IceDogs come up short versus Battalion
Mike Levin has been a solid contributor so far this season for the Niagara IceDogs.
The 18-year-old winger has four goals in 14 games, including one Saturday night as the IceDogs dropped a 4-3 decision to the North Bay Battalion in Ontario Hockey League action at the Meridian Centre.
“He scores goals,” IceDogs coach Ryan Kuwabara said about Levin. “He makes plays, he makes good decisions. He has some stuff to work on, all these guys have stuff to work on. That’s where they’re here, they’re in junior for A for reason. It’s a good development league. There’s little things he’s got to learn to get better at.”
Levin was acquired from the London Knights along with defenceman Connor Federkow in exchange for a third-round draft pick and a fifth-round selection in 2025. He was a late pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, going in the 10th round, 180th overall to the London Knights. He was scoreless in eight games for the Knights last season but lit it up with the St. Thomas Stars of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, recording a league-leading 42 goals and 61 points in only 33 games played.
“We knew a little bit about him, a little pedigree from his junior B days last year and a couple of games with London,” Kuwabara said. “It’s nice to see him step up. That’s the big thing for us. If you’re able to contribute, you’ll continue to get opportunities.”
Zack Lavoie got the IceDogs on the board with an early power-play goal before the Battalion tied the game later in the first period.
The IceDogs sputtered on the power play, with only that goal to show for five chances with the man advantage, including a pair of opportunities with a two-man advantage.
“It’s something we work on everyday, but sometimes it doesn’t click and it’s tough to put a finger on,” Kuwabara said of the power play. “One guy makes a mistake — we’re a five-man unit out there — and if one guy is not in synch with the other guys or he’s just off, or he’s not engaged, we’re going to make a mistake and create a turnover.
“We’ll watch some video this week and clean up.”
Kuwabara doesn’t like to see his players get too individualistic on the power play.
“We have some structure, you have to have structure,” he said. “It’s tough. These guys aren’t pros. The pros can read the game pretty well and make those plays. I think for us we have to have some structure there and they have to go execute that and take away what the opposition is giving us. We have to read that a little bit.”
Levin and Dayln Wakely traded goals in the second before the Battalion took a 4-2 lead with two goals by the four-minute mark of the third. Kevin He then got the IceDogs back to within one with his fifth of the season at the 11:26 mark but Niagara’s comeback fizzled when Evan Klein was called for an interference penalty with just over two minutes to play.
Combined with a 3-1 loss in Sudbury Friday, the IceDogs dropped to 3-6-4-1 and sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, although they are just one point back of Barrie for the eighth and final playoff spot.
“It’s two tough games,” Kuwabara said. “Sudbury is a good team. We got in at three in the morning. It’s tough for young guys. It’s our first real long road trip too. It’s something I guess we need to learn to manage a bit better or just keep it simple. Sometimes we overcomplicate it a little bit. Little details, stuff we can clean up and make better,” he said.
Ice cubes: William Stewart, Ryan VanNetten, Ethan Czata (U-17 championship) and Ryan Roobroeck (U-17 championship) did not dress for the IceDogs . . . Mathieu Paris had Niagara’s lone goal in Sudbury . . . North Bay netminder Charlie Robertson is a London native who attended Ridley College for two years and is the grandson of Beth and Tom Rankin . . . Jacob Therrien missed on a penalty shot for North Bay in the second period.
STATS PACK
Battalion 4 IceDogs 3
North Bay’s Dayln Wakely and Niagara’s Mike Levin.
Niagara IceDogs: Zack Lavoie (6); Kevin He (5); Mike Levin (4).
North Bay Battalion: Dayln Wakely 2 (6,7); Ty Nelson (6); Justin Ertel (4).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Niagara on Charlie Robertson (22), by North Bay on Owen Flores (47); Power plays: Niagara 1/5, North Bay 0/2; Penalty minutes: Niagara 8, North Bay 14.
Attendance: 4,285.
Up next: Home to Sudbury Thursday, Nov. 9.
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