Yellowjackets lose early lead, game to Curry

Joey Massingham

Box Score

Curry 5, Yellowjackets 3
Box Score

On Saturday night at Wessman Arena, the fans in attendance were treated to two hockey games for the price of one. Both teams, the Yellowjackets and the Colonels of Curry College had extended stretches of the game where they dominated the opposition. Early on it was the Yellowjackets, and the second half of the game it was the Colonels. Curry was the team that took the best advantage of their time of dominance, scoring five of the final six goals in the game, rallying from an early deficit to trip up the Yellowjackets on their home ice, 5-3.

The game was a part of UW-Superior's East/West College Hockey Showcase, not a tournament in the true sense of the word, but if it were, Curry would have been crowned the champions by way of being the only undefeated team on the weekend.

But it didn't look that way at the start.

UW-Superior carried the play early and was the first team to break through. On a first period power play, Pat Dalbec (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) took a pass in the left circle and let a shot go that beat Curry goaltender Joe Dawson to make it a 1-0 game. It was the 13th goal of the season for Dalbec, tops on the Yellowjackets. The goal also extended his scoring streak to 15 games.

As the mid-point of the game approached the Yellowjackets maintained control of the game, and with 8:58 gone in the second period they extended their lead.

With Andy Singerhouse (Hudson, Wis./Hill-Murray) off for cross checking, Joey Massingham (Duncan, British Columbia/Cowichan Secondary) blocked a shot at the right point in his own zone and was off to the races. After pulling away from the defense, Massingham cut to the net and beat Dawson with a wrist shot to the stick side for his sixth goal of the year, establishing a new career high in goals.

Minutes later Curry broke through. Pressing in the Yellowjacket zone, Patrick LeBeau took a pass in the right circle and wired a wrist shot that beat goaltender Drew Strandberg (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Westgate CV&I) up high and it was a 2-1 game. From that point the tide change and Curry seized the momentum.

With 3:40 to play in the second period, Tanner Dion (Hardisty, Alberta/Central Sedgewick) was called for checking from behind, putting the Yellowjackets shorthanded for five minutes. Just 19 seconds into the power play, Kyle Leahy (Fort St. John, British Columbia/North Peace Secondary) also went to the box giving the Colonels the chance to tie. After moving the puck efficiently around the Yellowjacket zone, Casey Brugman got the puck in the left corner and walked to the circle. Strandberg dropped to take away the bottom of the net, but Brugman went up high, scoring his third of the year to tie the game at 2-2.

The Yellowjackets killed of the remainder of the major early in the third period, but almost immediately took another when Nick Stoskopf (Warroad, Minn./Warroad) was assessed a five-minute major for boarding. Curry took a penalty during the major, and the Yellowjackets regained the lead in the four-on-four. And again it was Massingham.

Shane Harrington was poke-checked at his own blue line by Massingham, who took the puck and for the second time in the game wristed a shot past Dawson on the stick side, to make it a 3-2 game. It was the second unassisted goal of the game for Massingham.

But Curry wouldn't go away. Before the major penalty expired the Colonels tied the game, and again it was Brugman. This time he did his damage from the right side, letting a shot go from the right circle that beat Strandberg high on the glove side to again knot the game.

The Colonels took their first lead of the game with 7:14 to play in the third period. A puck skipped past the Yellowjacket defense and Ian DeLong took off, finishing off the 2-on-1 with a shot high over Strandberg's right shoulder to make it 4-3. It was the ninth goal of the season for Curry's leading scorer.

Brandon Gilmore closed out the scoring, flipping a puck from the neutral zone into the empty net with 10 seconds left to make the final score 5-3.

Dawson was strong in goal for the Colonels, making 42 saves in picking up his third win of the season. At the other end, Strandberg falls to 8-3-1 on the year. He finished with 20 saves.

The Yellowjackets went 1-for-5 on the power play and Curry went 2-for-9. Each team took nine penalties in the game, but Curry's counted for 18 minutes while the Yellowjackets' added up to 32 minutes.

The Yellowjackets (10-4-1, 5-2-1 NCHA) will play host to the two-time defending national champions next weekend at Wessman Arena. St. Norbert College comes to town on Friday, January 11. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. and can be heard live on 91.3 FM KUWS, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. If you are outside the local listening area you can listen online through the iFan Sports Network. Watch the game live online through UW-Superior's exclusive online video partner, AmericaOne. Jon Garver will have the call.

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Yellowjackets lose early lead, game to Curry