IceDogs come up short versus Battalion
A slow start cost the Niagara IceDogs plenty Saturday night.
The IceDogs were looking for a win over the North Bay Battalion to sweep a weekend series of games and in the process earn their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Instead, a sloppy opening period was the difference in a 3-2 loss in Ontario Hockey League action at the Meridian Centre.
“I think we had one bad period, which was the first period,” IceDogs coach Ben Boudreau said. “We had 32 turnovers and we were going east-west instead of going north and that’s not our identity.
“We talk about our playing to our identity, defence first, and we’re not a team that’s going to make a lot of fancy plays in the D-zone or the neutral zone and we’re going to muck and grind and get to the net in the offensive zone.”
Despite the poor start, the IceDogs were within seconds of leaving the opening 20 minutes tied 1-1 but Justin Ertel’s second of the stanza with only 15 seconds remaining gave the Battalion a 2-1 lead after 20.
“That (late goal) was the difference in the first period and the difference in the game,” Boudreau added.
Boudreau loved the way the IceDogs regrouped for the final 40 minutes.
“We can keep our heads held high the way we bought in and got to the body was really good, we just couldn’t find that extra marker,” he said. “It’s an effort you look back and say it was a great 40 minutes but when we win games, we find a way to play 60.”
The IceDogs began their stretch of three games in three nights with a 7-5 win over Ottawa at home Thursday before topping the Kingston Frontenacs 4-1 Friday on the road in one of their best efforts of the season. It was their second straight win and second two-game winning streak of the season.
“It’s a winning week,” Boudreau said. “The season’s not even half over yet — it’s close to getting there — but when we can start winning every single week, by the end of the season if that’s our mentality, the more weeks we can win we’re going to find ourselves in a good position.
“We can’t accomplish everything in one weekend but we can continue to climb. We tried to get greedy tonight by sweeping the weekend, but at least over .500 is the goal every week.”
The IceDogs are 20th overall and eight points behind the Frontenacs for the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
The club has five games on the schedule before the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
“We’re going to find out real quick and that’s really going to tell us where we stand come the trade deadline,” Boudreau said. “When we’re all healthy and playing on the same page we’re a good team overall and I think we can make that push. There’s a lot of hockey left and a lot of questions that still need to be answered.”
The IceDogs are off now for the Christmas break until reconvening Dec. 27 in preparation for a Dec. 28 game at Owen Sound.
Ice cubes: Michael Podolioukh, Urban Podrekar and William Stewart did not dress for the IceDogs . . . Dom DiVinentiis, Tnias Mathurin, Ihnat Pazii, Owen Van Steensel, Nolan Laird, Ty Nelson and Stef Forgione were scratched for North Bay . . . Goaltender Owen Flores played all three games for the IceDogs this weekend . . . Zak Lavoie, Mike Levin, Ivan Galiyanov and Kevin He scored in Kingston.
STATS PACK
Battalion 3 IceDogs 2
Niagara’s Kevin He and North Bay’s Justin Ertel.
Niagara IceDogs: Kevin He (16); Ryan Roobroeck (11).
North Bay Battalion: Justin Ertel 2 (13,14); Dalyn Wakely (13).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Niagara on Mike McIvor (34), by North Bay on Owen Flores (37); Power plays: Niagara 0/3, North Bay 0/2; Penalty minutes: Niagara 4, North Bay 6.
Attendance: 3,562.
Next up: The IceDogs are in Owen Sound Thursday, Dec. 28, in Erie Saturday, Dec 30 and back home against Guelph Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m.
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