On paper, this one had the makings of a rough night. Jeffrey Hanson, one of the team’s top scorers, was out sick. Lacy Taghon was feeling sluggish after eating too much peanut butter before the game. The Dark Knights dressed 12 skaters to the Crows’ 14 and were rolling just three defenders, which meant some of them were logging shifts that stretched to seven minutes.
None of it mattered much. The Dark Knights beat the Crows 5-3 for their fourth win in a row.
Counting Down
Here’s a streak the Dark Knights would rather not extend. The number of goals they’ve scored in the first period has dropped by one in each of the last four games: four in the last game against the Crows, three against Red Squadron, two against the Wild, and one in this game. Hopefully the number next game is not zero.
The Crows matched that single first-period goal, so it was 1-1 after one and 2-2 after two. It stayed close the whole way.
Wrecking Ball
Hurley was a force in the first period. He collided with another skater, and the other skater fell down. A third skater came in and went down too. The game carried on around the pile-up. A bit later, Hurley took out his own goalie for good measure.
Remarkably, none of it drew a penalty.
Out of the Box
The only penalty of the night came when Rachel Mathison was wrapping around the net trying to score and Grant Casebeer took her down. The Dark Knights’ power play came up empty (0 for 1), and Casebeer got a breakaway coming out of the box and scored. It was not how the power play was supposed to go.
That was the only visit to the box for either team, and the Dark Knights finished with zero penalty minutes, a notable result for a team with our reputation. Dawne Griffith, fresh off a Gordie Howe hat trick that included a trip to the box, spent this game entirely on the right side of the scoresheet.
Fueled by Peanut Butter
Lacy Taghon may have felt sluggish, but the save totals say otherwise. The Crows put 31 shots on her and she stopped 28 of them, a .903 save percentage. They outshot the Dark Knights 8-4 in the second period and 14-5 in the third, and she held the game together through both.
Those 28 saves are a season high for Lacy, and the .903 is her second-best save percentage of the year, behind only the .929 she posted against Red Squadron. Nobody is saying the peanut butter did it, but nobody is saying it didn’t, so maybe the team should keep a jar handy.
At the other end, Michael Contour stopped 15 of 20, which gives some idea of how efficient the Dark Knights were when they did get a look.
Holding the Lead
The game was tied 2-2 through two periods. In the third, the Dark Knights scored three times on just five shots and the Crows scored once, which left the Dark Knights with a lead to protect instead of one to chase. The Crows threw 14 shots at the net in the period, and the Dark Knights spent the closing minutes expecting them to pull their goalie. It never happened.
Brian Ireland scored the game-winner in what looked like slow motion. The puck was sitting in the crease, and he pushed it in. It was not pretty, but a goal is a goal. Matthew Newberg and Dawne Griffith each finished with two goals on the night.
Still Chasing
The win makes it four in a row, but the Dark Knights are still in second place, one point behind Red Squadron, who sit at 12.
Three Stars of the Night
- Dawne Griffith — Two goals on the night, and no penalty minutes this time.
- Brian Ireland — The game-winning goal
- Matthew Newberg — Two goals.