Blues drop tight opener
Second game in Dundas Thursday
By Craig Campbell
News Staff
Despite dropping the first game of their Niagara Junior C East Division final series to Grimsby Friday night, the Dundas Blues showed they’re ready to match up with the league’s most dominant team.
Going into the Peach King’s home territory to open the best of seven series, where the host team held a league best record of 15 wins, two losses and one tie, any opponent might be expected to wince.
But it was the Blues that charged out of the gate, grabbing a 1-0 lead in Grimsby’s house on Cole McNeil’s first period goal, assisted by Jesse Healy.
McNeil found the net again in the second period to give Dundas a 2-0 lead with an unassisted, shorthanded goal.
That two-goal cushion lasted until the final minute of the second frame, when Grimsby finally got a puck past Blues goalie Cam Graham. The Dundas netminder stood on his head for most of the period, stopping 19 of 20 Grimsby shots.
The tight contest continued in the third frame, and the hosts again outshot Dundas, but found the net only once – enough to tie the match and send it into overtime.
Almost halfway through overtime, Grimsby scored to take the series opener.
Grimsby outshot Dundas 45 to 26, but Graham was up to the task stopping 43 pucks in regulation.
The Peach Kings now travel to the Blues’ home, at J.L. Grightmire Arena on Market Street in Dundas, where the Blues hope hometown fans will show up in record numbers this Thursday to support their drive to unseat Grimsby as East Division champions.
Head coach and team owner Dan Caco said the series opening overtime loss in Grimsby was frustrating, but that the team will regroup in time for Thursday night’s game in Dundas.
“We stuck to our game plan for most of the game, but a couple of breakdowns resulted in both Grimsby goals,” Mr. Caco said. “There is no room for errors in the playoffs. We made a couple and it cost us the first game.
“We still feel confident we will knock the Peach Kings off.”
Game two of the tough series is set for Thursday, March 5 at Grightmire Arena in Dundas. Gametime is 7:30 p.m.
