River Dragons Fall To Danville 6-2
Columbus, GA - A 3-in-3 set this weekend starts in Danville's favor as the Dashers defeated the River Dragons 6-2 on Friday night.
The River Dragons thought they were on the board first when CJ Hayes drove the net on the power play about four minutes into the game. However significant contact was made with Danville netminder Jesse Gordichuk and the goal was waved off for goaltender interference. Hayes would get retribution though as he scored the game's first official goal at 8:31 off a nice pad pass from Cameron Dimmitt.
It wouldn't take long for Danville to answer though, AJ Tesoriero scored just 21 seconds later on a drive to the net to even up the score.
Columbus' response came at the 14:32 mark of the first period when a D-to-D pass found the puck on Anton Lennartsson's stick and he fed Ivan Bondarenko at the right circle who had time to walk and snipe it top-right corner for a 2-1 lead.
Coming out of the locker room after 20 minutes of play the Dashers were a new team, re-focused and re-energized and they struck early in the second with Tesoriero picking up his second of the night. Six minutes later Tesoriero would create a goal after a good keep at the left point his slap-pass was sent in off of Patrik Zilak's stick and it was 3-2 Danville before the media timeout.
Danville would hold that lead the rest of the game and would get another goal in the second off of a great deflection by Fred Hein who scored his 16th of the season in this one.
In the third Columbus came out firing and asking questions of Gordichuk but the netminder was able to keep the door closed. Jake Howie thought he had a goal in the middle stages of the third period but it was waved off for being gloved into the net.
In goals that were officially given in the third period. Tesoriero completed a hat trick and Zilak scored another on a wrap around to give the game its final score of 6-2.
Jesse Gorichuk stopped 37 of 39 shots for his 9th win of the season. Jared Rutledge takes the loss stopping 26 of 32 shots in the contest.
Same two teams go at it again at the Columbus Civic Center on Saturday night with a 6:05 puck drop and a 5:35 pregame show on WRCG and the Columbus River Dragons YouTube page.
Three Stars of the Game
AJ Tesoriero (DAD)
Jesse Gordichuk (DAD)
Patrik Zilak (DAD)