Oct 05, 2016 | Ccecchini | 375 views
Curfew Controversy in Dunnville Spoils Comeback
A spirited three-goal, third period rally by the Novice A Falcons was undone by a controversial curfew call as St. Catharines dropped a 5-4 decision to the Dunnville Mudcats on Tuesday night at Dunnville Memorial Arena.
Dunnville did well to take advantage of their rare scoring chances in the first half of the game, building a 3-0 lead until Chris Crowe scored his first goal of the regular season with a little less than four minutes remaining in the middle frame to bring the Falcons to within two. However, the Mudcats would score again with about a minute remaining in the second to take a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 lead into the final period.
The Falcons have shown great resilience in recent contests and that never-say-die attitude was prevalent in the final period, with St. Catharines pelting the Dunnville goaltender, who was excellent on this night, with shot after shot. Finally, the Falcons were able to break through, as Rhys McAdam notched his first goal of the regular season with a little over eight minutes remaining. The floodgates were now open and Dante DiFranco (first goal of the season) and Malik Moore (third of the season) tallied shortly thereafter, pulling the Falcons into a 4-4 tie.
Dunnville would bounce back with 2:09 remaining in the third period, scoring a goal off a faceoff to take the 5-4 lead and then only 13 seconds later, with 1:56 remaining, the siren sounded, indicating that curfew had been reached. The Mudcats celebrated while our Falcons looked around in disbelief but the referees upheld the decision, giving Dunnville their first victory of the season.
The Falcons perhaps deserved a better fate in a game that they dominated, outshooting the Mudcats by a 22-8 margin but can take solace in the fact that the commitment to two-way play that was established in recent games continues in earnest.
Garnering assists in the contest were Malik Moore (2), Dante DiFranco, Charlie Barnowski and Chris Crowe.
The Falcons (1-3-0) will look to bounce back on Friday night, as they welcome the Lincoln Blades (3-2-0) to the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre, with the puck being dropped at 5:55pm.
GO FALCONS!!!