’Dogs under Attack
IceDogs lose eighth in a row as frustrating slump of near misses continues
When it rains bad bounces and breakdowns in the defensive zone, it pours losses for teams struggling to find the win column.
The Niagara IceDogs right now are in the midst of monsoon season.
“When it rains, it pours, you don’t get any breaks,” head coach Billy Burke said the IceDogs fell to the visiting Owen Sound Attack for their eighth loss in a row.
“When things are going well, you get the bounces and when they’re not, you don’t.”
Adding to the frustration of their longest slump of the Ontario Hockey League season is the frustration of being in a position to win in most of their games.
“We’re not getting blown out, we’re in games, up in the third, tied in the third,” Burke said. “We just got to finish, we have got to close.”
Despite the loss, he was pleased overall with the team’s effort in Friday night’s game against the Attack.
“I thought it was pretty good,” Burke said. “I can’t really fault anybody.
“There were just some collapses defensively in the third. “You never want to give up a lead at home in the third.”
Burke knows the slump is weighing on the team.
“They’re good guys,” he said. “It’s been a tough month for us, we just have to find the positives in things.
“Any loser can be negative and complain and all that, we have to be strong and find a way.”
An even-strength goal from Markus Phillips gave the visitors 1-0 lead 8:29 into a first period in which Niagara outshot Owen Sound 11-8.
Late in the second, the IceDogs had just finished their third power-play of the game without a score when Matthew Philip found the back of the Attack net with his 14th goal of the season.
Once again the teams combined to direct 19 shots on net. This time Owen Sound had the 11-8 edge.
Akil Thomas’ 16th goal of the season gave Niagara a 2-1 lead 4:20 into the third.
But the lead was short-lived with Brady Lyle, Phillips, with his second of the night; Alan Lyszczarczyk, with two; and Fort Erie native Daylon Groulx scoring for Owen Sound.
Adrian Carbonara rounded out the scoring for Niagara with his first goal as an IceDog.
The IceDogs were seeking to end a seven-game losing slide and win for the first time since tripling the Sudbury Wolves 6-2 on the road Jan. 27.
Owen Sound, 26-20-2-5, came into last night’s game trailing Niagara, 26-19-5-3, by one point in the overall standings, but the Attack have been the much-hotter team of late. The Attack are 8-2 in their last 10 games, with the IceDogs compiling a 2-6-1-1 record over the same stretch.
With interconference play in the Ontario Hockey League limited to a home-and-home series during the regular season, the Attack were visiting Meridian Centre for the only time this season. The IceDogs dropped a 3-2 decision in the first meeting of the series Nov. 22 in Owen Sound.
Family Day weekend isn’t much of a holiday for the IceDogs who visit the Barrie Colts tonight and are in Peterborough for a 2 p.m. matinee against the Petes.
Niagara is 1-3 against Central Division-leading Barrie and 1-1 versus Peterborough head-to-head play so far this season.
In the OHL, teams play division and conference rivals six and four times, respectively, during the regular season.
The IceDogs came into their 54th game of the season with three players averaging more than a point per game: Akil Thomas, 15 goals, 47 assists, 62 points; Ben Jones, 18 goals, 43 assists, 61 points; and Kirill Maksimov, 28 goals, 30 assists, 58 points.
Also very much in the conversation is Niagara’s newest player, Sam Miletic, who is fourth in the league in scoring with 28 goals, 48 assists, 76 points in 50 games this season. The 20-year-old forward, acquired from the London Knights at the trade deadline for over-age players, has 12 goals, 10 assists and 22 points in his first 15 games as an IceDog.
’Dog Biscuits: Andrew Bruder, C; Liam Ham, D; Kyle Langdon, D; were not in the Niagara lineup ... The Attack have seven NHL draft picks in their lineup, while the IceDogs have two: Kirill Maksimov, 5th round, Edmonton Oilers; Ben Jones, 7th round, Vegas Golden Knights ... Right-wing Daylon Groulx, 17, of Fort Erie has seven goals and three assists in 44 games in his first season with the Attack ... OHL teams continue to dominate the Canadian Hockey League rankings with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, first; Sarnia Sting, fourth; Kitchener Rangers, sixth, up two places from last week; and Hamilton Bulldogs, ninth; all in the top 10 ... A total of 31 OHL graduates are competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, with 11 of the 12 nations having at least one former OHLer on their rosters ... The choir from St. Denis Catholic Elementary School in St. Catharines sang the national anthem.