Howard blocks out pain
Just call Mason Howard the king of pain.
The Niagara IceDogs defenceman is often seen after games with an ice bag taped to an appendage, the result of his willingness to throw his body in front of just about any shot.
Howard’s fearlessness and acumen for blocking shots has been a constant, even as the IceDogs continue to struggle.
Howard blocked several shots again Sunday — including one that appear to be a sure goal — as the IceDogs dropped a 7-1 decision to the Sudbury Wolves in Ontario Hockey League action in St. Catharines.
The loss extends Niagara’s losing streak to 12 games. They last tasted victory Jan. 23 but are still clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by one point over the Kingston Frontenacs who own two games in hand and play again Monday versus Barrie.
“I enjoy blocking shots. I just want to help the team win no matter what it takes,” Howard said.
Howard said the bumps and bruises that go along with blocking shots are part of the job description.
“It’s part of what I have to do. We have great trainers in there to help us out, help me get better,” he said. “I’m willing to do it.
“I just started doing it. I wanted to get more PK time (penalty kill), just get the most ice time I can get.”
IceDogs coach Billy Burke, who gave way to assistant coach Jody Hull for the post-game interview, said in a previous interview how much he appreciates Howard’s team-first attitude.
“He’s such a warrior. He’s got underrated skills and hands but what he’s not underrated on his willingness to block shots, his fearlessness. He plays hard. You know what you’re getting with him every night,” Burke said.
“It’s not easy to do what he does, but it’s certainly impressive.”
Howard feels it’s critical the IceDogs keep their heads up as the losses mount.
“We just have to stay positive and stick to the basics,” he said. “We can improve our game that way and show the young guys how to play smart and just keep it simple.”
Hull, meanwhile, knows all about losing after experiencing it in the National Hockey League.
“I was part of the Ottawa Senators the first year they came back into the league and we didn’t win a road game until March,” Hull said. “Things like this happen when you have a young team. We’d like to think they’re all gaining valuable experience for moving forward.
“That’s all we can ask them to do is keeping working hard every day and stay with the process.”
Hull said the coaching staff have been aware to be as constructive as possible.
“I think the biggest thing is being positive,” he said. “It’s easy to be negative in these situations but you have to be positive and reassure them when they are doing things right.”
The Wolves jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with a pair of goals just 25 seconds apart by Matej Pekar only five minutes into the game. That prompted Burke to call for a rarely seen early time out.
“It’s not what we want,” Hull said. “That’s what’s been happening to us in these games. A team will score and then get one real quick so we decided to try and diffuse it and settle the troops down.”
Sudbury doubled their lead with a pair of goals in the second by Blake Murray and Kosta Manikis to take a 4-0 lead into the third period.
The IceDogs finally got on the board early in the third when Jackson Doherty potted his third of the season. The Wolves later added three more goals to round out the scoring.
Cameron Snow was awarded a penalty shot with 6:17 to play but was stopped by Sudbury goalie Christian Purboo.
Ice cubes: Christian Sbaraglia and Lucas Theriault, both listed as day to day with lower body injuries, forward Cameron Peters (month to month), and A.J. Cook did not dress for Niagara . . . Nathan Ribau and Quinton Byfield were scratched for the Wolves . . . Sunday afternoon’s game was the first of four matinees on the schedule.
Wolves 7 IceDogs 1
BPSN Star of the Game: Sudbury forward Matej Pekar with three goals.
Niagara IceDogs: Jackson Doherty (4).
Sudbury Wolves: Pekar 3 (23, 24, 25); Blake Murray 2 (26, ,27); Kosta Manikis 2 (6,7).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Niagara on Christian Purboo (27), by Sudbury on Andrew MacLean (48); Power plays: Niagara 0-for-0, Sudbury 1-for-5; Penalty minutes: Niagara 15, Sudbury 5.
Attendance: 5,393 (sell out).
Up next: Home to Flint Thursday at 7 p.m.
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