Photo: Dorchester linemates Everett Elliott and Harrison Austin hunt for the puck
The Dorchester Dragons hit the road Sunday evening, January 11th, travelling to Lucan for a 5:00 p.m. puck drop against the Irish White. What followed was a fast, competitive, and emotional game that tested not only the Dragons’ skills, but their character as a team.
First Period – Feeling Each Other Out
The opening frame was scoreless, but not without excitement. Ben Evans made a smooth transition from defense to forward and jump-started the Dragons’ attack with a crisp pass to Cameron Gardner to clear the zone, creating an early scoring chance.
Ethan Lobb set the tone defensively, showing tremendous hustle by racing back to break up an Irish odd-man rush. At the other end, Dexter Hacche was planted in front of the Lucan net and narrowly missed connecting on a pair of centering feeds from Ben Pink.
The Dragons rolled quick shifts and kept their energy high, forcing Lucan to take the first penalty of the game for too many men on the ice. Despite good puck movement, the score remained 0–0 after one.
Second Period – Momentum Swings
The Dragons continued to push in the second period. Cameron Gardner drew a penalty after fighting through a slash that knocked his stick free and sent it out of the play. Unfortunately, the Dragons couldn’t convert on their second power-play chance and even surrendered a short-handed breakaway that luckily rang off the post.
With 3:55 remaining in the period, Lucan finally broke through, scoring to take a 1–0 lead into the third.
Third Period – Drama Until the Final Whistle
Dorchester opened the third on the power play after Lucan took their third minor late in the second period. Everett Elliott and Xavier Papel set up a great chance out front, but Harrison Austin just missed connecting as the Irish survived yet another penalty.
Moments after the power play expired, the Dragons struck. Harrison Austin chipped the puck deep to Everett Elliott in the left corner of the Irish zone. Elliott walked out all alone and wired a top-shelf, highlight-reel goal over the Lucan goalie to tie the game 1–1 with 12:58 remaining.
Trent Pietarinen followed with the save of the night, diving across the crease and getting his stick on the puck to keep the game even. Lucan then took their fourth minor penalty, and Quinn Fournier set up Cameron Gardner beautifully, but the Irish goalie again came up with a big save to complete their fourth straight penalty kill.
The Dragons continued to battle hard. After another Irish breakaway attempt, Ethan Lobb showed relentless effort once more, hustling back on the backcheck to break up the play. With 3:32 to go and the game tied, Lucan took their fifth penalty of the night for head contact. Coach Gardner sent out a specific power-play unit, but Lucan completed their fifth consecutive penalty kill.
Just over a minute later, an “equalizer” penalty sent the Irish to their first power play of the night. After 5 Lucan Irish penalties in a row the Dragons were due for a call no matter how dubious. Cameron Gardner and an Irish player skated into each other in the face off circle and the collision sent both players falling to the ice. Many fans in attendance questioned how such a collision could be called a body checking penalty, but those are the breaks, and Cameron Gardner went to the box. After killing 10 minutes of penalties throughout the game, Lucan capitalized just eight seconds into their first advantage to take a 2–1 lead.
The Dragons pulled their goalie for the final 20 seconds but were unable to generate one last chance before the final buzzer.
Final Score
Lucan Irish 2 – Dorchester Dragons 1
Post-Game Awards
Player of the Game: Ethan Lobb. Relentless hustle and outstanding backchecking kept the Dragons in the fight all night.
Hardest Worker: Ben Pink. Consistently made a difference at both ends of the ice, working hard to create offensive opportunities for his teammates.
A Bigger Lesson Than the Score
Hockey is an emotional game, especially when the result is decided late. It’s natural to feel frustrated after a tough loss, but this game was not decided by one moment or one player. The Dragons had five power-play opportunities and couldn’t convert, while the Irish successfully killed off 10 minutes of penalties and capitalized on their only chance.
As Sidney Crosby puts it best:
“Hockey is a team game. You win together and you lose together.”
That message matters. Wins belong to the whole team—and so do losses. Growth comes from supporting teammates, learning from mistakes, and staying positive through adversity. The Dorchester Dragons showed heart, effort, and resilience, and those qualities will carry them forward far beyond one scoreboard.
The Dragons will learn from this one—and come back stronger together. 
