Comeback Falls Short, 6-4, against Davenport

Nov. 16, 2009

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The ACHA Division II hockey squad saw their comeback fall short Sunday afternoon as they lost a hard-fought battle to the Davenport Panthers, 6-4. The Bulldogs got on the board first when Mike Simone took a pass from Kalon Foss and ripped a shot past Davenport goalie Zack Higgins. The Panthers wouldn't let the Bulldog lead stand for long as they answered with a goal of their own a minute and a half later when Jordan Phillips beat Adrian goalie Ryan Krichiver to tie the game up.

Andrew Connelly put the Bulldogs up 2-1 at the 12:54 mark of the period. Connelly came out to the point and took a Panther shot off the shinpads and took off on a breakaway on which he converted. The Panthers once again answered the goal with one of their own. Mike Stedman scored short-handed three minutes later to tie the game up.

The Bulldogs went into the first intermission with the score all tied up at 2-2. The Panthers came out with two unanswered goals in the second period and led the game, 4-2, at the end of the second. The Panthers would score another one only two minutes into the third period to go ahead by a score of 5-2.

The Bulldogs comeback began when Simone scored his second goal of the game by beating Higgins through the legs on a breakaway to bring the score to 5-3. Connelly got his second short-handed goal of the year about a minute later when he put a shot past the Panther goalie to bring the Bulldogs within one. The Bulldogs battled hard and came close to tying the score up during the last 12 minutes of the period, but they were not able to score.

Davenport added an empty-net goal with 20 seconds left in the game to kill any comeback the Bulldogs had left. The Bulldogs return to action next weekend with home games next Friday and Saturday against Lake Superior State.