IceDogs drop fourth straight
It has been a tough stretch for the Niagara IceDogs recently.
The rebuilding IceDogs’ last three games have been against the Hamilton Bulldogs and Mississauga Steelheads, two of the top teams in the Ontario Hockey League, and the results have been predictable.
The IceDogs dropped a 6-2 decision to the Steelheads Tuesday night at Meridian Centre, their fourth straight defeat and fifth in their last six games.
The IceDogs, 10-22-1-1, sit in the basement of the OHL with 22 points at the halfway point of their season.
The Steelheads lead the league with a 28-8-1-3 record.
“You have to stick together, play hard, and try and be pesky and try and catch them on an off night taking us lightly, but obviously their top line (James Hardie, Luca DelBelBelluz and Ty Collins) was dominant and tough to contain,” IceDogs coach Billy Burke said.
“Honestly, I thought the guys worked hard, stuck together, and kept coming. Undermanned, I though they did a great job.”
The IceDogs were without forward Danil Gushchin, serving the fourth and final game of his suspension, as well as injured forward Cameron Peters and banged up defencemen Andrew Wycisk and Landon Cato. The IceDogs dressed just 16 skaters, two under the limit.
Burke said the club is well aware they are struggling.
“They’re smart guys. I think anybody can look at this game and see it is what it is,” he said. “They’re disappointed because they’re winners, but we need a break. We need a rest tomorrow and Friday night is all that matters.
“These are learning experiences for us.”
The IceDogs host Ottawa Friday before heading to Peterborough Saturday night and Ottawa Sunday night and Burke feels a good showing would put the recent struggles firmly in the rearview mirror.
“We have 34 games left, there’s a lot of runway left here,” Burke said. “We’re feeling good.”
Joey Costanzo got the nod in goal, the first time the rookie has been given back-to-back starts.
“He played well (Sunday in Mississauga) and we wanted to go back to him,” Burke said.
Costanzo faced 46 shots in both games versus the high-powered Steelheads.
“It’s like anybody, you worry about burnout and fatigue for sure,” Burke said. “We definitely have to be tighter defensively, doesn’t matter who we’re playing. There’s certainly things we clean up to help our goalies but they’re doing a great job.”
The Steelheads opened the scoring four minutes in when Hardie potted his 29th of the season. The IceDogs answered back when Declan Waddick netted his second of the season on a splendid individual effort. Mississauga then retook the lead with 34 seconds remaining in the period when Collins scored. The Steelheads held a 14-6 edge in shots.
The Steelheads opened up a 3-1 lead with a power-play goal by former IceDog centre Jake Uberti who had three goals in six games with Mississauga. Later in the period DelBelBelluz increased the lead to 4-1 with his 21st of the season. The Steelheads held a 27-12 edge in shots after 40 minutes.
Collins and Kai Schwindt added singles in the third for the Steelheads while rookie Juan Copeland scored his third of the season for Niagara.
Ice cubes: Danil Gushchin (suspension, game four of four), Cameron Peters, Andrew Wycisk and Landon Cato did not dress for the IceDogs . . . Michael Stubbs, Ethan Kowatsch, Justin DiLauro, Adam Barkley, Dylan Gordon, Stefan Forgione and Quinn Binnie were scratched for the Steelheads . . . Former St. Catharines Black Hawk winger and St. Catharines Falcons coach Dave Gorman was in attendance . . . IceDogs defenceman Dakota Betts, clearly frustrated, dropped the gloves with Mississauga’s Evan Brand in the third period.
STATS PACK
Steelheads 6 IceDogs 2
Niagara’s Declan Waddick and Mississuaga’s James Hardie.
Niagara IceDogs: Juan Copeland (3); Declan Waddick (2).
Mississauga Steelheads: Ty Collins 2 (11, 12); James Hardie (29); Luca DelBelBelluz (21); Ty Collins 2 (11, 12); Jake Uberti (9); Kai Schwindt (9).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Niagara on Joe Ranger (20), by Mississauga on Joey Constanzo (46); Power plays: Niagara 0-for-3, Mississauga 1-for-5; Penalty minutes: Niagara 15, Mississauga 11.
Attendance: 500 (maximum permitted)
Up next: Home to Ottawa Friday.
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