Dynamite Close Season with Two Losses

The Dynamite season culminated with their largest challenge of all, a doubleheader against the undefeated, division leading Colorado Blizzard.   Both matches were played by PASL-Premier tournament standards, two 20 minute halves.

Game one would see the Dynamite jump out to an early lead.  With 15:20 left in the half, Tony Avery collected the rebound of a Justin Ferguson shot to put Denver ahead.  Jay Hamilton would score at 14:10 to give the Dynamite their largest lead at 2-0.  An Eric Goldberg goal with 8 minutes remaining would wake up the Blizzard, who followed this up with a breakaway goal by Greg Hubbard to even the score at 2-2 by halftime.

The 2-2 stalemate would hold 10 minutes into the second half, until the Dynamite could contain the Blizzard no longer.  A Jesse Black goal (assisted by Odobong Obetette) at 9:25 would get things started for the Blizzard.  A minute and a half later, Eric Goldberg would score his second goal for the Blizzard, off a rebound from a Kelly Robinson shot.  Obetette scored for the Blizzard with 3:23 remaining to put the Blizzard up 5-2.  The Dynamite then pulled Goalkeeper Brandyn Bumpas for 6th attacker Jay Hamilton, but it was the Blizzard who would capitalize with a Brian Contreras empty net goal to put the match away, 6-2.

 The teams would waste no time getting started with game two, with a 5 minute break.  Not only was this the final match of the regular season, but it would also double as the division championship game.  The Blizzard would pick up right where they left off, with a Eric Goldberg goal with 17:40 left in the first half.  At 14:53 a Jonathan Dzuba goal (assist by Jesse Black) would keep things going for the Blizzard.  With 5:50 left, Odobong Obetette would score his first in game two to give Colorado a 3-0 lead.  Denver would finally answer as Greg Borchers corralled the rebound off a Mike Ogletree shot and put it in the back of the net.  However the Blizzard would answer back with another Obetette goal with 28 seconds remaining to take a 4-1 lead into the half.

Obetette, who factored in on 5 of Colorado's 7 goals in game two, kept the Blizzard on a dominating pace in the second half by assisting Kelly Robinson at 15:50 and Jesse Black at 10:20.  At 9:30 Obetette would score his third goal (assisted by Yves Chinje), earning a hat trick to cap off a great night, giving the Blizzard a commanding 7-1 lead. Despite the 6 point gap, the Dynamite started to show signs of life, kick started by Tony Thomas who scored at 3:54 and then assisted on a Justin Ferguson goal at 3:35.  However it was too little too late as the Blizzard would win 7-3.  

Not only did the Blizzard earn the right to represent the Rocky Mountain Division at the PASL-Premier Nationals, they did so in an impressive fashion, finishing at 8-0.  The Dynamite played well, but could not stop a Blizzard squad that was firing on all cylinders.  While the Blizzard prepare for Nationals in San Diego, the 3-4-1 Dynamite look to build on an overall positive finish, and continue to improve next season.