Roobroeck to the rescue
Ryan Roobroeck bounced back from one of his worst games of the season with one of his best.
The sophomore forward scored three goals, including the winner with 48 seconds remaining, to give the Niagara IceDogs a 4-3 victory over the Sarnia Sting in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night in St. Catharines.
Roobroeck’s outburst came 24 hours following a tough outing Thursday that saw him held off the scoresheet and record an ugly minus-five in a 9-3 loss to the Erie Otters.
Roobroeck felt it was vital to rebound after Thursday’s defeat.
“Really important,” he said. “Obviously the guys were a little down last night. It’s one you take to heart, but the way you bounce back, it’s important.”
Roobroeck’s three goals give him 12 on the season and his effort did not go unnoticed by Niagara coach Ben Boudreau, who celebrated his 40th birthday with a victory.
“I’m very happy that Ryan scored three but not the fact that he scored three, it’s the way that he scored three,” Boudreau said. “I thought he was extremely noticeable with how physical he was tonight, more so than the fact that he’s a goal scorer. I was really happy to see him lead the way in that respect.
“This is a kid that had a terrible night, there’s no way to cut it on Thursday. He wasn’t ready to go but there’s a lot of pride and that’s something that you can’t teach is that inner competition and he was ready to play. He’s a young leader for our team and that’s exactly what he did.”
Boudreau feels Roobroeck is a more mature player this season.
“He’s yet to hit 17 years old, which is very, very scary,” Boudreau said. “He’s a young, mature kid that just wants it, but at the same time, sometimes you’ve got to hold his hand and show him the way.”
Roobroeck said he feels much more at ease this season.
“Obviously last year you were a little shaky coming into games not knowing what to expect but after getting that first year under the belt it’s a lot more comfortable and a lot easier,” he said.
Roobroeck admitted he was thinking hat-trick after scoring his second.
“Obviously it crosses your mind, but at the end of the day you want to do what’s best for your team and defence always comes first,” he said.
The IceDogs took a 2-1 lead into the third but the Sting scored two goals in less than two minutes early on to take a 3-2 lead.
The IceDogs didn’t panic and tied the game at 3-3 when Roobroeck scored halfway through the period.
“Obviously the main thing is stay positive,” Roobroeck said. “We’ve got a full period ahead of us and two goals. We’ve scored more than two goals in a period before, so just knowing that we can do it, it’s important.”
Boudreau said there was no feeling of anxiety after the Sting took the lead.
“That’s from being in that position before where we have come back and that’s what experience does for you,” he said. “The younger team that we have right now, especially with the guys up front, are learning how to play and how to respond and that’s part of the process.”
Almost lost in the excitement of the comeback was another outstanding effort from Niagara netminder Owen Flores, who kicked out 34 shots a night after being pulled.
“Three goals or less, that’s another win,” Boudreau said. “He’s given us a chance. We had a lot of breakdowns, there’s no question about it, but he was there when we did break down.
“I thought Owen was phenomenal and responded in the best way he possibly could.”
Ice cubes: Charlie Robertson, Alex Assadourian, Mathieu Paris and Braidy Wassilyn did not dress for the IceDogs . . . Dylan Luecke, Jack Bodin, Carson Hall, Easton Wainwright, Lukas Fischer, Alessandro Di Iorio, Ryan Chamberlain and Beckham Edwards were scratched for the Sting . . . Bruce Boudreau was in attendance . . . Andrei Loshko (9); Matthew Virgilio (2); Rafek Dianov (1) scored Thursday . . . St. Catharines Falcons Hayden Jeffery made his OHL debut for the IceDogs Thursday, permitting four goals on 20 shots.
STATS PACK
IceDogs 4 Sting 3
Niagara’s Ryan Roobroeck and Sarnia’s Zach Filak.
Niagara IceDogs: Ryan Roobroeck 3 (10,11,12); Kevin He (13).
Sarnia Sting: Tyson Doucette (8); Zach Filak (5); Carter Kostuch (4).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Niagara on NIck Surzycia (40), by Sarnia on Owen Flores (29); Power plays: Niagara 1/2, Sarnia 1/5; Penalty minutes: Niagara 10, Sarnia 4.
Attendance: 3,563.
Next up: The IceDogs head to Brampton Saturday at 4 p.m. and to Guelph next Friday.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,400 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
