IceDogs comeback falls short

Too little, too late after Niagara falls into 0-4 hole against Erie

Erie, Pa., is in another country, not in a different time zone.

That’s not the way it looked to anyone watching the Niagara IceDogs on Wednesday. Playing in the U.S. for the first time this season, they looked out-of-synch for much of the night in a 4-3 loss to the Erie Otters.

While the IceDogs finally found a higher gear late in the third period, scoring three goals in a little more than five minutes, it was what they didn’t do the other 54 minutes that doomed their fate.

Out of the gate, the Otters didn’t look like a team seeking to end a seven-game losing streak and win for the first time since the season opener. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead outshooting the IceDogs 16-6 in the opening period.

Erie could have taken a fourgoal lead into the break, but Colton Incze poked the puck out of harm’s way on Maxim Golod’s penalty shot.

Niagara was outshot 10-5 in a scoreless second period.

Akil Thomas spoiled Daniel

Murphy’s shutout bid with 6:29 remaining in regulation with his fourth goal of the season for the IceDogs.

Matthew Philip made it a twogoal game a little more than three minutes later, also with his fourth marker of the season.

There was 1:03 left on the clock and the IceDogs were on the power play when Kirill Maksimov rounded out the scoring in the game with his 10th of the season. It was his league-best fifth powerplay goal.

Murphy was kept busy in the late going but held his ground as the Niagara comeback fell short.

The IceDogs fell to 5-3-2-0, Erie improved to 2-6-1-0.

It was the first game in three nights for Niagara, the only one on the road. The Ottawa 67’s visited Meridian Centre Thursday night and the IceDogs host the Windsor Spitfires Friday.

Result from last night’s game was unavailable at pressure, but a summary is posted online at stcatharinesstandard.ca, niagarafallsreview.ca and wellandtribune.ca.

Niagara’s Ivan Lodnia and Erie’s Danial Singer were playing

their former teams for the first time since they were traded for each other during the offseason. The Otters also received a fifthround conditional 2019 draft pick in exchange for the Minnesota Wild prospect.

Both were held off the scoresheet. Lodnia had three shots on net and finished the game with a plus/minus of minus-2, while Singer, a St. Catharines native, directed four shots at Incze, his former teammate, and had a plus-3 night. ’Dog Biscuits: Forward Bradey Johnson once again was patrolling the blue-line for Niagare due to injuries to Liam Ham, Drew Hunter and Elijah Hunter … Forward Christian Girhiny, a Thorold native and former Ridley College Tiger, came into the game with one goal and seven assists eights game into his third season with the Otters … Welland native Marcus Gillard was playing his fifth game of his Ontario Hockey League rookie season with Erie … One-time St. Catharines Falcons and Pelham Pirates bench boss Wes Wolfe, a Niagara Falls native, is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Otters.