IceDogs ‘outworked’ on road by Sudbury
Wolves score three unanswered goals after Niagara rebounds from 4-1 deficit
The Niagara IceDogs didn’t look like a Memorial Cup contender with nine NHL draft picks in the lineup when they played the Sudbury Wolves on the road Sunday.
Far from it.
No, it’s not that the IceDogs spent all of the game at their own end of the ice — shots on net were 30-29 in favour of Sudbury — but they didn’t make the most of the chances they had.
The Wolves jumped out to a 4-1 lead and, after Niagara came back to make it a one-goal game, scored three unanswered goals on their way to a 7-3 victory.
“We need to be competing a lot harder, right from the start of the game,” head coach Billy Burke said. “They came out and straight up outworked us in the first period and had a 4-1 lead.
“We have to make sure that we’re never getting outworked and we’re never getting out-competed.”
To be fair, Niagara took the ice with a lineup that hadn’t practised together as a team since adding two players at the trade deadline and welcoming back two others from the world junior championships.
Burke allowed a lack of familiarity could have contributed to an out-ofsync performance in Round 3 of the Central Division rivalry.
“I think we’re still trying to find some chemistry,” he said. “Any time you have big changes, guys coming back from world juniors, it takes time to get your identity back.”
Indeed, the IceDogs’ first team practice with former Oshawa Generals Mark Brassard and Jack Studnicka on the ice with Daniel Bukac and Jason Roberston, both back from the world juniors, takes place today.
“I think it will be good to get a week with these guys, and make sure we focus on our identity,” Burke said. “I think today for sure we had no identity at all, and that’s not a good thing.
“It’s going to be important that we get back to playing how we can play, and how we were having success.”
And that starts with something that was missing Sunday in Sudbury: hard work and playing a 60-minute game.
“Having a good team on paper and going out and proving it are two different things, and it takes a ton of hard work to win in this league.”
BILLY BURKE
Niagara IceDogs head coach
“I think if we’re the hardestworking team on any given night, I will certainly take our chances almost every time,” Burke said. “But that wasn’t the case today, and that just simply can’t happen.”
He pointed out in the Ontario Hockey League, no team, no matter how stocked with prospects, can rest on its laurels and look past an opponent.
“Maybe we are all a little bit victims of looking on paper and thinking we can just show up,” Burke said. “Having a good team on paper and going out and proving it are two different things, and it takes a ton of hard work to win in this league.
“We certainly got reminded of that today.”
Sudbury outshot the IceDogs 14-12 in the opening period and took a 4-1 lead into the first intermission on goals from Adam Ruzicka, Blake Murry, on the power play; Ryan O’Bansawin, short-handed; and David Levin.
Defenceman Matt Brassard, newly acquired from the Oshawa Generals, accounted for the Niagara scoring in the first period. The even-strength marker past 2019 world junior hockey championship gold medallist UkkoPekka Luukonen was his first for the IceDogs and ninth overall.
Kirill Makismov extended a
personal point streak to six games with his 28th goal of the season to cut Sudbury’s lead to two to open the scoring in the second period.
Akil Thomas made it a onegoal game about three minutes later with his 18th of the campaign. That was as close as Niagara would get, as the Wolves netted three unanswered goals — Quinton Byfield, Liam Ross, Shane Bulitka — to round out the scoring.
Sudbury took the lead in the season series versus Niagara two wins to one.
Niagara rebounded from a 3-2 loss Oct. 4 in St. Catharines with a 5-1 victory Oct. 5 on the road to tie the season series against Sudbury at one win apiece.
In all, the IceDogs will play their Central Division rival six times this season.
’Dog Biscuits: Cole Candella, D, Vancouver; Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen, G, Buffalo; Adam Ruzicka, C, Calgary; are the NHL draft picks in the Sudbury lineup. Niagara has nine . ... Luukkonen backstopped Finland to the gold medal at the 2019 world junior championships in Vancouver. … Former Wolves starting goaltender Jake McGrath was on the Niagara bench as the backup for Stephen Dhillon.
Bernd.Franke@niagaradailies.com 905-225-1624 | @TribSportsDesk