Dogs Unable to Hold On Through Overtime

The Bulldogs were coming home after a huge opening conference win against the Sacramento State hornets. Not only were they back home, but they were getting to suit up and take the ice at the Save Mart Center. However the evening did not end well for the Dogs, as the Hornets of Sacramento State got their first victory on the road when they scored with 35 seconds left in Overtime.

1st Period
The Dogs started out slow as the Hornets would score first at the twelve minute mark. The Dogs responded six minutes later with a goal by Junior forward Tyler Esswein as he was fed from Senior forward Magnus Toftgard. The period ended 1-1

2nd Period
The Dogs broke the tie game in the second period with a goal by Senior forward Michael Gandy with assists going to Senior Derek Miller and Freshman Phillip Matson as they led 2-1. The Hornets responded with a goal right before the end of the second period, however the Dogs responded quickly with a goal from Freshman Philip Matson from Senior forward Jordan Esswein. The Dogs went into the locker-room with a 3-2 lead heading into the pivotal third period.

3rd Period
Trailing 3-2 Sacramento State opened the third period with back to back goals as they went ahead 4-3. Fresno State wouldn’t quit as they responded quickly after the second Hornet goal when Senior forward Magnus Toftgard evened things up with assists going to Tyler Esswein and Jacob Winans. The Dogs would take the lead 5-4 when Philip Matson scored his second goal of the night. However the Dogs couldn’t stay out of the penalty box and the Hornets would capitalize on the Powerplay with 1:16 left to play in the game to send it into overtime.

Overtime
The overtime was fast paced, as the teams were moving the puck up the ice to try and earn the extra point. After a turnover in the neutral zone, Sacramento State got the puck deep into the Bulldog zone. They puck was thrown to the front of the net where it bounced off the skate of Sophomore Jared Pratt and into the back of the Dogs net. It was an unfortunate way to loose such a hard fought game.

Note:
Freshman sensation Phil Matson received the monkey award after a two goal game, it’s his second time receiving the coveted monkey in just six weeks. Phillip Matson leads the team with 9 points. The dogs are on a bye this week as they are getting prepared for a November 11th showdown against PCHA foe UC-Davis on Sunday at 10:30am.