The fireworks started early over Glenview, Illinois this July 4th. Toronto's Merrick Thomson opened scoring just 24 seconds into the match off an assist from Jeff Zywicki. Quick to reply, Chicago's Kevin Leveille notched an unassisted goal, which marked the beginning of the back and forth scoring battle that rounded out the first quarter of play. Colin Doyle converted a pass from rookie Corey Small, and Thomson followed suit with his second goal of the quarter. The Machine then opened fire on the Nationals, going on a four-goal run.

Kenny Nims quarterbacked two consecutive goals, finding teammates Chris Rotelli and Mike Leveille in front of the net. Continuing his momentum, Mike Leveille netted another goal off of a pass from Terry Kimener. He then assisted Rotelli, putting Chicago ahead by two.

Interrupting Chicago's run, Toronto's Doyle slipped one past Machine goalie Mike Gabel during a powerplay. But soon to answer for the Machine was Rotelli, who found the back of the net off an assist from Chazz Woodson. To finish out the quarter for the Machine, Mike Leveille assisted big brother Kevin in a powerplay, while Anthony Kelly and Stephen Bauer both tallied goals of their own. For Toronto, Joe Walters assisted Thomson and Doyle, who netted the final goal of the quarter. After a thunderous first quarter, Chicago led the Nationals 9-6.

The second quarter got off to a slow start, with a five-minute scoring draught for both teams. Breaking the silence was Kevin Leveille, who converted a pass from kid brother Mike. Returning the favor, Kevin found Mike in front of the net, increasing Chicago's lead over Toronto to five. After another scoreless four minutes, Toronto was the team to end the lull this time, as Zywicki found the back of the net off an assist from Doyle.

Despite the slow start to the quarter, the final five minutes of the first half were anything but. After Nims notched an unassisted goal for Chicago, Toronto mounted a comeback in an attempt to even out the score. Merrick Thomson netted his fourth and fifth goals of the half off of assists from Doyle and Walters. With the scoreboard at 12-9, Toronto's Jordan Hall tallied his first goal of the game, pulling the Nationals within two. This comeback was short-lived, however, as Matt Striebel netted his first goal at 14:50, and Greg Bice rocketed a two-pointer past Nationals goalie Brett Queener with one second remaining in the half. Both teams hit the locker rooms after an explosive first half with a 15-10 Chicago lead over Toronto.

Brotherly love... Kevin and Mike celebrate one of five connections they had in today's game. Returning to the field after the recess, the Machine did not hesitate to rekindle their fire from the first half. Unleashing a series of four unassisted goals, Terry Kimener and Kevin Leveille netted one apiece while middie Brendan Loftus notched two of his own.

Fighting back for Toronto, Shawn Williams tallied his first goal of the game off an assist from Zywicki, and Walters quickly followed suit. Both teams were then quiet for a few minutes, until Striebel broke the silence, launching a two-pointer past Queener during a powerplay. Big guns Thomson and Kevin Leveille closed out the third quarter with a goal apiece for their respective team. The score was 22-13, Chicago.

To open the final quarter of the game, Toronto's Brodie Merrill found the back of the net at 0:34 off an assist from face-off specialist Geoff Snider. Another scoring draught ensued, as both teams fought to gather steam for their final push. Thomson netted his seventh goal of the game, converting a pass from Merrill. But striking for the Machine, the dynamic Leveille duo teamed up to put another Chicago point on the board. Zywicki then notched his second of the game for Toronto, but once again the Leveilles quickly answered back.

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2009-07-04