Team DC Scores 7 Straight for Comeback Win
After controlling play for probably seven of the first nine periods with nothing to show for it at America’s Showcase St. Louis, Team DC promptly fell behind Florida 2-0 in today’s final game of pool play.
But from that point on, Team DC decided that it wasn’t going to let another one slip away, taking complete control by scoring three goals in the final 10 minutes of the first period and seven straight overall en route to a dominating 7-2 victory.
“Sometimes I look down the bench and don’t think our guys really know how good they are,” head coach Joe Vonakis said. “Obviously we didn’t get off to the start we wanted to today, but for the final 45 minutes they did everything we’ve been asking them to do, and the results were outstanding.” It took a few minutes for the players to get going, but once they did the offensive show was impressive. Florida capitalized on two mishaps in the DC zone to take a 2-0 lead 7:43 into the contest, but from that point on Team DC owned the game.
Alex Simuro (Bishop Ireton H.S./Nova Ice Dogs 16U AA) got Team DC on the board first off a great “twister” feed from behind the net by Tyler Westfall (Annandale H.S./Montgomery 18U AA) at 12:09, with Christian Halbig (DeMatha H.S./Team Maryland 16U AAA) picking up the second assist.
Alvon Barard (DeMatha H.S./Tri City 18U AA) was next, finishing off a slick feed from Gavin Gustafson (West Potomac H.S.), who chased down a dump by Wyatt Hinkson (DeMatha H.S./Team Maryland 18U AA), knocked a player off the puck and slid it out to Barard for the finish.
That goal cut the lead to one at 14:13 of the first before Daniel Pimenov (Walter Johnson H.S./Montgomery 18U AA) put DC in front for good with 49 seconds left in the period, with assists going to Westfall and Brian Kerrigan (Kettler Run H.S./Potomac Patriots USPHL Jr.). Team DC held an 18-4 shots advantage after one and would continue to dominate play the rest of the game to the tune of a 44-16 shots margin by the final buzzer.
Tiger Bjornlund (Walt Whitman H.S./Montgomery 18U AA) streaked down the left wing and fired a laser past goaltender Parker Gainsburg to push the margin to 4-2 13:19 into the second period, and that’s how the score would remain until Bjornlund deftly redirected a pinpoint 2-on-1 feed from Liam Eden (Spalding H.S./Tri-City 18U AA) 6:02 into the third.
Eden dunked an unselfish feed from Erick Reiniger (DeMatha H.S.) to pick up a goal of his own at 11:01 off the third, then Pimenov closed the scoring with 6.9 seconds left, depositing a backhander into the net off of Simuro’s faceoff win.
Ten different Team DC players recorded points in the game, led by multiple-point scorers Pimenov (two goals), Bjornlund (two goals), Simuro (one goal, one assist), Barard (one goal, one assist), Eden (one goal, one assist) and Westfall (two assists). Jack MacKinnon (O’Connell H.S./Potomac Patriots USPHL Jr.) turned aside 14 shots to earn the victory.
Team DC, now 1-2, will be back in action tomorrow in a consolation game against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
