Top ’Dogs in Central
Niagara moves into tie for second overall in OHL despite being outshot 49-28
The Niagara IceDogs ended Friday night tied for first in the Ontario Hockey League’s Central Division and tied for second overall in the Eastern Conference.
They sure didn’t start their home game versus the Barrie Colts that way. The Colts had the first 14 shots on the net in the game and found the back of it behind Stephen Dhillon with their seventh shot with Zachary Magwood opening the scoring.
Niagara, in comparison, didn’t have a shot on the Barrie net until nearly 12 minutes in the game.
Sam Miletic, the newest IceDog with another three-point game, two goals and an assist; and defenceman Elijah Roberts, with the first hat trick of his threeyear career in the OHL; were standouts for the IceDogs on a night when the final score, 6-3
in Niagara’s favour, could easily have been reversed.
However, none stood taller nor held his ground more than Dhillon. In a battle that came down to goaltending, he was the hands-down winner. No question.
“He was outstanding,” Niagara head coach Billy Burke said of Dhillon. “A lot of shots were on the outside, but a lot of them were inside, and he made some great saves for us.
“When we needed him, Stevie was there. It definitely could have got out of hand.”
Roberts couldn’t put a finger
on a first period in which the Colts outshot the IceDogs 19-5 and appeared to on the power play for the entire frame.
“I think they just came out real strong, and maybe when you get a bad first shift it’s hard to get back,” said Roberts, who turns 19 on Jan. 23.
“But when we went in after the intermission, we’ve got a lot of character guys in the room, and we stepped up and said ‘We’ve got to get this done, put it all on the line.’
“That’s what we went on and did.”
He said Niagara’s knack of winning games that they perhaps shouldn’t even be in speaks to the “character” in the dressing room.
“We know when we’re down, we’re never out,” Roberts said. “We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing, keep getting better.”
With 30 seconds remaining in regulation and six Colts applying persistent pressure on Dhillon cleared the puck from behind the Niagara net all the way up the ice to complete the hat trick.
That entitled every ticketholder a free cheeseburger.
“Hopefully, I get one, too,” he said with a smile.
Sam Miletic’s 18th goal of the season and second with the IceDogs tied the score at one-all 12:37 into the first period, with Barrie taking a 2-1 lead into the break on an even-strength marker from Dmitry Sokolov.
Bradey Johnson eighth goal of the season tied the score after a lengthy review to tie the game at two-all 11:04 into the second period.
There was no controversy a little more than a minute later when Roberts’ third goal of the campaign gave the IceDogs their first lead.
Nor were any questions when Miletic and Roberts each scored their second of the night to send the IceDogs into the final period up 5-2.
Barrie’s T.J. Fergus made it a two-goal game with a powerplay marker 7:31 in the third period, and the Colts continueed to press to no avail after that outshooting their hosts 16-9 in theo frame and 49-28 overall.
The Colts and IceDogs have both compiled 7-3 records over their last 10 games and were seeking to win for the second time in as many nights.
Barrie was coming off a 10-1 victory at home over the Sudbury Wolves. In their last game, the IceDogs rebounded from a 4-2 deficit to edge the visiting Erie Otters 5-4 in a shootout.
Barrie, 24-13-2-1, came into the game first in the leading Niagara, 22-12-3-2, by two points for first place in the Ontario Hockey League’s Central Division.
The IceDogs have a game in hand.
Niagara won the season series 4-0-0-2 in 2017-18 but is 0-2 verus Barrie so far this season. The Colts left St. Catharines with a 5-3 victory in the last meeting Dec. 16 after taking a 6-1 decision at home Nov. 11.
’Dog Biscuits: William Lochhead, D; Kirill Maksimov, RW; Ian Martin, RW; Daniel Nardi, D; were not in the Niagara lineup ... IceDogs over-age forward Adrian Carbonara’s night ended at the 13:12 mark of the first period when he received two minutes for goaltender interference, a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct for abuse of an official ... In attendance was Aaron Haydon who spent five seasons patrolling the blue-line for the IceDogs ... Singing O Canada were four students from Edith Cavell Public School in St. Catharines.