McCoys’ 25th Anniversary Season Comes To A Close

Photo courtesy of Paul Wright

Dundas' 25th Anniversary season came to an end on Friday night with a 3-2 loss to the Stoney Creek Tigers, who swept the McCoys three games to none in the best-of-five semifinal series. The team went down swinging, pushing the Tigers to the limit.

The McCoys came out with pressure early, putting shots on net from close range and from the point. They would outshoot the Tigers 19-12 in the opening frame, but it was the visitors who scored first and last in the period. The opener came on a deflection, before Dundas' Igor Gongalsky scored the first of his two goals on the night, sliding a rebound through the five-hole to even things up at one. The Tigers would retake the lead on a tap-in after a wraparound attempt slid through the crease.

Neither team could find the net in the second period, leaving everything to be decided in the third. Stoney Creek pushed their lead to two on a controversial goal that saw Mike Mole knocked out of his crease before the puck deflected off a McCoys defender and into the net. Dundas refused to fold, however, and just 93 seconds later Gongalsky snapped a shot from the slot to cut the deficit back to one. The McCoys sustained heavy pressure over the final ten minutes in search of the equalizer but couldn't find a way through.

With time winding down, Mole was pulled for the extra attacker in the final minute. The McCoys generated a pair of chances, including a point shot that rang off the crossbar, but that would be as close as Dundas could come.

Mole took the loss despite a gutsy 41-save performance — giving his squad every chance to force a fourth game and keep the season alive.

 Series Schedule
Game #1 – Stoney Creek 9 | Dundas 4
Game #2 – Dundas 4 | Stoney Creek 6
Game #3 – Stoney Creek 3 | Dundas 2