Dynamite Postseason Hopes Dashed in Do-or-Die Loss to FC Denver

Last Friday night at the Westminster Sports Center, the Dynamite were hoping that 3 times would be a charm in their rematch versus FC Denver, a match they could not lose if they wanted to remain in the championship hunt. 

FC Denver would jump out of the gate quickly, with Ben Donovan and Ryan Tuomi combining on the first two goals. Tuomi scored the first with 12:48 remaining, and Donovan the second at 3:06.  With 38 seconds remaining, Joel Miller finished off a deflected Ryan McAleer shot to put FC Denver up 3-0. 

The Dynamite would come alive in the second quarter, receiving a great opportunity when FC Denver was awarded their 6^th foul with 8:42 remaining.  The Dynamite generated numerous opportunities during a textbook power play.   Near the end of the two minutes Tony Thomas found Javier Larios at the top of the arc, and Larios put the Dynamite on the board.  With 5:02 remaining, Mark Cromie scored off a Free Kick to cut the score to 3-2.  After numerous opportunities and a dominant second quarter, things looked promising for the Dynamite going into the half.

In the second half the floodgates would open.  FC Denver opened up the scoring early in the third with an Ian Marcheshi goal, assisted by Ben Donovan.  Down 4-2 the Dynamite faced and killed a power play, and for a brief period it looked like they were still in the match.  Then Tyler Wilson assisted on a Grant Lundberg goal at 7:41, and Edgar Olivas scored at 5:15 to give FC Denver a comfortable 6-2 lead. 

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, a Dynamite mistake would result in a Ben Donovan goal (assisted by Goalkeeper AJ Fleisher).   Ben Donovan would score yet again with 11:38 remaining, assisted by Ben Stump.  Less than a minute later Stump would assist on another goal, this time by Joel Miller.  The six straight goals gave FC Denver a commanding 9-2 lead.  With 8:06 remaining Justin Ferguson touched in a Jay Hamilton pass to cut the score to 9-3, although it was too little too late for the Dynamite. 

Ben Donovan led the FC Denver attack with 2 goals and 2 assists.  Joel Miller also had 2 goals.   Ryan Tuomi had 1 goal and 1 assist.   Justin Ferguson, Javier Larios, and Mark Cromie were the goal scorers for the Dynamite.  AJ Fleisher starred again in goal for FC Denver, with 37 saves and only 3 Goals Allowed.  Jordan Howes pulled in 34 saves for the Dynamite.  

The loss eliminates the Dynamite ahead of their final regular season match against the Colorado Blizzard this Saturday at 8:30pm, at the APEX Field House in Arvada.  The match will see the one game return of Chris Handsor, who starred for the Dynamite in their PASL-Pro days.  The Dynamite can also play spoiler, as the Blizzard need a win or tie to claim the Rocky Mountain Division title.  A win by the Dynamite means the title goes to FC Denver.  

FC Denver Defuses the Dynamite Again, 8-3

                In the second meeting with their new inner city rivals FC Denver, the Dynamite looked to avenge their only loss of the season and keep pace with the Colorado Blizzard for first place.   

                FC Denver opened the scoring in the first minute with a Tyler Wilson goal.  A defensive stalemate would ensue for the remainder of the half, with both clubs having equal number of opportunities.  It was still anyone’s game, as FC Denver went into the half with a 1-0 lead.  

                The second half would open with another FC Denver goal in the first minute, by Brady Yarletts.  A Travis Carey Blue Card gave FC Denver a power play, which they capitalized on with 10:50 remaining as Ian Marcheschi assisted Joel Miller.  Less than a minute later Alex Aguirre would knock home another Marcheschi pass to give the Green Machine a 4-0 lead.  The Dynamite would finally score with 8:22 remaining in the third, as Tony Thomas put a Justin Ferguson pass past the keeper.  Shane Wheeler rounded out the third quarter scoring (assist by Alex Aguirre) to give FC Denver a commanding 5-1 lead.  

                In the fourth quarter, a boarding penalty by Travis Carey followed by the Dynamite’s 6^th team foul gave FC Denver a two man advantage at 12:30.  The 5-3 advantage resulted in Shane Wheeler’s second goal for FC Denver, assisted by Raul Elias.  The 6-1 lead would last up to the 4:52 mark, when Tony Thomas scored his second goal for the Dynamite (assist by Joey Covillo) to trim the lead to 6-2.  The final minute of the match saw 3 goals, by FC Denver’s Raul Elias (assist by Ryan McAleer), the Dynamite’s Josh Elbaum, and FC Denver’s Brandon Best, to end the scoring at 8-3.  The FC Denver win vaults them into second place, and drops the Dynamite into third.  

                With two matches remaining, the Dynamite must get the FC Denver monkey off their back as they face the Green Machine for the third and final time, this Friday night at 8:30pm at the Westminster Sports Center.   The Dynamite now sit a full game behind the Colorado Blizzard, and must win this match if they hope to stay within striking distance of the Blizzard for their season finale.  

Dynamite Fall to FC Denver in Regular Season Opener

     Friday night saw the PASL-Premier Rocky Mountain Division 2012-13 season open with a new inner city rivalry in front of a packed house at the Westminster Sports Center, as a veteran Denver Dynamite club took on FC Denver in their inaugural PASL match.  Youth would trump experience in this installment of the new rivalry, as FC Denver set out to prove they belong at the PASL-Premier level.

     The first goal would come one and a half minutes in for the Dynamite by Justin Ferguson, assisted by Chad Pearson on a play that originated as a set piece.  Midway through the First Quarter, Tyler Imbrongo would score the first goal in FC Denver PASL history, to even the match.  Unfortunately for the Dynamite, Chad Pearson would have to be helped off the field after this goal, not to return for the remainder of the match.

     FC Denver broke a 1-1 stalemate early in the Second Quarter with three straight goals by Edgar Olivas, Shane Wheeler, and Grant Lundberg; pumping up the home FC Denver crowd.  The Dynamite got back on the scoreboard with a Mark Cromie goal, to cut the score at 4-2.   Joel Miller would answer back for FC Denver with 4 minutes left in the half, to give FC Denver a 5-2 lead going into the break.

     Ryan Tuomi would extend the FC Denver lead in a low scoring Third Quarter, which saw Jay Hamilton score late in the period off a free kick at the top of the arc to cut the lead to 6-3.

     Alex Aguirre opened the scoring for FC Denver in the 4th quarter to give the men in green their biggest lead of the night up to that point at 7-3.  After a disallowed FC Denver goal, former Colorado Predator / Colorado Lightning star Josh Elbaum knocked home a Jay Hamilton pass to cut the lead to 7-4.  With renewed hope, the Dynamite pulled their keeper and brought in the 6th attacker, but it was too late.  The Dynamite were caught giving up a free kick at the top of the arc to FC Denver without a goaltender, and 6th attacker Jay Hamilton could not stop Joel Miller as he blasted the free kick into the top of the net.  After a handball against Hamilton, FC Denver would score a power play goal by Brian Svoboda to round out the scoring at 9-4.

     Jay Hamilton led the Dynamite with 10 shots, one goal, and one assist.  Joel Miller led FC Denver with 2 goals in a match that saw 8 different goal scorers for FC Denver, and 4 for the Dynamite.   Both starting keepers turned in great performances, with the Dynamite's Garrison Goodner earning 19 saves, and FC Denver's Wally Fink collecting 26.

     The Dynamite home opener is this Saturday at 8:30pm at the APEX Field House in Arvada.  Single Game tickets are available for $5, and group season passes (4 people for 4 games each) are still available for only $35, with proceeds going to Mended Little Hearts.  Tickets can be purchased on the Dynamite website , just click on the Store link on the main menu.   The Dynamite will be facing defending Division champion Colorado Blizzard, who are coming off a 14-4 victory on Saturday over the CSC Cavalry. The Cavalry defeated the Dynamite in an US Open Cup Qualifier 12-7 the previous weekend.   The Dynamite must be at the top of their game for this crucial early season match, as it is now clear that there are no weak teams in this division.