Gems drop fifth straight in final minutes

Team gives up four unanswered goals in 4-1 loss Sunday.

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By David DiCenzo, Contributing Writer 8:46 PM Sunday, January 15, 2012

TROTWOOD — The Dayton Gems played one of their best games of the season — for 49 minutes.

The final 11 were the real trouble as Dayton gave up four unanswered goals in a heartbreaking 4-1 loss to the Evansville IceMen on Sunday at Hara Arena.

Brian Bicek, who continued his abuse of Dayton (13 goals in 20 meetings since last season), scored the winner at 12:34 of the third. Bicek cruised around the back of the net and roofed a backhander behind Larry Sterling, sealing Dayton’s fifth straight defeat.

“It seems like a cloud is hanging over us and we just can’t get rid of it,” said forward Jonathan Ornelas, acknowledging the team mood is not good.

Dayton (12-17-7) entered the game reeling after being outscored 15-4 (9-1 on Saturday) in two road losses to the Quad City Mallards this weekend. A date with the IceMen (20-9-3), who began Sunday four points behind the conference-leading Fort Wayne Komets (with three games in hand), seemed daunting.

The Gems were composed early. David Nimmo, playing his first game at Hara after arriving in Dayton this week, notched his second goal in three games just 33 seconds into the second period for a 1-0 Gems lead.

Evansville’s Malcolm Gwilliam was left alone to equalize 8:58 into the third with a backhander that spoiled what at the time looked like a strong shutout bid.

“They wait for you to make a mistake,” said Sterling, who was sharp and aggressive with 38 saves despite the rough third period. “We gave them the middle of the ice.

“We’re in a bad spot right now, but the only way out of it is to work together,” he added. “We were playing the kind of game we needed to, but it was only for 50 minutes.”

Notes: Brett Lutes was a standout as the lone Dayton representative in last Wednesday’s Central Hockey League All Star Game. Lutes registered two assists and had a +5 rating as the league all stars defeated the Arizona Sundogs 6-4. ... After Bicek scored the deciding goal, Steve Makway added a third (power play) and Gwilliam scored his second into an empty net.

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