Santa’s helpers help themselves on defence
Meridian Centre was plush with excess Saturday night when the Niagara IceDogs defeated the visiting North Bay Battalion 5-2.
And helped you know who from the North Pole as they extended their winning streak to five games.
A sellout crowd of 5,300 donated more than 3,500 teddy bears and plush toys as the IceDogs held their annual Teddy Bear Toss Game in support of Victim Services Niagara.
Plush toys in a spectrum of colours, in all shapes, sizes and degrees of cuteness, began raining down on the ice surface at the arena in downtown St. Catharines immediately after Kirill Maksimov’s power-play goal 8:26 into the game.
Volunteers, aided by IceDogs players, needed more than five minutes to scoop up the menagerie, stuff them into clear plastic bags and roll them off the ice in bins.
While heart-warming to
watch, and a joy to be a part of, the stoppage in play cooled off the IceDogs following a hot start to the game.
Niagara’s most-anticipated goal of the holiday season was scored on the team’s sixth shot. They only had two more than the rest of the period as shots on net in the opening frame favoured North Bay by a 14-8 margin.
“These teddy bear toss games are exciting,” IceDogs head coach Billy Burke said. “You come in hot, you score, then you have a big celebration, then it just sucks the energy right out of you.
“They’re a distraction but, good on the guys, they battled, they came back, got it done in the third.”
Niagara went up by two on Jason Robertson’s 31st goal of the Ontario Hockey League season, but that lead was short-lived as the Battalion replied with powerplay and even-strength markers to make it a tie game heading into the third period.
During the second intermission, the IceDogs were told they needed to cut down on turnovers and come out much stronger defensively for the third period.
“We can’t be giving them chances, you can’t let guys hang on,” Burke said.
The IceDogs took the words to heart, much to the chagrin of the Battalion, who were hoping to snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 3-1 in head-tohead play versus Niagara.
The hosts outshot the Battalion 16-7 and outscored them 3-0 on goals from Maksimov, with the game-winner; Matthew Philip, Elijah Roberts, both into an empty net.
Burke was pleased with how the IceDogs finished the game.
“It’s amazing, we suffocated them,” he said.
“We had one D-zone breakdown, they got a good chance off it, but other than that I thought we were rock solid.
“You could see them tiring, and we kept going.
“It was good, but the goal is to continue to try to play like that all the time.”
It was Maksimov’s third multiple-goal game in the past four games.
Robertson had a goal and an assist to extend a personal streak of earning at least a point to 15 games.
The Dallas Stars prospect has eight goals and 13 assists in his first seven games in an IceDogs uniform.
North Bay came into the game leading the season series with Niagara two wins to one, five points to three.
After opening head-to-head play with a 6-1 win, the ’Dogs lost the next two meetings with the Battalion - 4-3, in overtime; 4-3, in regulation.
’Dog Biscuits: Mason Howard, D; Jake Uberti, C; did not dress for the IceDogs. Harrison Caines, LW; Rhys Forhan, C; David Maier, D; Travis Mailhot, D; were the scratches for the Battalion … Niagara’s roster has seven NHL draft picks, North Bay doesn’t have any … Beamsville native Adam McMaster has 12 goals, 14 assists in 29 games in his third season with the Battalion … The Salvation Army Band performed the national anthem.
‘‘ “We can’t be giving them chances, you can’t let guys hang on.” BILLY BURKE Niagara IceDogs head coach