AvVo Ilangesyan scores seven goals to lead the Bulldogs
In a matchup between teams with 10 wins apiece, the Burbank Bulldogs held off the Glendale Nitros for a 20-17 victory behind AvVo Ilangesyan’s seven-goal performance. Burbank entered the contest coming off a 20-13 win over Muir, while Glendale was looking to rebound from a 14-10 loss to La Cañada.
Edward Matevosian opened the scoring for the Nitros before Ilangesyan converted a penalty shot to tie the game at 1-1. Ilangesyan scored twice in the opening quarter as the teams traded goals, with Burbank building a three-goal lead by the end of the period.
Matevosian scored his second goal early in the second quarter to bring Glendale within two, but Harout Pogosyan answered to restore Burbank’s three-goal advantage. Narek Sahakyan later converted a penalty shot to help the Bulldogs take an 11-7 lead into halftime.
Michael Andinyan and Hakob Avgyan exchanged goals to open the third quarter. Burbank goalkeeper Arthur Khazaryan then delivered one of the night’s biggest defensive plays, stopping a penalty shot by Glendale’s Daniel Davtyan. Ilangesyan continued to fuel the Bulldogs’ offense, adding two goals in the quarter to bring his total to four. Arman Chagliasian helped keep the Nitros within reach, cutting the deficit to 14-10 heading into the final period.
Andinyan and Ilangesyan scored consecutive goals to open the fourth quarter, extending Burbank’s lead to six. Ilangesyan finished with three goals in the period to complete his seven-goal night, while Andinyan converted a key penalty shot to give the Bulldogs a 20-15 cushion.
Glendale made a late push as Alec Yeghikian scored on a penalty shot and Matevosian followed with another goal to trim the deficit to three. Burbank held on through the closing stretch to secure the victory.I’m very proud of how our guys played tonight; despite our shaky start to the season, this team is peaking at the right time,” Jonathan Agzaryan said.
Agzaryan added that the Bulldogs need to maintain their intensity when holding large second-half leads to prevent opponents from mounting comebacks. “Burbank was the better team and outplayed us both offensively and defensively,” Narek Vardanian said. Vardanian added that the Bulldogs did the little things right to earn the win.
Burbank improved to 11-7 overall and 5-2 in Boulder League play, while Glendale fell to 10-15 overall and 2-4 in league competition.Both teams return to action Thursday, Oct. 15. Burbank takes on La Cañada at 4 p.m., while Glendale hosts Muir at 7:30 p.m.
