Dodos Bow Down to the Kings!

The Kings would win the opening face off, setting the tone for the night as they played host to the visiting Dodos. The action started early as the Kings skated into the Dodos' zone, taking an early slapshot which was blocked by a sliding Matt Marsh. Dodos' forward Shane Linnenberger picked up the loose puck, skated his way towards the Kings' goal and had his point-blank shot turned away by the Kings' goalie. The Kings jumped out to an early lead with two goals by #97, one of which deflected off Dodos' defenseman Kevin Hewitt's skate and into the goal (5:40, 6:14). But the Dodos would bounce back when Brian Silvey intercepted an errant Kings' pass, setting up a breakaway, allowing Silvey to sneak a backhand shot over the goalie's shoulder at 9:01 in the first period. Following a brilliant kick save by Big Chris, the Kings added another goal to take a 3-1 lead. Feeling pressure to score, Dodos' defenseman Jeff Hewitt picked up a loose puck, skated into the Kings' zone, passed to Silvey, who passed to Linnenberger. Linnenberger skated in front of the crease and took a shot on goal. The shot was blocked, sending the puck into the corner, which Linnenberger tracked down and wristed past the goalie (12:32; assists to Silvey, J. Hewitt). The Kings would act fast before the end of the period, adding an insurance goal with just 47 seconds remaining. This goal would prompt Big Chris to fill the Dome with profanities expressing his disappointment.

Leading 4-2 to start the second period, the Kings came out of the intermission fired up. The action got hot in a hurry as some midget on the Kings tripped Jeff Hewitt at center court. The penalty was not called, and Hewitt's attempt to avenge the non-call would fail miserably when he somehow tripped himself. Neither justice nor offense would be served during the second period for the Dodos. At 4:14 in the second, the Kings would take a shot that went between Kevin Hewitt's legs, and then past Big Chris for a goal. From our angle, Hewitt may have screened Chris from seeing the shot. The Dodos had a few chances to score, only to have their shots blocked or their passes broken up, leading to a breakaway goal by the Tripping Midget (11:57).

Trailing 6-2 to begin the final period, Marsh stole the puck from a Kings' forward and proceeded to score an unassisted wrist shot at 4:12. The Kings would regroup and put two more goals into the Dodos' net (4:55, 6:01) before the Dodos would score again. With the puck at center court, Silvey passed to Dylan Mlcoch, who made a move in front of the goal, setting up his backhand shot which he put glove-side into the goal (7:17; assist by Silvey). Finally, after 43 minutes and 44 seconds of playing dirty hockey, the Tripping Midget got his when he was nabbed for a tripping penalty (imagine that) with just 1:16 remaining in the game. The Kings would kill the power play and the hopes of a Dodos' victory in game three of the season.

The Kings pelted the Dodos' goal all game, amassing a hefty 45 shots on goal. The Dodos were wearing the same uniforms, but they looked nothing like a team.

Fantasy Performances of the Day: J. Hewitt 1A; Henninger (lots of hustle); Silvey 1G, 2A; Marsh 1G; Linnenberger 1G; K. Hewitt (goal for them); Mlcoch 1G; Big Chris 30SV

Dodos' next game is Thursday, May 6th at 7:30pm when they face the defending champions, the Lightning.