IceDogs unable to sustain strong start
Niagara didn’t know ‘how to react’ after Petes got back into the game
The Niagara IceDogs wrapped up a stretch of three games in less than three days Sunday on the losing end of a 9-2 decision on the road to the Peterborough Petes.
Despite playing their second game in less than 24 hours, the IceDogs came out flying and were outshooting the No. 10 team in the Canadian Hockey League weekly rankings 6-1. They scored on their seventh shot of the opening frame.
IceDogs head coach Billy Burke was impressed with his team’s strong start.
“Give a ton of credit to the guys to come out flying, take the lead on them in their barn, have them on their heels,” he said.
Niagara couldn’t sustain that pace, however. Peterborough went on to outshoot the IceDogs 19-8 in the first period and 58-16 overall.
“Once they got their feet under them, we didn’t know how to react,” he said. “We started making some brain-dead mistakes.
“When you’re playing such an elite, deep and old team like Peterborough, you have to be laser-focused every time you’re out there,” he added.
Burke suggested teams that stray away from their game plan against the Petes, do so at their peril.
“If you make one mistake defensively, they have the weapons that can make you pay in a hurry,” he said. “Once it started going on, they were like sharks in the water. They smelled blood and we recoiled. It was a bad mix.”
Oliver Castleman, whose 15game point streak ended the night before in a loss at home to the North Bay Battalion, opened the scoring for Niagara with a power-play goal. Cameron Snow also tallied for the IceDogs.
Niagara (16-21-4-1) lost its second game in a row and enters the week seventh in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Barrie Colts (16-21-2-2).
Barrie has a game in hand.
IceDogs captain and leading scorer Ivan Lodnia didn’t dress for Niagara in the game versus Peterborough.
The Minnesota Wild prospect suffered an injury in Saturday night’s game versus North Bay at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.
“Right now, it’s week to week. It’s fortunate it’s not season-ending, but there is obviously a little bit of an issue,” Burke said.
“We will re-evaluate things next week, but it’s very unlikely as of now that he will play next weekend.”
North Bay’s Luke Moncada broke a scoreless tie 13:40 into the third period and added empty-net goals 20 seconds apart six minutes later in a 3-1 Battalion victory Saturday at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.
Anthony Agostinelli, with the third goal of his rookie season, scored for the IceDogs, who were outshot in the contest, 31-29.
On Friday, Lodnia, Butler and Castleman, on the power play, netted goals in regulation time, with Lodnia the only player to score in a three-round shootout in a 4-3 victory over the Barrie Colts.
Nathan Allensen, at even strength, and Ethan Cardwell and Evan Vierling, both on the power play, found the back of the net behind goaltender Christian Sbaraglia, who was named the game’s third star.
’Dog Biscuits: Among the highlights in the matinee at Peterborough Centre was the first game against their former teams for Akil Thomas, now with the Petes, and Cameron Butler, who came to Niagara for Thomas along with four draft picks.
Neither player scored, though Thomas collected four assists.