IceDogs power past Gens
The Niagara IceDogs continue to find ways to win.
The IceDogs blew a two-goal lead in the third period but rallied with a late power-play goal to defeat the Oshawa Generals 4-3 in an Ontario Hockey League game Thursday in St. Catharines.
Andrei Loshko’s second goal of the game with just over three minutes remaining was the difference as the IceDogs improved to 8-2, good enough for second overall in the OHL behind only the 9-1 Windsor Spitfires.
Niagara head coach Ben Boudreau said confidence is playing a big factor in the early season success of his team.
“I just think it’s a mindset, it’s a mentality right now, especially those first four games of the year gave us some confidence beating some of the top dogs,” he said. “We used to fear some of those teams and being a 20th place team all year, you’re looking up knowing that you’re the underdog every single game.
“Now we have to be at our best knowing everybody’s gunning for the top position and that’s the one that we hold right now. So we can’t take games off. We like having that feeling of being one of those targets and we feel like it’s Niagara versus everybody. That’s an old motto that I think the Ice Dogs used to have and that’s generally what it feels like right now.”
Boudreau said there was no panic in the third period when the Generals rallied with two goals to tie the game.
“The trend for our team right now is resiliency,” he said. “If you go back to the Kingston game last year, first shot, we lost 8-0 or 8-1 or something like that. We used to fall at any sort of adversity. Right now, we find a way to have pushback. The mentality that we have is to bend, don’t break, and keep going. And when we needed our big guys to step up in the big moments, they did.”
Newly minted captain Kevin He scored two goals to give him 11 on the season. His 20 points are second by two points in the league to Saginaw’s Michael Misa.
Owen Flores had another strong game in goal, kicking out 30 shots to improve to 6-0 on the season.
“Well, it’s unbelievable,” Boudreau said of Flores’ strong start. “It’s what you need, especially to win in this league. You know, you’ve got to ride those guys.”
The IceDogs earlier this week dealt overage captain Gavin Bryant to Peterborough to alleviate a logjam of overagers.
Flores, Loshko and defenceman Owen Van Vliet remain as the team’s three OAs.
“The Gavin Bryant decision is really tough because he’s such a well loved human being in the community, on the ice, in the room, especially by the coaching staff,” Boudreau said. “But you can see Loshko with two goals, Van Vliet shutting down the top guys five on five and Owen Flores. I mean it really sucked for Gavin but it sort of eases that decision that we had to make.”
Ice cubes: Rafek Dianov, Mathieu Paris and Nick Frasca did not dress for the IceDogs . . . Noah Bender, Fraser McDonell, Jonathon Pylypuik, Calum Ritchie, Dylan Roobroeck and Shawn Costello were scratched for Oshawa.
Niagara’s Andrei Loshko and Oshawa’s Luca Marrelli.
IceDogs 4 Generals 3
Niagara IceDogs: Kevin He 2 (10, 11); Andrei Loshko 2 (6, 7).
Oshawa Generals: Beckett Sennecke (5); Luke Torrance (4); Tyler O’Toole (2).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Niagara on Jacob Oster (25), by Oshawa on Owen Flores (33); Power plays: Niagara 1/4, Oshawa 2/6; Penalty minutes: Niagara 23, Oshawa 19.
Attendance: 2,788.
Next up: The IceDogs are in Sarnia Friday to start a three game road trip.
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