News

Demonz Beat the Dashers to Complete a Successful Homestand

By Robert Kirchner

(Dayton, Ohio) Tonight the Dayton Demonz welcomed the Danville Dashers to Hara Arena. This was the Demonz fourth game in the last five nights. Dayton hoped to continue their winning ways. Over the weekend the Demonz defeated the New York Bluefins twice, and the Williamsport Outlaws to maintain their stronghold on first place in the Federal Hockey League. The Demonz were able to complete the 4 game home sweep tonight with an 8-5 win over the Dashers, in a closer game than the score indicates.

To Danville's credit, they have been playing strong hockey over the past month and the last team to defeat the Demonz in regulation, at Danville 2 weeks ago. Dayton native Lee McClure leads the Dashers with 100 penalty minutes; his younger brother Kyle is the back-up goaltender for the team.

Danville dictated play in the first period, through hard skating, utilizing a strong fore-check, breaking down passing lanes, while frustrating the offensive minded Demonz. The first period would end tied 2-2.

Jonathan Juilano gave the Dashers a 1-0. The Dashers disciplined physical play, strong poke and aggressive fore-checking put the offensive minded Demonz in a reactionary mode through most of the period.

Dayton took advantage of their first real offensive zone time, mid-way through the period to tie things up 1-1on a beautiful offensive set up by Brayden Metz, Jason Hill, with Luke Flicek finishing. Seconds later Marcus Pryde gave Dayton a 2-1 lead off the rush.

The Dashers Michael Jordan tied the game with just over 3 minutes left in the period.

The Demonz seemed to regroup during intermission. Ahmed Mahfouz's would do all the scoring for the Demonz in the 2^nd, "with a little help from his friends." Skating 5 on 4, Dayton regained the lead 3-2 on the power-play, through a creative offensive zone set-up with Mahfouz's power play goal, just over a minute into the 2^nd frame. Dayton continued to create pressure in the Dashers zone for the next five minutes of play to make it 4-2 on Mahfouz's 2^nd goal of the period.

Ahmed Mahfouz's would complete the natural hat trick, when he fooled the goalie, acting as through he was going to pass the puck, but with a blinding wrist shot made it 5-2 Dayton, mid-way through the 2nd. The Dashers continued their defensive first play, to create enough offense and scored the next 2 goals, to make it 5-4 Dayton at the end of two periods. A couple of minutes after Mahfouz's 3^rd goal, Craig Cole of the Dashers responded to make it 5-3. With the Dashers on the power play, Danville's Juilano's 2^nd goal with 54 seconds left in the period made it 5-4 Dayton at the end of two.

In the final frame, the Demonz scored 4 more goals while allowing the Dashers 1 goal, as the Demonz put on another offensive clinic in the final frame. Dayton took advantage of a Dasher penalty, when Brayden Metz found the net to make it 6-4, at around the 15 minute mark. Seth Ronsberg's blast, minutes later increased the Demonz lead to 7-4. Brian Marks got on the score sheet, when he received a beautiful cross-ice pass from Mahfouz, deep in the Dashers' zone, as he knocked the puck into the net to make it 8-4. The Dashers would add the final goal of the evening, with Ryan Stern's goal with under a minute in the game.