BRANTFORD -- Against all odds, and amid a little controversy, the Whitby Dunlops were unable to keep their Allan Cup dreams alive on Thursday night.
As if losing their second round robin game to the Lloydminster Border Kings by the same 4-3 score they fell by in last year’s final wasn’t enough, the Dunlops were forced into action last night minus a trio of irreplaceable elements in captain Peter MacKellar, forward Ron Baker and goalie Chad Ford.
And while the offence and leadership lacking in the absence of MacKellar and Baker hurt, it was Ford’s inability to play through a leg injury sustained Wednesday that seemed to hamper the hockey club the most as they fell by a 7-2 count to the host Brantford Blast.
“Fordy is such a huge part of our team, and has been for the last two seasons,” said Dunlops coach Mike Posavad. “In a game like this, to not have him playing is obviously very disappointing.”
Dave Digironimo, signed from the Simcoe County Tundras just prior to the tournament, got the call in net and while he made a few key saves, one in particular that he didn’t make turned the tide in favour of the Blast.
Just 19 seconds into the third period, with the score locked 2-2, he got caught cheating by anticipating the across-crease pass, allowing Chad Spurr to fling the puck on net that beat him between the legs.
The hosts would score another soon after, and the floodgates were then open as Whitby was unable to recover.
Posavad pointed to Spurr’s 3-2 goal, which was his second of three on the night, as the back-breaker. But he refused to blame his goalie, and instead praised his hometown club.
“Full credit should go to them,” the Brantford native said afterwards. “They had the team to win tonight, and they’ll have even more success as the tournament goes on.”
Of course, his praise of the opposition didn’t take the sting away from losing at the national championships for the third consecutive year.
“There is no question about, we’re devastated,” he said.
Losing the game while playing without a full complement of players hurt too as the absences of MacKellar and Baker were due to suspensions doled out Wednesday against Lloydminster.
“You always want to have your full team in a situation like that, but it is what it is,” Posavad said. “We had to adjust and try to do the job with what we had. I thought the guys worked extremely hard.”
For MacKellar, who received a head-checking major after punching a Border Kings player in the head during a scrum around net, which resulted in his ban, the hardest part was fighting that helpless feeling from the sidelines.
“That’s the toughest part,” he admits. “To have to sit there and watch and not be able to do anything... it’s such a helpless feeling.”
Jay McAuley and Kyle Musselman scored the Whitby goals.