Spiralling IceDogs lose sixth consecutive contest
Young team continues to suffer growing pains
The postponement of Saturday night’s road game against the Barrie Colts didn’t throw a monkey wrench into Niagara’s plans heading into back-to-back weekend games against rivals in the Ontario Hockey League’s Central Division.
While it denied Niagara an opportunity to gain much-needed ground on one of the teams it must overtake to clinch a playoff berth, in head coach Ben Boudreau’s estimation, it had “zero” effect on the team’s performance in a 9-3 loss to the North Bay Battalion the following afternoon, also on the road.
“It had nothing to do with anything. The game being cancelled didn’t affect our performance today one bit,” he said.
“We left the hotel early, we had zero excuses. It was just a tough game for us.”
Niagara lost its sixth game in a row, and the third by six or more goals in as many games.
“It’s tough to look at the numbers. We’re trying to develop our young group to make sure we’re not in this position next year,” Boudreau said. “The only way to develop them is by giving them ice time, and young guys are prone to making mistakes, and that’s the only way to learn, by playing them.”
Before heading north, the IceDogs suffered 8-1 and 8-2 setbacks to the Kingston Frontenacs and Ottawa 67s, respectively.
“For us, it’s been a really difficult stretch of games,” Boudreau said.
“Defensively, we’re giving up a ton, but there is opportunity, optimism and reasons to celebrate,” the coach added.
He pointed out Ryan Roobroeck continues to extend the franchise record for goals scored by a 16-yearold after being selected second overall in the OHL draft last year and that Ethan Czata, the fifth overall pick, also is finding the back of the net.
“The guys that we’re going to be relying on all are at a young age and, when you see a team like North Bay, it’s all their 19- and 20-year-olds out there driving the bus for them,” Boudreau said. “That’s going to be us one day.
“I’m just happy to see our young guys taking that next step.”
Dalyn Wakely found net on North Bay’s fourth shot of the game to open the scoring 9:01 into the first period. The Battalion had just finished killing a four-minute penalty.
Sandis Vilmanis, newly signed by the Florida Panthers to an entrylevel contract, added a power-play goal to put the hosts up 2-0 heading into the first intermission.
Shots on net in the opening frame were 10 apiece. North Bay outshot Niagara 20-10 in the second period and took a 7-2 lead on goals from Ethan Procyszyn, former IceDog Andrew LeBlanc, Wakely and Owen Van Steensil, both on the power play, and Justin Ertel. Gavin Bryant, with his 17th of the season, and
Roobroeck, with goal No. 24, replied for the IceDogs.
Jacob Therrien and Trevor McDowell, for North Bay, and Czata, with his seventh of his rookie campaign for Niagara, found the back of the net in the third period to round out the scoring.
The Battalion outshot the IceDogs 45-24 and finished the game three for six on the power play. Niagara went zero for six with a man advantage.
Charlie Robertson was facing his former team for the fourth time since being acquired by the IceDogs along with five draft picks for defenceman Bronson Ride ahead of the Jan. 7 trade deadline.
Thirty-one points separated the IceDogs and Battalion in the Eastern Conference standings when head-to-head play between the Central Division rivals wrapped up Sunday afternoon in North Bay.
North Bay took the ice assured of making the playoffs for the third season in a row, while Niagara trailed the Colts by 12 points for the final playoff berth with 10 games remaining in the season and Barrie having two games in hand.
‘‘ I’m just happy to see our young guys taking that next step.
BEN BOUDREAU ICEDOGS HEAD COACH
The IceDogs last made the playoffs following the 2018-19 season.
On Saturday, Niagara’s game against the Colts in Barrie was postponed due to unsafe ice conditions resulting from malfunctioning equipment at Sadlon Arena. The game will be played Tuesday, March 19, in Barrie.
This weekend’s schedule has the IceDogs at the Ottawa 67s on Friday and visiting the Peterborough Petes the following night. Niagara’s next home game is Thursday, March 14, when the Erie Otters play the last of their three road games at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines. ’Dog Biscuits Former IceDogs on the North Bay roster include Brice Cooke, C; Bronson Ride, D; as well as the LeBlanc twins from Port Colborne — Andrew, LW, and Jacob ,D … Michael Podolioukh, C, and Charlie Robertson, G, are Niagara players who saw action with the Battalion.