Niagara is the top dog in QEW battle

The top ’Dogs from both teams came to play when the Niagara IceDogs played the Hamilton Bulldogs on the road Sunday.

National Hockey League prospects Ivan Lodnia, with two goals and three assists, and Akil Thomas, who counted two goals and one assist, enjoyed multiple-point afternoons as the IceDogs skated to a 5-4 victory, stopping a six-game losing slide.

Hamilton’s two NHL draft picks, Jan Jenik and Arthur Kaliyev, likewise lived up to their billing as future pros. Jenik netted a goal and collected three assists, while Kaliyev had a goal and eight shots on net.

Andrew Bruder rounded out the scoring for the IceDogs, who came into Round 2 of this season’s Canine Cup series hoping to find the back of the net after being shut out in their last two games.

Thomas opened the scoring 8:43 into the game with his eighth of the season, and Niagara’s first goal in 131 minutes and 28 seconds.

Lodnia put the IceDogs up by two when he scored a shorthanded goal on a two-on-one breakaway.

Shots on goal in the opening period were 16-5 in favour of the Bulldogs who went on a threegoal run — Payton Vescio, Kaliyev, on the power play, and Jenik — heading into the first intermission.

In the second period, Niagara was outshot 13-10 but regained the lead on goals from Thomas and Lodnia, on the power play with 10 seconds remaining.

Thanks to Tucker Tynan, who stopped all but one of 12 shots in the third period, including back-to-back saves on breakaways within a span of 10 seconds, Bruder’s power-play marker 15:11 into the third period held up as the game-winner.

There were 49 seconds remaining in regulation when Tag Bertuzzi rounded out the scoring for Hamilton, finally beating Tynan on his eighth shot of a long, frustrating afternoon.

Lodnia was all smiles after being selected as the first star.

“It feels awesome after not scoring the last two games. This was a huge game for us,” he said in a postgame TV interview.

“To come here and get this win and finally, get off the skid is huge for us.”

Both teams were coming off losses to the Sudbury Wolves: Niagara, 6-0 on the road; Hamilton, 7-3 at home.

Niagara was hoping to snap a six-game losing streak and get its first win since beating Hamilton, 5-3, on Oct. 25 in St. Catharines.

Hamilton was seeking its first win in three games.