IceDogs edge Wolves in OT
The Niagara IceDogs edged the Sudbury Wolves 4-3 in overtime Sunday. Photo: NIAGARA ICE DOGS.
Max Crete has looked like anything but a rookie this season for the Niagara IceDogs.
The 16-year-old forward missed part of training camp with an injury but has been a consistent performer since making his Ontario Hockey League debut.
Crete netted his sixth goal of the season Sunday afternoon as the IceDogs defeated the Sudbury Wolves 4-3 in overtime before 3,189 fans at Meridian Centre.
Crete’s goal came when he converted on an odd-man rush alongside Kevin He and Andrei Loshko to give the IceDogs a 3-2 lead late in the third.
The Wolves then quickly tied the game before He scored 53 seconds into extra time.
Crete has been happy with the start to his OHL career.
“I’m getting opportunity with coach and coach trusts me,” said Crete, who was selected in the second round, 38th overall, in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. “It’s a really good atmosphere here in the rink and I love it.”
Crete, who is on pace to score 27 goals, admits the jump from midget to the OHL is not to be taken lightly.
“I think some nights I can give a bit more, but I’m still getting used to this league. I think just all the guys surrounding me and motivating me, I think it’s a great atmosphere and I think I’m doing well,” he said.
Crete quickly caught on it’s not all just about offence anymore.
“Obviously, the best offence is defence first,” he said. “I really like to focus on the D zone first because I don’t want to get scored on. Our quick transitions with Kevin (He) and Lashko really help us get points. Our defence helps us get offence.”
Niagara coach Ben Boudreau has been impressed with Crete.
“I think he’s been outstanding for us, especially as a smaller guy and a rookie,” Boudreau said. “He’s 16 years old playing on the first line with two NHL draft picks. I never once would have envisioned (that’s where) a 30th overall pick would find himself, but yet here we are.”
With forwards Braidy Wassilyn, Alex Assadourian and Mathieu Paris out of the lineup, Crete has taken advantage of the chance.
“That’s what happens when you provide the same opportunity for everybody to move up and down the lineup,” Boudreau said. “Crete started on the fourth line, no power play, no penalty kill. He assumed those duties. Somebody’s got to step up and fill that role. And I thought Crete was doing really good on that first line so kudos to him.”
Boudreau appreciates Crete’s attention to detail in his own end.
“You have to work on the other end first,” Boudreau said. “High-end draft picks aren’t used to playing defence because in minor midget hockey, it’s just go, go, go, get the puck, play 30 minutes a night and see what happens. And then they get to junior and all of a sudden it’s structured and you have to play as a group of five out there. And it’s really tough.
“It’s a big adjustment and he’s done really great with it. He’s a very coachable player, which is allowing him to have success within our system.”
The IceDogs have won three overtime games and one in a shootout this season. They lead the Eastern Conference with an 11-4 record and are third overall in the OHL behind Kitchener and Windsor.
Boudreau loves the IceDogs ability to finish the job in overtime.
“They all add up at the end of the day and those are big moments for us,” he said. “Even last year, I think three wins out of the first 16 games, we had seven one-goal losses. And just that one point is a huge difference at the end of the year.
“Right now where we just have the nine regular forwards, it’s so important to build those wins in your column because there may be a point in the season, which we experienced last year, where you have a lot of sicknesses or injuries and it’s just tough to replace. So stockpiling as many points as you can early in the season is going to be big for us.”
Ice cubes: Charlie Robertson, Alex Assadourian, Mathieu Paris, Braidy Wassilyn, Nick Fransca (dressed for warm-up only) did not dress for the IceDogs . . . Spencer Horgan, Trevor O’Dell, Ethan Dean, Henry Doucet and Daks Klinkhammer were scratched for the Wolves . . . The Wolves won all six games against the IceDogs last season . . . Matthew Humphries baked up Flores. He is currently playing with the Aurora Tigers in the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
STATS PACK
IceDogs 4 Wolves 3 OT
Niagara’s Max Crete and Sudbury’s Quentin Musty.
Niagara IceDogs: Kevin He (12); Max Crete (6); Ethan Czata (4); Sean Doherty (3).
Sudbury Wolves: Nathan Villeneuve (5); Ondrej Molnar (2); Quentin Musty (2).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Niagara on Nate Krawchuk (40), by Sudbury on Owen Flores (29); Power plays: Niagara 1/3, Sudbury 0/2; Penalty minutes: Niagara 4, Sudbury 6.
Attendance: 3,189.
Next up: The IceDogs are home to face Erie Thursday and Sarnia Friday.
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