Bombshell doesn’t distract team
IceDogs come out flying after being fined $250,00 by the OHL and losing draft picks
‘‘ “I thought the guys responded great. If they came out and had a flat effort, then we might have something to be worried about it.” BILLY BURKE Niagara IceDogs head coach
A bombshell off the ice didn’t explode the game plan on it when the Niagara IceDogs played their first game since receiving sanctions from the Ontario Hockey League.
Instead of being distracted by the news Friday that their team was facing $250,000 in fines and could lose two first-round draft picks for recruitment violations, the IceDogs came out flying against the Erie Otters the following night in northwestern Pennsylvania. After surrendering a fluky goal 21 seconds into the game, Niagara scored eight unanswered goals in an 8-1 victory that ended a four-game losing streak.
Head coach Billy Burke made a point of discussing the penalties, which the team said it will appeal to the league’s board of governors, with the players before the road trip.
Burke didn’t think the news release quoting OHL commissioner Dave Branch distracted the team from the task at hand, getting back on the winning track after a slump that was beginning to take on a life of its own.
“I thought the guys responded great,” he said. “If they came out and had a flat effort, then we might have something to be worried about it.
“But they didn’t. They came out flying, and I think they sent the message that they’re behind us, and we’re behind them, and it’s us against the world. It’s us against the world.”
They also didn’t appear distracted when they hosted the Sudbury Wolves the following afternoon. Niagara came back from a two-goal deficit in a 5-4 loss and outshot Sudbury 51-24 in the battle for first place in the Central Division.
Their winning ways continued Sunday in Peterborough, where the IceDogs defeated the Petes 5-2 on goals from Philip Tomasino, with two; Daniel Bukac, Ben Jones and Jason Robertson.
Earning four of a possible six points was a welcome change-of-pace for the IceDogs.
“Obviously, you want to win every game, it’s a very hard league, it’s a hard time of year,” Burke saidafter the Peterborough game. “To get four out of six points, it was huge for us.”
Tomasino earned first-star honours with a goal and two assists in the win over Erie. Oliver Castleman, Drew Hunter, Jones, Matthew Philip, Kyen Sopa, Akil Thomas, Jones and Robertson rounded out the Niagara scoring.
Jones, Robertson, Thomas and Tomasino found the back of the net Sunday in the game against Sudbury.
Meanwhile, the IceDogs are appealing the fines and the loss of first-round picks in the 2019 and 2021 OHL Priority Selection.
Team owner Bill Burke responded to a telephone message with a text.
“The sanction has nothing to do with our current players or hockey staff,” he wrote.
“We will be appealing the decision and will not be commenting any further. Thank you.”
In its media release, the OHL did not specify what the alleged recruiting violations involved or when they allegedly occurred.
All the league said is the fines follow a third-party investigation by the Toronto law firm of Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP that was requested by the OHL. This investigation found that the club violated certain player recruitment policies.
“The league takes our commitment to our players and their player experience very seriously, which includes ensuring a fair and competitive on-ice experience among all teams,” Branch said in the release.
“In order to maintain the integrity of this player experience and competitiveness within the league, it is critical that all clubs operate within the league recruitment guidelines.
“When a club ignores these guidelines, significant sanctions are required.”
The OHL has levied substantial fines in the past for recruitment violations. In August 2012, the OHL fined the Windsor Spitfires
$400,000 and took away three first- and two second-round draft picks. A month later, the fine was reduced to $250,000 and adjusted the number of lost draft picks to first-round picks in ’13 and ’16 and second-round selections in ’15 and ’17.