Consistenly inconsistent
Penalties costly for IceDogs
The Niagara IceDogs were back home after playing five games on the road, but it was the Kingston Frontenacs who made themselves right at home in the winner’s circle.
Kingston, winners of five of six and one of the hottest teams in the Ontario Hockey League, jumped up to a 2- 0 lead on the way to a 4- 2 victory Thursday night at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.
Lack of consistency hurt the IceDogs, who were outshot 32- 28 in their first of four games against Kingston this season.
“Just inconsistent, period to period, line to line,” Niagara head coach Billy Burke said. “Two guys are going on a line and the third guy’s not going.”
He was generally pleased with his team’s play in the first period, other than allowing the first two shots to go in.
“It sucks the life right out of you, whether they were soft or not,” Burke said. “I’m sure Stephen ( Dhillon) would probably like to have them back, but he made some huge saves after that.”
Penalty trouble contributed to a “flat” performance in the second period. He said the need to kill penalty after penalty takes a toll.
“It’s mentally rattling when you see the arm go up six times in a row,” Burke said. “You don’t use everyone on a kill, so guys who are just sitting there, their legs get heavy.
“It’s horrible, You don’t want to get into that situation.”
Niagara outshot Kingston 10- 6 in the opening period, but it was the Frontenacs taking a 2- 0 lead into the break.
Nathan Dunkley won the race for a loose puck in front of the IceDogs net and beat Stephen Dhillon to put the visitors on the scoreboard 1: 37 into the game.
A little more than five minutes later Dhillon was hugging the right post but Sergey Popov’s shot from inside the right faceoff circle somehow found its way into the back of the net to put Kingston up 2- 0.
Niagara’s finally put one past Frontenacs netminder Mario Peccia 5: 52 into the second when Kirill Maksimov rifled one from the top of the right faceoff circle with the IceDogs on the power play.
The Frontenacs regained their two- goal lead on Tyler Burnie shot from the slot through traffic at 10: 40 of the middle frame.
Kingston outshot Niagara 19- 7,
a discrepancy due in no small part to the IceDogs taking three penalties in a little more than four minutes.
Niagara was also a man down when Akil Thomas found an unprotected Maksimov to the left of the Kingston crease. Maksimov, making the most of the opportunity to get his team back into the game, banged it in for a shorthanded goal.
Ryan Cranford rounded out the scoring with an empty- net goal for Kingston with two seconds remaining in regulation.
Niagara held on to beat the North Bay Battalion 4- 3 on the road last Sunday to slam the brakes on a seven- game winless streak.
The Frontenacs went 5- 1 after snapping a seven- game losing streak of their own. Kingston came into last night’s game in St. Catharines hoping to rebound from a 6- 3 road loss to the Peterborough Petes.
’ Dog Biscuits: Forward Ian Martin and defencemen Billy Constantinou and Elijah Roberts did not dress for Niagara ... Burke confirmed second- year forward Ondrej Machala “quit the team” and wants to return home to Russia.... Special Olympics had an information booth in the concourse, and Special Olympians Dustin McCarthy, an E. L. Crossley Secondary School student, and Greg McPherson, the IceDogs assistant equipment manager, took part in a ceremonial faceoff.... performing the national anthem was the choir from Richmond Street Public School in Thorold.