DC Beats Washington to Advance to Quarters
Another pesky team with another solid goalie made life difficult again for Team DC Saturday in a must-win game at America’s Showcase St. Louis. But it only took two great shots from one player to give DC and netminder Ty Morton (Montgomery Blue Devils/Landon) all they would need to earn a hard-fought 3-1 victory against Washington and advance to Sunday’s Quarterfinals.
Jack Massey (Team Maryland/Gonzaga) broke the ice with a perfectly placed shot off the far post after a length-of-the-ice rush with 4:59 left in the second period and then tallied again later in the period on a similar snipe from the opposite side during a 5-on-3 advantage with 29.4 seconds left.
That was all Morton, who for the second time this week made several big third-period saves, and his teammates would need to secure the victory and allow Team DC to advance for the first time in many years. Morton finished the game with 14 saves to earn the victory over his counterpart, Zane Anderson, who kept Washington in the game all day and turned aside 40 Team DC offerings.
It was the second straight game that Team DC held a tremendous shots-on-goal advantage over its opponent, but also the second straight outing that DC stuck with the plan and persevered until finally breaking through.
Daniel Pimenov (Jr. Flyers) capped the afternoon with an empty-net goal after an incredible shift that saw Pimenov and linemates Erick Reiniger (DeMatha) and Alex Simuro (Nova Ice Dogs/Bishop Ireton) clamp down with an intense forecheck that kept Washington bottled up in its own zone for nearly a full minute. Pimenov fought off a couple of checks in front of the net to bury the insurance goal with 4.6 seconds left. No assist was credited on the final goal, but there is no doubt that both of his linemates deserved helpers.
“That last shift really was a great indication of what won the game today,” head coach Joe Vonakis said. “We worked hard, pressured them and competed in all three zones all game long. You need to score goals to actually beat an opponent, but it’s those little things that really win games.” Those things don’t show up in the box score, but can never be discounted. Forward Nick Wood (Potomac Patriots/Woodbridge) and Reiniger, who led their club and school teams, respectively, in scoring this year, spearheaded the defensive charge with strong back checking and penalty killing. Reiniger, Luke Leydig (DeMatha), Peter Haas (Hampton Roads Whalers) and Wood controlled the faceoff dot. Forwards Ryan Olson (Team Maryland/DeMatha), Noah Hope (Tri-City Eagles/Good Counsel), Trevor Reece (Potomac Patriots/Chesapeake Lightning), Trevor Younkins (Team Maryland/River Hill) and Aidan Ritter (TI Selects/Calvert Hall) applied pressure up and down the ice and allowed Team DC to maintain a substantial puck possession advantage for the second game in a row.
“Our forwards have really bought in to doing whatever we ask of them to help the team win, and that’s rare in these types of showcases,” Vonakis said.
And the back end of Brian Kerrigan (Potomac Patriots/Kettle Run), Christian Halbig (Team Maryland/DeMatha), Quinn Alley (Hagerstown Bulldogs/Frederick County), Anthony Adams (Potomac Patriots/Charles County), Patrick Chapman (Team Maryland/St. John’s) and Jack Stanley (Nova Ice Dogs/Washington-Lee) has been no less impressive, holding opponents without a goal for a span of nearly two full games at one point and surrendering just one goal In the last 130 minutes of play. Team DC has outshot its last two opponents, 81-22.
“Our defense has kept it simple, made smart plays and battled,” Vonakis said. “They aren’t always the flashiest group, but they work together well and take care of their responsibilities in the d-zone.”
Team DC returns to action Sunday at 11 a.m. (CDT) in the quarterfinals against one of the A-Pool winners after finishing on top of the B Pool “Freedom” Division with a 3-0 record and eight points. If DC wins, it will play in the semifinals later in the day. All games can be seen live on HockeyTV.com.
