STOCKHOLM, NJ– The Colonials kept the train a’rollin’ against the Skylands Kings. Fending off several comeback attempts, Danbury managed to secure a 6-5 victory, putting them over the .500 mark.
The Colonials leapt out to a 4-1 lead as time progressed in the second period. Dylan Webber and Misha Mshar found the back of the net, with Kolby Donovan tacking on two of his own. Skylands would begin chipping away at the lead, cutting the deficit to just one with three minutes to go in the second.
On the following shift after the Kings’ third goal scored by Trevor Christopher, the Colonials’ dangerous powerplay, which netted five goals Saturday evening, went back to work. Brandon Cope buried another on the man advantage assisted by Connor Lefkof and Kyle McEnany.
Skylands persisted valiantly, stealing a goal with eight seconds remaining in the frame shorthanded. The Kings would even up the score 8:34 into the third.
With just over five minutes to go in regulation, Danbury’s hottest scorer Brandon Cope hit twine once more, potting the game-winning goal by redirecting a Donovan pass past Skylands netminder Alex Allison.
The black-and-orange brigade would rifle 48 shots on goal in the 6-5 win. Michael Nardi made 25 saves in the victory, his second of his junior career.
“This is the result of a kind of effort that good teams can look back on later and remember as games that help establish a winning culture,” head coach Kevin Cunningham noted after the game. “It wasn’t always pretty, but our guys found a way to get out of New Jersey with two key points.”
Brandon Cope and Kolby Donovan, who have occupied quite a bit of space in the scoresheets these last few weeks, both recorded four-point nights with two goals and two assists a piece. Cope leads the team with 18 points in his first 11 games, with Donovan placing second with 14 points of his own.
Connor Lefkof notched two assists, giving him five points in his last three games.
“Lots of promising things came out of this weekend,” Lefkof commented. “It gets me excited for what Colonial hockey will look like in a couple months.”
