Depleted Whalers become road warriors

DANVILLE, IL – Minor league hockey is about perseverance both on and off

the ice. The Danbury Whalers learned that in the space of a couple of days this week.
In a 36-hour span, the Whalers spent 24 hours riding their bus and played two games with a depleted roster but still managed to come up with two victories and five points – all while getting to know each other.
On Thursday, the Whalers were diverted to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine to fill in for the Akwesasne Warriors in game three of the FHL’s “Maine Event” against the Cape Cop Bluefins. The change of plans was just the latest fly in the ointment for Whalers head coach Phil Esposito who was already dealing with a short bench because of injuries and call-ups.
Trailing 1-0 on a Bluefins goal by Jamie Jelenik in the first period, the Whalers tied the score 3:31 into the second stanza on Sean O’Malley’s fourth goal of the season. Midway through the period, Danbury took the lead with a pair of tallies in the space of 48 seconds. MMatt Moffatt put his team in front at the 11:05 mark and was followed at 11:53 by a score from Devin Guy.
A goal by Cape Cod’s AJ Tesoriero cut the margin to 3-2 before the second period ended but it would be as close as the Bluefins would get. Lynn Beedle secured the win for Danbury with an empty net goal with one second left in the contest.
Immediately following that game, the Whalers boarded the bus and headed out on the 1,000-mile, 20-hour trip to Danville. They made the trip with just 13 available skaters, five of whom – Dan Morini, Anthony Pisano, James Sanford, James Ryerse and Chris Hassler – had an aggregate total of seven games played for the Whalers among them. Ryerse, who was returning from a lengthy suspension, accounted for four of the seven,meaning that the other four players had a combined three contests in a Danbury sweater among them.
Given the fact that Esposito’s squad had not had much time together made the all told three-game road trip a daunting task. How would he be able to rally his guys who spent more time on the bus than on the ice? How would the Whalers fare without the likes of Alec Kirshner, Chris Seifert, Martin Moucha, Paul Arnott Jr., Geg Holt and Adam Blanchette who were all injured or Kelly Miller, Chris Clark and Nick Niedert who were on call-up?
Friday night’s game in Danville saw the Dashers take the lead on a Ray Tremblay goal before O’Malley tied the game late in the first. Scores by Ky Moje and Dustin Skinner in the second gave Danville a 3-1 lead going into the third.
The Whalers needed a spark and they got it at the 7:24 mark of the final period when Moffatt notched his 11th goal of the season to cut the Dashers lead to 3-2. Seven minutes later, O’Malley scored a power play goal to even the score where it stayed through the rest of regulation and overtime.
In the shootout, Sanford, who had come from the ECHL’s Trenton Titans, scored in the third round but that was quickly answered by Danville’s Tyler Barr. Carlo Ricci was up next for the Whalers and he scored what proved to be the game-winning goal. Goalie Peter Vetri stopped the final two Danville attempts to secure Danbury’s fourth win in its last five games.
Sanford and Moffatt each recorded three points for the Whalers who have one more game in Danville Saturday night before another long bus ride – and some rest.
Contact the author at bill.thebert@prohockeynews.com