DORCHESTER, Ont. - Following a strong second half in October the Dorchester Dolphins are closing in on the .500 mark.
The Dolphins had an opportunity to even their record, but fell 5-2 to the Wellesley Applejacks on Halloween night at the Flight Exec Centre.
Dorchester had won four of their five previous games, losing one in a shootout.
"We've been playing better generally," Dolphins' head coach Jordan Fuller said. "If we keep going on runs like that, we'll be in a good spot."
Entering November, the Dolphins at 6-8-0-0-1, fifth place in the PJHL Doherty division.
"We played alright, (but) we gave them too many good chances. A little bit of running around in our D zone," Fuller said. (Wellesley) were finding soft areas in the slot. We need to clean that up."
Tied at one after the first period, the Applejacks scored four straight goals, for a 5-1 lead.
Colsen Joyce on a first period power play and Quinn Gavin-White shorthanded late in the third, scored for Dorchester.
"They had more juice than us tonight," Fuller added. "We were fine the first half of the game. But we need to stay out of the box. A little undisciplined."
Two third period stick infractions made it tough for any Dolphins comeback.
Among the league leaders in penalties early in the season, the Dolphins are now mid pack in their own division.
A night earlier on home ice, Gavin-White lifted the Dolphins pass the Paris Titans, 5-4, in overtime.
"He's been a tear," said Fuller of Gavin-White. He's coming up clutch in big spots putting the puck in the net."
Gavin-White has 12 goals and 15 assists in 15 games, 13th in PJHL scoring. The veteran forward was the Doherty division Player of the Month for September and certainly a candidate for October.
In a back and forth game against Paris, Gavin-White and Colsen Joyce with two goals each and Tanner Ducharme tallied for the Dolphins.
Alex Joyce and Liam Brulotte, both collected two assists. Braden Piskorowski picked an assist in his first game with the Dolphins.
"We were ok. We grinded it out and found a way to win," Fuller said.
For both games, the Dolphins were without centreman Colin Langstaff (goal, seven assists in nine games) and Lucas Wilson (four goals, eight assists).
Rookie Will Downing, 17, has played the past three games with his hometown team.
Gavin-White leads the Dolphins with 27 points, followed by Colsen Joyce, 16 points with eight goals and eight assists, LJ Legault, three goals and nine assists.