and only allowed one goal in those final 18 shots. Larry put on a goaltending clinic throughout the game. The total shots were even at 31-31.
Final score 7-2 keeping the Mad Dogs at the top with a 5-1 record. It was an impressive win. If the Mad Dogs bring this much passion, energy, and aggression to every game they will be very hard to beat. We are waiting to see the results of the Venom vs. Hawks game to see if the Dogs will have sole possession of first place. Look for an announcement soon.
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