IceDogs fall to Wolves in OT

The Niagara IceDogs jumped off the bus right onto a seesaw, teeter-tottering all the way to overtime before dropping a 5-4 decision to the Sudbury Wolves. In terms of rapid-fire, back-toback scoring, Friday night’s Ontario Hockey League game in the Nickel City resembled a tennis match at times. Go-ahead and game-tying goals were answered within 41 seconds, 2:12 and 88 seconds, respectively, on three occasions.

“It was definitely back and forth, it wasn’t exactly the game plan,” head coach Billy Burke said after his team fell to 0-3 against the Wolves this season. “We were too loose defensively, and their first line certainly made us pay.

“It definitely stings. The effort was there, but we had too many lapses in the defensive zone and missed too made Grade A chances.”

He said the Wolves deserved credit for the come-from-behind victory.

“They forced us into making mistakes, and they did some things we really haven’t seen much this year – a goal from point-blank in the slot, 2-on-1 on the net from the back door.

“There are definitely lessons to be learned.”

A road game tonight against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, the sixth-ranked team in Canada, leaves the ’Dogs with little to regroup after the disappointing loss.

“We have to look at some of the mistakes made tonight, and then do our best to correct them.

“We’re going to have to come in with a bit of an attitude, a high work ethic.

“They’re a dangerous team, we need to be strong defensively.”

Ben Jones opened the scoring on the power play with his team-high eighth goal of the season 11:32 into the first period. He tucked a loose puck under Jake McGrath’s left pad after the Wolves failed to clear one rebound after another in heavy traffic in front of the net.

Momentum from the go-ahead goal was short-lived with Sudbury, this time taking advantage of an extra man on the ice, tying the game 12 seconds later on shot from the left faceoff circle that hit Stephen Dhillon on his upper chest but somehow made its way into the back of the net.

Evan Krassey’s one-timer from the slot surprised Dhillon for the first goal of his Ontario Hockey League career to put the Wolves up 2-1 heading into the second period.

Sudbury outshot Niagara 13-12 in the first frame.

Niagara’s Kirill Maksimov put the exclamation point on a 1-2-3 passing play with his seventh goal of the season 22 seconds into the second period, but, once again, Sudbury was quick to reply. Emmett Serensits beat Dhillon from in front of the net less than a minute later.

The IceDogs’ second power-play marker of the game, from Danial Singer, his seventh of the campaign, tied the game at three-all midway into the middle frame.

Michael Pezzetta’s eighth goal of the season, and fifth against the IceDogs, put the hosts back into the lead, at least until Matthew Philip tied the game for Niagara 1:28 later.

Jones’ second of the game, also on the power play, put the ’Dogs up 5-4 only 39 seconds into the third period, but this time the Wolves didn’t answer right away.

But answer they did, much to the chagrin of the IceDogs who ran out of answers of their own after Troy Lajeunesse sent the game into overtime with 5:20 remaining in regulation.

Dmitry Sokolov ended the drama and extended Niagara’s winless streak to five games with a goal on the breakaway three minutes into the extra frame.

Niagara had lost two in a row since its seven-game streak of earning at least a point was stopped by a 5-2 loss to Sudbury last Saturday in St. Catharines.

Last night’s game was the third in head-to-head play this season between the Central Division rivals. The Wolves have won the first won by 5-2 scores, both at Meridian Centre.

Sudbury has lost two in a row – Erie Otters, 4-1; Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, 5-4 OT – since beating the IceDogs last Saturday in St. Catharines.

’Dog Biscuits: Niagara is in the midst of its longest road trip of the season, five games. The IceDogs also were played five straight on the road in February when the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadians women’s curling championships were held at Meridian Centre.