DECATUR, Il.- The Chicago Crush Elite squad hit the road to Decatur, Illinois, for a high-octane weekend showdown against the Blaze Elite, and boy, did they deliver some fireworks.
Game 1: October 19, 2024 – Chicago Crush 7, Decatur Blaze 2
The Crush came out flying in the first of a two-game set, skating circles around Decatur with a dominant 7-2 victory. Despite Decatur striking first at 3:28 with Dylan Kennedy's goal, Chicago responded in waves. Alex Guida evened the score at 5:40, followed by a shorthanded rocket from Niko Dougan. Vincent Cerrentano capped off a clinical first period, scoring the eventual game-winner with under three minutes to play.
The second period saw the Crush pile on with Logan Landmeier and Cerrentano netting goals, and the Blaze’s goalie, Giovanni Bottalico, was mercifully pulled after facing 31 shots in just 40 minutes. By the time Mikey Large and Krstan Dukic tacked on third-period tallies, the game was well out of reach. The Crush outshot the Blaze 51-15 in a lopsided contest. Goalie Aidan Millerick turned away 13 shots to secure the win.
Game 2: October 20, 2024 – Decatur Blaze 4, Chicago Crush 3 (OT)
Game two was a completely different story, with the Blaze refusing to go quietly into the night. Decatur's Jayson Shores opened the scoring at 1:59 and added a second just minutes later, putting the Blaze up 2-1 early. The Crush, however, found answers—Niko Dougan stayed red hot, tying the game with a blistering wrist shot off a feed from Connor Edwards.
As the game tightened, it was Guida again who brought the Crush level at 14:32 of the first. The teams remained deadlocked through the second period, trading blows and battling for every inch of ice. Dougan netted his second goal of the game in the third to put Chicago up 3-2, but just a minute later, Decatur's Coby Johnson tied it up again.
In a tense overtime, the Blaze's Gavin Meisner played the hero, roofing a backhander just over two minutes into the extra frame. Though the Crush had dominated the shot count, 54-21, Giovanni Bottalico was a brick wall, turning away 51 shots to steal the win for Decatur.
The road trip split leaves the Crush with plenty to feel good about, but they’ll want to tighten up defensively to avoid letting games slip through their fingers. For now, they’ll regroup, with their sights set on the next big test on the schedule.
Catch all the Chicago Crush action live on FloHockey.tv!
Comments