ZYDECO ZIP BY DASHERS (11/1)

Baton Rouge, LA - After an 801 mile journey to Baton Rouge, the Dashers looked to improve their record on the road. In a game with limited physicality and lopsided shots, the Zydeco were able to cash in some late, backbreaking goals to fuel them to a victory in front of the home crowd. 

Period one was a slow and sloppy start for both sides. However, it didn’t take long for the Zydeco to get on the scoreboard. Forward Matthew Gordon found himself with a clear path to attack the net and was able to beat Oscar Wahlgren through the five-hole to make it 1-0 just over 3 minutes in. The shots held at a measly 3-3 until midway through the period when Yegor Kabatayev swatted an airborne puck by Breandan Colgan to even things at 1. The Dasher offense was almost non-existent the rest of the way through the first frame, and were held to just 4 shots. Another bad break came when Dasher defenseman Ricky Regala took a puck to the face and went down with 10 seconds remaining. On the ensuing faceoff after the injury, defenseman Brodie Thornton sniped a wrister home to give the Zydeco a 2-1 lead heading into the break. 

Period two opened with both teams exchanging fast paced, end to end scoring chances. The story of the period was tremendous goaltending. A symphony of oohs and aahs echoed throughout the Raising Cane's River Center with every opportunity that was negated by each (goal)tender. The Dashers gained some momentum when PIM leader Ryo Namiki interfered with Brandon Stojevski for his third minor of the game and gave the Dashers a man advantage. After some good opportunities around the crease by the second unit, the penalty was killed. Later in the period, Dasher assistant captain Lester Brown was booked for slashing down Tyler Larwood in the final minute, and on the ensuing powerplay Shane Haggerty slammed home a rebound off a shot from the point by Scott Shorrock to make it 3-1. The period expired with the shots reading 30-13 in favor of the hometown Zydeco. 

Trailing by two, the Dashers were searching for answers heading into the final frame. A couple quick penalties left them handicapped as the Zydeco were able to cash in with Narek Aleksanyan redirecting a shot from the point by Brodie Thornton to extend the lead to 4-1. The only notable offense for the Dashers the rest of the way was Thomas Murphy making a great play around the backcheck and sliding a puck to the slot while being hooked to find Ricky Regala for his first of the year. The late threat would be extinguished as the Zydeco would run away to a 4-2 win.

The shots finished at 46-20 in favor of the Zydeco. The Dashers fall to 1-4 early on in the season while the Zydeco improve to 4-2. The two teams will square off again tomorrow at the Raising Cane’s River Center at 7:05 Central.