Thats right. The Venom came out and played a game full of rage. They forgot about the game of hockey and came out looking for an all out brawl. The Mad Dogs being the true gentleman that they are, which is obvious when you realize they are the least penalized team in B2, paid no attention to the out of control Venom and stuck to their game. While the Venom used their stick to take 2:00 minute minors all game the Dogs used theirs to score goals and direct the Venom players to the penalty box.
It was a highly anticipated game by all AHA fans. The Mad Dogs came out strong in the first with Nick Mastro scoring the first goal of the game after a nice set up by line mates Gervais and Johnson. The Dogs slowed down a bit after that and the first period ended with the Dogs up by 1. First period penalty score Dogs 1 - Venom3. Shot: Mad Dogs 12-9
Second period was mostly controlled by the Venom and their strong physical game. The Mad Dogs shied away from the craziness and soon found themselves in a tie game after Venom star forward #77 Tony Cherne scored at 10:40 in the second. It didn't take long for the Dogs to respond. At 5:58 during another power play opportunity Mastro dropped a nice pass back to the blue line for Brian Loehr to fire towards the net for Rousey Johnson to tip into the net and the Mad Dogs regained the lead. It was only a couple minutes later when Tony Cherne from the Venom scored again to tie the game late in the second. Second period ends 2-2. Penalties: Dogs 2 - Venom 3. Shots: Mad Dogs 10-5
The second period was not the best for the Dogs. They were getting sloppy and not winning the battles. Third period was an entirely different game. They Venom lost their minds and went penalty crazy and the Dogs stayed out of the box and started putting the puck in the net. Tim Moeller started the scoring off after a nice set up from Nielsen and Dirk Hanson.
Not even 2 minutes later Johnson scored on a nice set up from defenseman Jeff Snyder. Then at 8:02 during a penalty kill Nielen intercepted another pass and fed defenseman Dirk Hanson who took off down the ice only to be dragged down on the side of the Venom goal. Somehow while being dragged down he managed to get the puck on net and it slid behind the Venom goalie that had no idea what had just happened. Then to finish the Venom off Nielson let a rocket go in the slot after a feed from Paul Swenson scoring with :42 seconds left in the game. Third period goal: Dogs 4-0 Shots: Dogs 14-6 Penalties: Dogs 2 Venom 5.
The Mad Dogs outscored the Venom 4-0 in the third period alone giving them a decisive 6-2 victory. Venom player and B2 administrator admitted in the post game press conference that the Venom beat themselves, especially in the 3rd when they took 5 penalties for a game total of 11 penalties (22 minutes). He said no team will ever beat the Mad Dogs if they skate over a third of the game short handed. The Venom had a very strong penalty kill giving up only 2 shorted goals out of 11 penalties but it wasn't enough. If the Mad Dogs can pull their power play unit together they could be looking at a some really high scoring games.
Venom fans were furious that their teams penalty game strategy was no longer a strategy that can win games and took to the streets to riot. One drunk fan standing shirtless on a burned out car was screaming "PENALTIES SUCK!!!" Others were chanting "Get your mind out of the box!" One cute fan said she is disappointed with the Venom because "they are to eager to get in the box."
It was an exciting night at the Wakota Civic Arena in St. Paul. There is a good chance the two teams will meet up in the playoffs for one final battle.
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