Outstanding play in net, by sophomore Jason Stross, kept the host Dragons in their game against Grosse Ile on Dec. 2.
But what Assistant Coach Mike Wahoski called ‘selfish play? doomed Lake Orion in the end, as they fell 3-2.
‘It was 1-0 after one and we scored in the first minute of period number two,? Wahoski said, noting that things quickly got out of hand.
Grosse Ile took advantage of 15 Dragon penalties, getting two second period power-play goals to even the score.
‘It was very uncharacteristic of our team,? Wahoski said of the penalties.
The visitors got the game winning goal with just over two minutes left in the third period.
‘Our goaltender played outstanding,? Wahoski said of Stross. ‘He faced 49 shots and made 46 saves.?
‘If it weren’t for him, we would have lost 8-2,? he added.
The loss dropped the Dragons to 3-2 overall, but they are 3-0 in league play.
John Costigan scored twice and the Dragons raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes, cruising to a 5-0 win over Bloomfield United on Nov. 30.
Costigan’s first goal came just 20 seconds after teammate Cody Wendell put the Dragons up 1-0 at 8:28 of the first period.
Lake Orion led 4-0 through two periods in spite of being outshot in each stanza.
Stross and senior Max Cookinham combined for the shutout between the pipes.
Stross played the first two periods, turning away 20 shots. Cookinham preserved the shutout by killing a lengthy 5-3 Bloomfield advantage in the third.
Wahoski praised his goaltending, which gave up just five goals through the team’s first four games.
‘Our goaltending has been strong and will continue to be our strength,? he said.
Mike Rinke and Caleb Fallon also scored for LO in the win against Bloomfield.
The Dragons next take to the ice in a league contest against Troy Athens this Saturday. The puck will drop at 8:15 p.m. at the Troy Sports Center.