Titans drop Nats; spoil party at Civic Complex
CORNWALL ONTARIO – With the Grey Cup in the house, the Danbury Titans spoiled the party on Saturday night, edging the Nationals 5-4 in overtime.
Danbury’s Taylor Love scored at 1:03 of 3-on-3 overtime to send 1,573 fans home disappointed.
Matt Coleman opened the scoring for the Titans when his shot trickled past Francis Dupuis at 8:57 of the first.
Veteran forward Lou Dickenson leveled the score for Cornwall with 1:17 to play in the opening period when his pass, intended for Brent Clarke, banked off a Titans defenceman and past a helpless Nick Niedert.
Danbury regained the lead at 1:26 of the second, when Dalton Jay scored shorthanded marker. Moments later, at 3:31, Darick Ste Marie pounced on a rebound and buried his shot for a powerplay goal.
MJ Graham then found a wide open Clarke, who one-timed a shot past Niedert at 9:58 of the middle frame. But, Danbury’s Matt Graham batted a loose puck past Dupuis with 3:16 to play in the second to send the teams to the dressing rooms all square after 40 minutes of play.
Local defenceman Jason Lepine gave the Nationals a 4-3 lead with an absolute blast at 7:39 of the third. With Cornwall on the powerplay, Dickenson found a wide-open Lepine for the one-timer from the point.
But, Jay walked in and beat Dupuis with 3:30 to play to send the game to overtime.
Danbury outshot Cornwall 40-35. Lepine (first), Clarke (second) and Dickenson were the announced stars.
The Nationals have a busy stretch next weekend with three games in three days. On Friday, Feb. 10, Cornwall visits the Watertown Wolves (7:30 p.m.) and on Saturday, Feb. 11, the Nationals travel to Danbury to face the Titans (7:15 p.m.).
Cornwall is back on home ice Sunday, Feb. 12 when the rival Berlin River Drivers visit the Civic Complex. The puck drops at 2 p.m.
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PRE-GAME CEREMONY: In a 15-minute ceremony prior to puck drop, the Nationals honoured Grey Cup champion Dan West of the Ottawa REDBLACKS along with Canadian Football League legend “Moe the Toe” Racine. Representatives from the Rotary Club of Cornwall, Carefor Hospice, Maison Baldwin House, CHEO and The Agape Centre were also on hand as the Nationals helped raise awareness and funds for these important local charities.
ROAD LOSS: On Friday night at Berlin, a furious third-period comeback by the Nationals fell short in a 5-4 loss to the River Drivers. Cornwall spotted Berlin a 5-0 lead before scoring four times in the third. Maxime Guyon, with a pair, Clarke and Joel Trottier had the Nationals goals. Dickenson chipped in three assists for Cornwall. Paul Bourbeau Jr. was tagged with the loss in goal, despite a 41-save performance.