The Musicmen played a very good first half of tonight's game against the Halifax Hammerheads.
Through the first 37 minutes of the game, Dayton had built a 2-0 lead, had stayed mostly even in shots with 17 to Halifax's 19 and had killed off three short-handed situations.
Then, the bottom dropped out. Dayton was called for six of the games' last seven penalties. While it resulted in just one goal, it set the tone for the last half of the game.
"Gradually, we just kind of lost it," said Musicmen defenseman Fedor Tyutin. We were skating with them and felt like we'd mostly shut them down offensively, then late in the second period, we knew they'd starting pressing a little harder. We tried but we couldn't stay with them."
Halifax scored four straight goals to take a 4-2 lead. Thomas Vanek scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the year with just 54 seconds left in the game. Dayton was unable to put the fourth one past Hammerheads goalie, Pekka Rinne.
"This kind of thing happens to a young team. I know that; the coach knows and the GM knows it. All young teams have to grow through it. What these kids need to realize is that there's another level of compete in them that they need to tap into every game."
"Think about it. We have the top three kids from the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. MacKinnon, Barkov and Drouin are each incredibly gifted and exceptional young men. They've been so much more talented than the guys they've played with that maybe they need to adjust some more to the caliber of the play in the CCHL. We have the most talented players in the world in this league and everybody's good."
"Management did a nice job bringing in a ton of young firepower. Other kids like Larkin, Guentzel, and Aho also have high upsides. The young Dmen are on the way. Our next couple drafts are going to be very good. But the kids who are here right now, need to dig a little deeper, skate a little harder and compete a little harder in those one on one battles. It's the only way to do it. Once they figure out how to get to that extra level, given the crazy talent they have, they'll be a step ahead of most opponents instead of a step behind."
Game Notes:
Vanek had two goals and an assist to give him six points on the year, good for 5th place on the team after seven games. He is -1 on the year with just a single minor penalty. "I'm trying to do the kind of things a leader does. I'm older than most of the guys on the team, at least the forwards. Just doing my best."
Marc Methot will be out for the next six days due to a hip flexor injury he sustained in the first period after getting slammed into the boards behind the Musicmen net by Hammerhead Connor Brown. Either Jokipakka or Tennyson will likely dress for the Calgary game.
Nate MacKinnon and Alexander Barkov had a combined total of zero shots on goal. "Well, yes - we need a little more from both of them. It was our bad fortune that each one of those guys happened to have their worst games of the year, tonight. They'll be fine..." said GM Corfield
Up Next: Dayton heads off on its longest travel trip as it heads to Calgary, Alberta. Leaving tomorrow morning from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the team will fly 3,006 miles to touch down at Calgary International to face off against the top-ranked team in the CCHL. The Chinook are 6-0-1.
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