Whipsnakes Use Big 1st Half to Get First Win of 2023
By Adam Lamberti
Jun 19, 2023
Attackman Will Manny summarized the Whipsnakes 18-11 win over the Redwoods on Saturday night with five words.
“We just executed better today.”
Heading into the game in last place, the Whipsnakes scored 11 first half goals, including two 2-pointers, while the defensive unit only allowed 3 goals to take a commanding lead at the break.
“Our whole team realized the things we’ve been trying to do, the things we’ve asked them to do, if they do that we will be successful,” Whipsnakes Head Coach Jim Stagnitta said. “We looked like what we wanted to look like.”
Rookie Tucker Dordevic opened the scoring and the Whipsnakes never looked back, using seven different goal scorers in the 1st half to break the game open early. Colin Squires scored his first career goal on a 2-point drive to spark a 7-2 run heading into the break that included some terrific transition goals.
“Squires was trailing the play, we were able to hit him,” Manny said. “Ty [Warner] and Connor [Kirst] did a really good job getting the ball to the attack and then cutting or staying high.”
The second half was a different story. The Redwoods went on a 7-1 run that closed the lead to 14-10 with four minutes left in the game. During that run, Redwoods attackman Ryder Garnsey continued his torrid start to the 2023 year, totaling 6 goals in the game, several of which were jaw-dropping efforts.
But the Whipsnakes handled the Redwoods run, and after not scoring for over 23 minutes, attackman Matt Rambo scored two easy goals on two beautiful full field passes from goaltender Kyle Bernlohr and defenseman Matt Dunn, capitalizing on the Redwoods aggressiveness in the 10-man ride.
“That’s professional players making plays,” Stagnitta said. “Understanding a situation, taking their time, seeing it, and executing.”
The Whipsnakes look to build upon a full team win following a two-week break when they play the Archers in Minneapolis on Sunday, July 9 at 4:30 p.m.
