IceDogs season comes to an end
The Niagara IceDogs dropped a 6-3 decision in Barrie Saturday and were eliminated from the OHL playoffs. Photo: JOSH KIM/ BARRIE COLTS.
The Niagara IceDogs went down swinging.
The IceDogs saw their season come to an end with a 6-3 loss to the Barrie Colts Saturday night in Barrie, but not before mounting a furious rally in the third period after trailing 5-0 after two.
The Colts took the Ontario Hockey League best-of-seven quarter-final playoff series 4-1 and now battle the Kingston Frontenacs in the semifinals.
IceDogs head coach Ben Boudreau was proud of the way his charges fought to the end.
“That’s been who we are,” he said. “Between the second and the third I said to them it’s going to reveal our true character and all year we’ve been resilient, so why stop now? And, at the same time, we said anything is possible.”
The IceDogs began their comeback with an early power-play goal four minutes into the third by Ryan Roobroeck. Less than four minutes later Roobroeck scored again followed by rookie Brady Wassilyn’s first OHL playoff goal at the 13-minute mark.
“I’d be lying to you to say if we didn’t believe when we scored the third one that we’re actually gonna come back and tie it up,” Boudreau said. “You have to hand it to the kids. They could have mailed it in and packed it in but they kept going all the way to the very end.”
Anthony Romani ended any hopes of a comeback with an empty-net goal at 18:02.
Tristan Bertucci, Beau Jelsma, Dalyn Wakely, Cole Beaudoin and Kashawn Aitcheson also scored for the Colts.
Looking back on the season, Boudreau felt there are many lessons to be learned in a campaign filled with extreme peaks and valleys.
The IceDogs got off to a strong start and were one of the top teams in the East for the first half of the season before sputtering badly after Christmas to finish with a 29-31-4-4 record.
“I think everything is an opportunity to learn and the things that we need to get better at,” Boudreau said. “So it’s a great learning lesson for us with some of the distractions that took place off the ice. As an organization, we can always learn and get better. But on the ice, I think there’s a ton of things that you look back on and you’re extremely proud of.”
Boudreau put qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in six years at the top of the list of accomplishments.
“It was great to get the organization back there and see the city come out and support us,” he said. “Get the first home win in the playoffs for a long time and set a franchise record for best start and I think there were eight players on the team that set career highs when it comes to personal statistics.”
“When you look back over a 68-game season, a five-game playoff series, we added 100 games of playoff experience for the 20 guys in the lineup every night. There’s a lot of positives to celebrate in this season.”
Boudreau feels the future is bright for the organization.
“You look forward to all the advancements in the off-season and our draft on the 11th and the 12th and the players you’re gonna add to this already young core that’s only getting better as you add more experience,” he said. “The stability within the staff, knowing who you’re going to work with year in and year out.
“I think that’s the makings of what you see as progress. So it’s not easy, but we definitely took steps forward and those are the things that should be celebrated.”
The IceDogs will lose overage players Owen Flores, Andrei Loshko and Noah VanVliet.
Alex Assadourian, Mike Levin, Mathieu Paris, Blair Scott, Andrew Wycisk and Charlie Robertson could return as overagers. Each team is permitted three.
Team management and staff will hold exit meetings with the players Sunday.
The OHL draft will be held Friday (first three rounds) and Saturday.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,700 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 [email protected] for more information.
