’ Dogs come back big
Stephen Dhillon backstops Niagara to OT road win with 44- save performance
When their backs were against the wall, the Niagara IceDogs found the back of the net.
Again. Again. And again. Despite being outshot 46- 30 by the North Bay Battalion, a division rival who got the better of them in the last meeting just before Christmas, the IceDogs scored three unanswered goals for a 3- 2 overtime victory to snap a two- game losing streak.
There were plenty of stars in the Niagara lineup in Thursday night’s road win: defenceman Liam Ham’s shorthanded goal forced overtime; Kirill Maksimov netted the gamewinner in overtime.
Also very much in the running for star of the game honours were Kyle Langdon and Ben Jones. Their on- the- button passes set the stage for scoring opportunities that Andrew Bruder and Ham were only too happy to convert.
However, Stephen Dhillon was the brightest star of all. He kept
Niagara in the game stopping 44 shots, many of the highlight- reel variety.
IceDogs head coach Billy Burke said the team was energized by the third- year goaltender’s standout play between the pipes.
“Absolutely, Stephen continues to prove every game why he’s one of the best goalies in the league, and our best player,” he said. “The way he can make difficult saves that go in on a lot of goalies, he makes them look routine.
“He’s technically sound, and that’s a great confidence boost for the team.”
At the start of the game there was little sign of rust, at least as far as timing was concerned. Action opened with 3: 55 of nonstop play before the first whistle
of the game.
Burke wasn’t surprised the IceDogs jumped off the bus ready to play despite having only one practice to prepare to start the second half of the season.
“I thought the guys did a great job making sure they took care of themselves over the break,” he said. “They were ready to play tonight.”
Shots during a scoreless first period favoured the IceDogs by an 11- 10 margin, but North Bay had more quality scoring chances forcing Dhillon to come up with big saves.
North Bay opened the scoring 4: 21 into the second period with Brett McKenzie snapping a rebound past Dhillon, who had just finished making a pointblank pad save on Justin Brazeau, the Battalion’s top goal- getter.
North Bay outshot Niagara 17- 11 in the second period, a margin indicative of the Battalion’s success in putting pucks to the net. This persistence paid off when Andy Baker beat Dhillon glove side to stake the hosts to a twogoal lead with 1: 07 remaining in the middle frame.
Langdon’s pass from behind the net found Bruder exactly where he needed to be putting the IceDogs on the scoreboard and making it a one- goal game.
The IceDogs were outshot 17- 7 in the third period, but they made the most of their scoring opportunities.
Boy, did they ever.
With Dhillon stonewalling the Battalion at Niagara’s end of the ice, the IceDogs forced overtime with 1: 49 remaining in regulation while playing shorthanded. Jones found Liam Ham with a backhand pass in front of the net, and the defenceman converted the setup for his fourth goal of the season.
“The guys take a lot of pride in the PK ( penalty kill), but we knew we had to push a little bit,” Burke said. “We were pushing at the right time, making smart decisions, not cheating, not waiting until we had possession.
“Then we went and looked for opportunities. We actually had a 2- on- 1 before we scored.
“The guys are feeling good, and it’s a happy bus right now.”
There was barely time to adjust to 4- on- 4 overtime when Maksimov on a breakaway fooled North Bay netminder Christian Propp 51 seconds into extra time for his team- high 21st goal of the campaign.
It was the Edmonton Oilers draft pick’s sixth goal in the past nine games for the IceDogs.
Niagara, which was playing its first game since Dec. 16, started the second half of the Ontario Hockey League regular season second in the Central Division.
The IceDogs came into Thursday night’s game six points behind the Barrie Colts, 20- 102- 1, and nine points head of the Battalion, 12- 18- 4- 0.
Niagara has two games in hand on North Bay.
Division rivals play each six times in league play and the IceDogs came into Game 4 of the season series leading the Battalion two games to one in head- to- head play.
They edged North Bay 4- 3 on the road Nov. 12 and skated to a 6- 1 victory at home five days later before dropping a 6- 3 decision Dec. 15 in St. Catharines.
Neither team has dominated the rivalry over the past five years. Niagara came into last night’s game with a 13- 10- 2- 2 record when it hosts the Battalion, while North Bay is 14- 12- 1- 0 over the same stretch when it is home to the ’ Dogs.
’ Dog Biscuits: It was Niagara defenceman Zach Shankar’s second game as a visitor to North Bay Memorial Gardens since being acquired by the IceDogs during the off- season.
The 20- year- old native of Prescott, Ont., south of Ottawa, spent the first three seasons of his OHL career playing for the Battalion … Centre Adam McMaster, 17, of Beamsville has two goals and 10 assists in 35 games in his second season with North Bay.