Offensive Fireworks Power Dakota Past Chippewa Valley

The Cougars put on an impressive offensive show Wednesday night, blowing past their rivals, the Chippewa Valley Big Reds, 6-1 to make it to the boys hockey regional finals on Saturday.

"We just really capitalized on our opportunities tonight," said Dakota Coach David Koons.

The atmosphere for the rivalry game was intense, with hundreds of fans from both sides completely lining the glass around the entire rink—three people deep in some places—at the Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

"I've never seen this many people here before to cheer me on," admitted senior defenseman Spencer Grasso. "The atmosphere was great for us."

The Big Reds came out flying in the first, dominating play in front of the Dakota net and looking to try to take an early lead.

However, it was the Cougars who opened up scoring at 12:57 when senior forward Justin Boyd split the defense and rammed one home over Big Reds goalie Dominic Vitalie's shoulder. Sophomore defenseman Brad Schornak and junior defenseman Cody Foska were credited with assists on the goal.

Despite non-stop effort on the part of the Big Reds, both offensively and defensively in the first period, it was the Cougars who seemed to get all the breaks.

Senior forward Kyle Rojem put Dakota up by two at 6:26, when he sliced one past Vitalie in the crease thanks to an assist from junior forward Vinnie Garavaglia.

The Cougars kept up their offensive dominance with 1:21 left in the first when sophomore forward Ron O'Connor flipped a chip shot past Vitalie following an odd-man rush, putting Dakota up 3-0 and largely silencing the Big Reds faithful on the sidelines. Garavaglia and Rojem were credited with assists on the goal.

The Big Reds came out equally determined in the second, barraging Dakota goalie sophomore Justin Dudzinski with a variety of shots, but were unable to score in the early going.

"They played really well," Koons said of the Big Reds. "(Both teams) had an outstanding effort tonight."

Chippewa Valley got a break at 10:47 when another Dakota goal was waved off because it came after a penalty whistle.

Things between the two squads settled down offensively through much of the second period, but the Cougars would ultimately add on to the Big Reds' woes when junior forward Robert Haney banged in another goal amidst a scrum in front of Chippewa Valley's net, making the score 4-0. Senior defenseman Joe Stronati assisted on the goal.

The Cougars came out flying in the third, hoping to put the game out of reach early. A mere two minutes in, sophomore forward Chad Roskelly travelled the entire length of the ice to slip one past Vitalie unassisted from a good eight feet out, putting Dakota up 5-0.

The majority of the third period was uneventful, but the Big Reds did finally manage to get on the board with 4:20 left when senior Nick Bayagich let one loose from the slot, ruining what could have been a shut out for Dudzinski. Alex Wodnicki and Connor Grossman were credited with assists on the goal.

The Cougars scored one final time, with 2:13 left in the game, thanks to junior forward Derek Rutkowski, who was assisted by Schornak and Boyd.

Koons said he was happy with the variety of goal scorers on the evening, citing terrific play by his top three lines.

"I'm ecstatic," he said.

Up next for Dakota is a regional final game against Lake Orion at Great Lakes Sports Arena on Saturday.