IceDogs hoping to remain healthy
The Niagara IceDogs are hopeful the worst is over in their battle against COVID.
The IceDogs won’t be playing at home Tuesday versus the Peterborough Petes, the latest postponement in a series of schedule adjustments necessitated due to COVID protocol.
But head coach Billy Burke, who is scheduled to return to the team Tuesday after being in quarantine since last week, is optimistic the IceDogs will be able to play Friday in Ottawa and Saturday in Kingston.
“We should have almost all the players and most of the staff back at practice tomorrow,” Burke said. “We’re feeling good right now and just want to play with this new group but it seems like there’s always a roadblock one way or the other.”
Including Tuesday’s game, the IceDogs will have had six games postponed.
“You just make do with whatever numbers you happen to have that day,” he said. “We had stretches where we had two shooter tutors (targets in the goal) in both nets and about five guys on the ice. You just have to change your practice plan to whatever is thrown your way, whether it’s sickness or the amount of guys available to practice.”
Burke said players and staff, who are required to be double vaccinated, are not tested daily but must report any symptoms.
“If they are not feeling well then they are tested. As soon as someone tests positive he’s moved into the five-day quarantine,” said Burke, who indicated virtually the entire roster, coaching staff and support staff have tested positive a various points this season.
Burke said the coaching staff has learned to take things day by day, sometimes hour by hour.
“You knew there would be some COVID challenges but it’s one thing to think about it an another thing to go through it,” he said. “It’s been challenging. We’re trying to get our legs under us and put a couple of games together.
“It’s been tough this week especially because we’re limited by our staff.”
Burke said going forward the staff will be especially cognizant of how the players are feeling with so many games to be made up.
“I think going forward with how crazy it’s going to be the rest of the way, listening to the players and managing rest has to be right at the top of our list,” he said. “We have to make sure we are doing everything we can to find ways to get days off, get mornings off, anything we can to keep these guys fresh and healthy.”
The IceDogs, 9-17-0-1, still have 37 games remaining to be played, tied for the most of any team in the league.
“The league is very committed to get all the games in and we’re very optimistic for the amount of runway, the amount of season we have left,” Burke said.
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