“We need to have some good feelings heading into the playoffs,” Gratz said. “We want to do some damage.”
Matthew Larke, Tysen Dowzak and Chris Lipsett scored, while Derek MacIntytre made 35 saves to help snap Dayton’s three-game losing streak.
With Dayton up 2-1 late in the second, Larke took a pass from Damian Surma, went hard to the net and sent a high shot off goaltender Adam Russo’s mask and in the short-side top corner for the eventual winner.
“Surms gave me a great saucer pass and I had it in my head where I wanted to go,” said Larke, a 23-year-old Oxford, Mich., native. “We knew what the game meant and we had a little extra motivation from their coach (Frank Anzalone, who was quoted as saying the last two games against Dayton meant nothing).”
Quad City’s Mike McLean scored late with a wrist shot that deflected off Dowzak.
Dayton (31-29-5) opened the scoring 5:21 into a fast-paced first period when Dowzak sent a change-up to the net that fooled Russo. Lipsett (two points) made it 2-0 at 4:26 of the second but the Mallards answered 57 seconds later as Obi Aduba got a friendly bounce and buried the puck with MacIntyre out of position.
Dayton wraps up the regular season tonight against the Mallards at home.
• Members of the original Dayton Gems and more recent Bombers were recognized during the first intermission. Gerry Moore, Jim Bannatyne, Warren Back and Guy Trottier represented the Gems. Former Bombers Tom Nemeth, Colin Miller and Brian Ridolfi were in attendance, as was Bill Murphy of the Troy Bruins.
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