Drexel Holds Off Denver Rally
from press release
DENVER - Drexel held off a furious Denver rally
in the fourth quarter and defeated the 20th-ranked Pioneers, 9-8.
The Dragons (4-4) led by as many as four goals before the Pioneers
(5-4) rallied to tie it in the fourth quarter. Scott Perri, Joe
Wojciechowski and Colin Ambler each had a pair of goals in the
contest.
Wojciechowski’s goal with 6:42 to play gave Drexel the lead
for good. It broke a Drexel scoring drought that lasted almost 18
minutes. During that time, Denver rallied from a three-goal deficit
to tie the game. The Dragons got some much needed insurance when
Brian Neary scored with 2:22 to play. However, the Pioneers
answered 22 seconds later when Mike Anderson scored to make it a
9-8 game. Denver had its chances to tie with three shots in the
final minute including one that hit the post, but Drexel hung on
for its first victory over a ranked team this season.
Denver’s offense came alive in the second half after falling
behind, 6-2, at the half. Charley Dickenson and Cliff Smith each
scored early in the third to make it a 6-4 game. Colin Ambler tried
to stop the momentum as he got on the board for a second time to up
the Dragons’ lead to three goals at the 9:37 mark. That would
be the last goal the Dragons would score until midway through the
fourth quarter. Ben Wahler and Gajic ended the third quarter with
goals and Denver finally tied the contest in the early going of the
fourth quarter. Dickenson found the net again, this time with 9:37
to play, as the Pioneers evened it up at 7-7.
The Dragons played a solid first half in their first trip to
Colorado since 2006. Scott Perri started the scoring six minutes
into the period with an unassisted goal. Less than a minute after
Denver killed off a Drexel man-up situation, the Dragons scored an
even strength goal by Greg Casey to make it 2-0. Denver got on the
board when Alex Gajic finished off a feed from Dickenson to cut the
lead to 2-1 with less than two minutes to play in the first. It was
one of just three Pioneer shots in the period. Perri and Joe
Wojciechowski scored a minute and a half apart in the early going
of the second quarter to give the Dragons a 4-1 lead. Gajic
answered to cut the lead to two, but Ambler scored at the halfway
point of the period and freshman Kyle Bergman found the back of the
net with less than a minute to play to give the Dragons a four-goal
lead at intermission.
