Ice Breakers can’t overcome mistakes

A flurry of first-period goals by Elmira paved the way to a 4-2 win over the Ice Breakers at the Mentor Civic Ice Arena.

Eliminate three minutes from the game Dec. 21 between the visiting Elmira Enforcers and the Mentor Ice Breakers and everything would have been candy canes and mistletoe for the home team.

The Ice Breakers got on the board first on a goal by Mark Essary 8:34 into the first period, but then biff, bang, bowie, the Enforcers scored three quick goals, one at 11:07 during a 5-on-3 power play, one at 11:40 during a 4-on-4 and one at 13:47 of the first period to drop the Breakers into a hole they could not escape. Final score: Elmira 4, Ice Breakers 2.

“You have to play a complete game for 60 minutes, not for 45,” Ice Breakers coach Iain Duncan said. “That’s the thing this young team has to learn. The 10 to 15 minutes we’re not competing is killing us. It hurt us last week in Port Huron and it hurt us tonight against a team I feel we should be beating.”

The Breakers will get another crack at the Enforcers at 7:35 p.m. Dec. 22 at Mentor Civic Ice Arena in their final game before Christmas. Mentor, 5-12 and in last place in the Federal Hockey League, has lost five of its last six games.

Derek Moser, usually steady in goal, started the game for the Ice Breakers and was lifted after the first period. The defense in front of him did not give him much help.

John Sellie-Hanson, making his debut with the Ice Breakers, took over for Moser at the start of the second period. He gave up a goal 5:18 into the second period to make the deficit 4-1, but settled down and stopped 17 of 18 shots.

The Ice Breakers cut the lead to 4-2 with a 5-on-3 power play goal by Gordy Bonnel, but could get no closer.

Except for that part of the first period when the Breakers snoozed, the effort by Mentor was strong. Elmira had a 5-on-3 power play late in the game, preventing Duncan from pulling Sellie-Hanson for an extra attacker.

While the Enforcers were trying to add to their score, Nate Farrington dived in front of an Elmira shot to block it. He will probably be feeling the effects of that play when the puck drops in the rematch.