A showdown for first place in the OAA II turned into a shootout, as the Dragons rallied for a third period lead, only to ultimately settle for a 6-all tie at home against Troy on Dec. 21.
The Dragons had given up just six goals in their first six league games, which included two shutouts. The matchup with Troy featured two of the area’s best goalies in Colin Bronsteen and Jason Stross.
But against Troy, neither team had ‘D? on their minds.
‘I think both teams struggled defensively, obviously, giving up six goals,? first-year Troy Coach Tim Zimmerman said.
Ken Klooster scored twice in the third, just 22 seconds apart, to put the Dragons ahead 6-5.
Stross, Lake Orion’s sophomore netminder, had his best period in the third, allowing just one goal. But that goal was the equalizer and it prevented either team from making a real statement in the big early-season meeting.
Things could’ve been worse for Lake Orion, though, as Troy jumped out to the early lead.
‘They did a really good job of moving the puck around in our zone,? LO Assistant Coach Don Finn said. ‘That caught us off-guard.?
The Dragons trailed by two goals on multiple occasions, and picked up a half-dozen penalties in the game’s first 30 minutes.
‘We’ve been talking to the kids a lot about not giving up and not getting down on themselves,? Finn said.
Down 4-2, LO scored two goals in a span of 1:19 late in the second period, to tie the game at four.
The first tally came on a power play from John Costigan, with assists from Brad Berschbach and David Wurst.
Then Wurst scored in a four-on-four situation with an assist from co-captain Kevin Kranker.
But 33 seconds after the Wurst goal, Troy’s Derek Ciminelli snuck one by Stross to give Troy a 5-4 lead with 15 minutes left.
That’s when Klooster took over for the Dragons, scoring his first at 12:37 of the final stanza on a pass from Berschbach and then hitting the back of the net again at 12:05 with help from Costigan and defenseman Scott Johnson.
Suddenly down 6-5 with just over eight minutes left, Troy used a power play to even things up, thanks to Andrew Zimcosky.
‘In the middle of the third period, on the road, it was a big power play goal,? Zimmerman said.
Three of Troy’s six goals came off the sticks of defensemen.
Dave Johnson scored LO’s lone first period goal (with an assist to Caleb Fallon), and Cody Wendell cut the Dragon deficit to 3-2 midway through the second (assists to Brett Bryan and Kranker).
The team will get some well-deserved rest until early January, but things won’t get any easier for the Dragons after that.
Lake Orion will host OAA I team Waterford Mott on Jan. 4 and Utica on Jan. 6.
‘These are the kind of games you learn, in the tough situations,? Finn said.
Troy and Lake Orion have established themselves as the teams to beat in the OAA II. At 6-0-1 (13 points) in the league, the Dragons lead 5-0-2 Troy by a point. The next nearest competition sits at eight points.
For Troy, which split from the united team they had with Troy Athens after last season, the hot league start has been a bit of a surprise.
‘I didn’t know what to expect,? Zimmerman said. ‘I think we’ve made a lot of progress in a short amount of time.?
The teams will play again Jan. 31 at the Troy Sports Center.
‘There’s a one-point difference at the break,? Finn said.
‘We’re really looking forward to the rematch.?