’Dogs let Steelheads off hook
Niagara hopes to get out of ‘rut’ on northern road trip after two successive losses
Thursday just wasn’t the Niagara Ice Dogs’ night.
They came out flat and out-ofsync in the first period and remained that way the rest of the night, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Mississauga Steelheads in Ontario Hockey League action at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.
Central Division-leading Niagara came into the game 20 points ahead of Mississauga in the standings, but the Steelheads must not have read the memo. They outshot Niagara 44-30 and limited the league’s most potent power play to one goal in five chances.
“I hoped it would be a one-off, but it carried over,” head coach Billy Burke said after the team followed up a setback Sunday to the Ottawa 67’s with another loss. “Too bad we’re in a rut.
“We’ve got to work out of it.” He suggested the Ice Dogs were “hoping that someone else would do the work and get me the puck instead of everyone working hard to get it.”
A lack of effort and execution contributed to the loss.
“Some guys kind of want it a little too easy,” Burke said. “When you’re not giving the max effort, the execution goes.
“You can’t just show up and think it’s fancy or anything, you have to go out and do it.”
Niagara has overcome adversity before this season, and the coach is confident the team will get back on track, perhaps as early as this weekend in games at Sault Ste. Marie Saturday night and in Sudbury the following afternoon.
“Not a lot of people outside the (dressing) room and their families are going to feel sorry for us,” Burke said. “They don’t want us to pick ourselves up, so we need to find a bit of an attitude and go on the road and go to win two games.”
Niagara lost its second in a row after a 6-1 road loss to the Ottawa 67’s on the weekend snapped an eight-game winning streak.
Mississauga outshot the Ice Dogs 13-11 in a scoreless first period and had a challenge denied following a video review. The Steelheads maintained Niagara goaltender Stephen Dhillon made a trapper save after the puck crossed the goal line.
In the second period, Cole Carter opened the scoring just five seconds after Niagara began serving a five-minute match penalty for a slew foot.
Carter netted his second of the night less than five minutes later putting the visitors up 2-0. Former Ice Dog Liam Ham received an assist on the even-strength marker.
Shots on net in the middle frame were 25-8 in favour of the Steelheads, who took a three-goal lead when James Hardie found the back of the net.
Kirill Maksimov scored on the power play 9:27 into the third
“You can’t just show up and think it’s fancy or anything, you have to go out and do it.”
BILLY BURKE
Niagara Ice Dogs head coach
period to put the ’Dogs on the scoreboard.
An apparent goal from Jack Studnicka was disallowed following a video review. Officials ruled the puck did not cross the goal line.
Niagara came into the secondlast game in head-to-head play with Mississauga leading the Central Division rivalry 2-1-1, five points to four.
The series wraps up Thursday, March 14, when the ’Dogs host the Steelheads in their final home game of the regular season.
’Dog Biscuits: Andrew Bruder, C; Ivan Lodnia, RW; Jacob Paquette, D; Christian Sbaraglia, G; did not dress for Niagara. Charlie Callaghan, D; Jake Cella, D; Callan Christner, LW; Isaac
Walker, D; were out of the Mississauga lineup … Ryan Ludzik stepped down as Ice Dogs goaltending coach citing personal reasons … In the Canadian Hock- ey League rankings released Wednesday 10th-ranked Niagara, 32-11-7-0; was one of three OHL teams in the top 10, behind No. 3 London Knights, 36-7-5-1; and No. 4 Ottawa 67’s, 38-9-3-1. Topping the poll of NHL scouts is Rouyn Noranda Huskies, 44-7-0-1 … Goaltender Jacob Ingham, Los Angeles, sixth round, 2018; is the only NHL draft pick on the Mississauga roster. Niagara has nine … Jonah De Simone was honoured as the Ice Dogs, and the Eastern Conference, academic player of the month for January. The rookie forward from Richmond Hill, who turns 17 on Feb. 24, is averaging 92.5 percent in his Grade 11/12 studies at Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St. Catharines … Ice Dogs player development director Rob Hubbert, whose cancer is in remission, participated in a ceremonial faceoff in support of lymphoma research.