Last year’s game against Bishop O’Dowd was an epic come from behind win against the Dragons so both teams faced off Thursday night with something to prove. In this high-stakes matchup, the Dons showed resilience to secure a gritty 8-7 victory.
The game opened with a bang as the Dragons won the first faceoff and found the back of the net just five seconds in. However, the Dons didn’t blink. Jackson Tseng answered back quickly to put the Dons on the board, followed by a great strike from Curtis Sanders, who capitalized on a sweet pass from Luke Dafferner.
When O’Dowd rallied with two straight goals to take a 3-2 lead, the Dons’ offense found another gear. Grant Condy fed Luke Dafferner for his first point of the night to tie it at 3-3. Moments later, Condy took matters into his own hands, ripping a rocket of a shot from the 30-yard line that gave the Dons the lead.
The momentum stayed with the Blue in the closing seconds of the half. With just four seconds remaining on the clock, Caleb Mason found Jan Korzeniowski for a clutch goal, sending the Dons into the locker room with a 5-3 lead.
The second half saw the pace tighten as both defensive units locked down. Grant Condy stayed hot, opening the half with his second goal to extend the lead to 6-3. O’Dowd refused to go quietly, however, scoring two in succession to pull within one.
The Dons’ defense stepped up, including Andrew Iams who consistently disrupted the Dragons and Cooper Banwart who forced a few crucial turnovers. This that allowed Luke Daffferner to streak downfield for a lefty score, pushing the lead to 7-5. A great defensive capper for the night was a deflected pass to the Dragon goalie that allowed Caleb Mason to tip in for a final goal with just a few minutes remaining, making it 8-5.
The Dragons mounted a desperate late-game surge, scoring two goals in the final minutes to bring the score to 8-7. With the pressure mounting, the Dons’ defensive unit held strong, turning away the final O’Dowd attacks to extinguish the Dragons for good.
The play of Dons goalie Kyle Sanftner was exceptional all night. Great playing Kyle! This one was a team effort against a quality opponent and may have put in place a bit of a rivalry between these two well matched programs. Way to go boys!
Final Score: Dons 8, Bishop O’Dowd 7
Fear the Blue!
