Tough weekend for Vipers

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Bill Freeman

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Norwood Vipers defenseman Tyler Hamilton protects the front of the net while goalie Zach Fryia keeps an eye on Whitby Dunlops forward Nat Brooks during Allan Cup Hockey League action.

Bill Freeman, Campbellford EMC

Norwood Vipers defenseman Tyler Hamilton protects the front of the net while goalie Zach Fryia keeps an eye on Whitby Dunlops forward Nat Brooks during Allan Cup Hockey League action.

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Norwood Vipers captain Steve Thomas gets the better of Whitby's Andrew Gibbons during a scrap in their heated Allan Cup Hockey League game.

Bill Freeman, Campbellford EMC

Norwood Vipers captain Steve Thomas gets the better of Whitby's Andrew Gibbons during a scrap in their heated Allan Cup Hockey League game.

EMC Sports -Norwood - It was a tough weekend for the Norwood J.J. Stewart Vipers who dropped two winnable games including a bizarre Friday night home game against the first-place Whitby Dunlops where referee Steve Brown won no fans on either side of centre ice.

The losses run Norwood's losing streak to seven games, a dubious franchise record.

An on-ice melee at the end of the second period led to the ejection of five players, including three Vipers, Whitby goalie Joel Whitmarsh, injured in a fight with Norwood's Murray Free was also out of commission. Norwood Captain Steve Thomas was ejected in the first period after defending Sean Griffin who was speared by Andrew Gibbons while celebrating a shorthanded goal by Darren Doherty.

It had all the ear-markings of a barn-burner after a torrid first period with Norwood up 1 -0 and out-shooting Whitby 20 -11, Whitmarsh's netminding and Norwood's inability to finish around the net kept the score close.

Whitby evened things at the 7:36 mark of the second after Adam Van Dam tapped in a rebound following a couple of excellent saves by Eric Tobia. Shane Terry made it 2 -1 two minutes later on a wraparound. Tobia was the story in the second turning aside 19 shots.

But chaos ensued after the buzzer with Norwood's Murray Free getting involved with Whitmarsh and most of the Dunlops' squad, now on the ice, rushing into the fray producing three more fights. Free, Will Jones and Cory Johnston were tossed along with Whitby's Dan Torres, brother of Phoenix Coyotes' Raffi Torres, and Van Dam.

Despite the shortened bench, Norwood was very much in the game but failed to convert on numerous scoring chances, Whitby, on the other hand, did with Dylan O'Neil and Terry scoring 1:32 apart and Nat Brooks making it 5 -1 with six minutes left. Sean Griffin made it 5 -2 with 1:38 left.

The result was a short bench, minus head coach Mike Posavad who earned a suspension, against talented Brantford who stormed out to a 7 -1 lead early in the third period before Norwood was finally rewarded around the net, reeling four straight goals off sharp plays to the net by James Diminie, Jordan Freeland, Patrick Sweeney and Corey O'Brien. Doherty came close to making it 7 -6 but Blast goalie Brett Leggat stopped him cold.

"I thought we showed character coming back," assistant coach Rob Baker told the Northwest EMC. "I think we out-chanced them, they were rewarded we weren't. I thought we had lots of opportunities early and didn't capitalize. Dirty goals count too, we just seem to make that extra play to get a pretty goal."

Trailing Orillia (8-11-1-1) by four points, the team is confident heading to Dundas Friday and with two more games against the Tundra who lost 3 -2 to Whitby.

"One thing about Norwood teams, and it showed tonight, when we're down we don't give up," Baker said. "I think the boys will come back next weekend and make a push. Obviously we wanted at least three points over the weekend but we'll have to go to Dundas and get two points and build from there."