‘ No life or battle’
IceDogs go 0- for- 7 on the power play in shutout loss in battle of first- place teams
In a battle of first- place teams, the Niagara IceDogs finished second. A distant second.
Niagara just couldn’t get over the hump on hump day. In their only Wednesday night home game of the season, the IceDogs fell behind early and stayed there on the way to a 6- 0 loss to the Kitchener Rangers.
Niagara head coach Billy Burke was eager to forget the game as a “bad one” and regroup for road games against the London Knights Friday and versus the Barrie Colts the following night.
“No life or battle, it wasn’t a good one,” he said.
With Adrian Carbonara, Kirill Maksimov and Williams Lochead out of the lineup, Niagara was missing three of its more- physical players. A flu bug also has some of the IceDogs ailing, Burke said.
“That’s starting to catch up for sure, the flu bug’s catching up to us,” Burke said. “We just have to get healthy and throw this one out.”
It was a barometer game for the IceDogs, as was their game versus the formidable Kingston Frontenacs earlier this month.
That one also resulted in a loss, with Niagara dropping an 8- 3 decision at home.
“We weren’t at our best tonight,” Burke said. “It would better if we were, but that’s what happens, regardless of whether you’re sick or suspended, you have to play.
“You’ve got to do your best to battle, but it wasn’t our night, so too bad.”
He gave the Rangers full credit for snapping Niagara’s three- game winning streak.
“They’re dangerous up and down the lineup.”
The IceDogs went 0- for- 3 with a man advantage in the first period, but Burke doubted netting even one of them would have drastically changed the momentum of the game.
“I don’t think it would have changed much,” he said. “It probably would have been good for morale, for the guys to capitalize.”
Kitchener’s Givani Smith opened scoring 44 seconds into the game, and it was all Rangers after that in the first period. Kole Sherwood, on a penalty shot that beat Stephen Dhillon in the five- hole, and Riley Damiani, completing a nifty tic- tactoe setup, sent the visitors into the break with a 3- 0 lead.
Shots in the opening frame were 10- 9 in Kitchener’s favour.
Burke said while the goal on the penalty shot was a little deflating in terms of knocking the wind out of the IceDogs’ sails, it wasn’t a gamechanger.
“Two goals is not much, even three goals in not much if were able to find our legs,” he said. “We couldn’t find our legs at all, so it didn’t matter really, unfortunately.”
In the second period shots were 13- 9 Niagara, but goals were 2- 0 Kitchener, on an even- strength marker from Nick McHugh and a shorthanded goal from Eric Guest.
Colton Incze replaced Dhillon between the pipes for the IceDogs to start the third period.
Adam Mascherin’s power- goal rounded out the scoring with the Rangers outshooting the IceDogs 13- 12.
Other than some lessons, Burke and his coaching staff don’t expect to dwell on last night’s loss.
“There are definitely some clips that we can find some good teaching, regardless of the effort and energy level of the guys.”
Niagara’s first of two games against Kitchener this season was a battle of first- place teams. The Rangers came into the game leading the Ontario Hockey League’s Midwest Division with a 27- 14- 2- 0 record, while the IceDogs, 24- 12- 3- 2, are tops in the Central.
Both teams have been hot of late. Over their last 10 games, Niagara was 8- 2 and Kitchener 7- 3.
’ Dog Biscuits: Forwards Adrian Carbonara and Kirill Maksimov were out of the IceDogs lineup serving suspensions, defenceman William Lochead was recovering from an injury … Blue- liner Elijah Roberts was playing his first game against his former team. The 18- year- old from Brampton played two seasons in Kitchener before joining the IceDogs during the offseason … Singing O Canada was the