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DANBURY, CT– After over a month on the road, the Danbury Colonials finally were able to play in front of a home crowd for just the second time all season. They made it count, besting the New England Stars 4-2.
It was a sterling defensive performance from the black-and-orange brigade, limiting the potent Stars offense to just 24 shots on goal. New England failed to generate a goal at 5-on-5, both times scoring on the powerplay.
Despite limited scoring chances in the first period, it was Kyle McEnany getting the Colonials on the board first with a powerplay goal from the low slot.
New England would answer with a powerplay goal of their own in the second, but Danbury ramped up the offensive pressure and drew a penalty with five seconds remaining in the second period.
Kolby Donovan capitalized on the man advantage, roofing a wrist shot bar-down to give the Colonials a 2-1 lead. Minutes later, Kevin Remson would be sprung from the box after taking a penalty and on the ensuing rush, banged home a goal to put Danbury on top 3-1. Fortuitous timing and hustle from Remson gave the Colonials all the momentum they would need.
The Stars would strike on the powerplay with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, but McEnany would put the game out of reach by redirecting a Donovan shot to the back of the net with three minutes to go.
Shane O’Brien stopped 22 shots to secure his fifth win of the season.
“It was something we talked about in the locker room as a team, we’ve gotta regroup after a couple losses,” O’Brien said after the game. “The boys bounced back well, it was a good win.”
“I think we just got our swagger back,” Donovan commented. “We got in our groove, our powerplay was clicking…this week we figured it out again.”
The win is the first home victory in Danbury Colonials history, something that head coach Kevin Cunningham was quite pleased with following a frustrating road set last weekend that saw the Colonials more or less shut down offensively.
“The guys played really hard, really determined,” he praised. “I thought the third period was probably our best period of the year thus far.”
Danbury’s homestand will not last long. They venture back out on the road this afternoon for a rematch with the Stars up in Massachusetts. Puck drop is set for 4:20pm.
