Dawg Nation Skates Past Rhinos To Go 2-0

Just a few weeks after losing the summer EAHL championship in an overtime heartbreaker, the Dawg Nation squad has picked themselves up and gotten off to a terrific start for the winter season. After beating their brother team Dawgs II last week, 4-3, the boys made it two in a row Monday night, knocking off the Rhinos by a 6-4 margin.

Canadian import Jon Ripley continued his fast start to the 2011 campaign, scoring a three goal hat trick. Ripley's longtime linemate, fellow Canadian and former butt-buddy Jon Jay banged in his third of the new season, while Brett Bruce notched his second. Bryan Lundstrom also opened his winter season account with his first.

Goalie Al Sterner was stunningly mediocre during the game, but his teammates scored enough goals so that not even he could fuck up his second win of the season. Sterner summed up his performance after the game.




The Nation never trailed in the contest, but could not get far enough ahead for the game to feel comfortable. Ripley scored his first two in the opening period, but the Rhinos matched that twice, scoring on a goal mouth scramble, and then a breakaway to level the contest at two heading to the second.

Jon Jay notched the only goal of the second, taking a pass from Ripley, and blasting it past the Rhinos keeper to make it 3-2. But nothing was even close to being settled as the teams started the final stanza.

Lundstrom made things a little more comfortable, doubling the Dawgs lead around halfway in the third, off of a rebound scramble. It was the first marker of the new season for Lundstrom, nicknamed "Swede" for reasons unknown.


Lundstrom

The Rhinos wouldn't go away, and closed back to 4-3, tapping in a rebound after Sterner couldn't hang onto a hard slapshot from the top of the circle. The outcome of the game was still in question, and the Dawgs would need some more goals to gain the win.


Sterner's glove hand

With around seven minutes remaining Brett Bruce popped one in to make it a two goal contest again, but two minutes later, the Rhinos closed the margin back to one, when a shot from the point was delected past Sterner from in front of the net.

But Ripley sealed the deal a couple of minutes later, when he received a nice breakout pass from defenseman Drew Johns, and fired a wrister past the Rhinos goalie, just inside the near post. That completed his hat trick, and he actually had a chance with under a minute left to get a fourth. But he gagged mightily, missing a wide open empty net after the Rhinos had pulled their keeper for an extra attacker.

Ripley

So the Dawg Nation team had their second consecutive close win, and will now try to make it a third tonight when they face Beer Pressure at 10:15.

In other Dawg Nation News:

Dawg Nation welcomes defenseman Chris Acuna to the team this season. Acuna now joins the growing list of Dawg Nation members that are way too fugly to have hot looking wives/girlfriends.





Dawg Nation forward Matt McGarvey prepares for fatherhood later this month, maintaining his calm and confident demeanor.



Dawg Nation president Marty Richardson got a new job this week, standing completely still on top of wedding cakes. We wish him luck in his new endeavor.



Defenseman Brad Stabio was forced to miss last week's game, because he just could not bear to miss the end of his favorite movie, Steel Magnolias.


"Why did Julia Roberts have to die!"

This week Dawg Nation forward Jon Ripley signed on to film Hangover 3.



Uh, Rips...this picture just might come up more than once. Goddamn, I love Facebook.