Brandon Caputo
(@BCaputo_AGM)
Vivid Eye Photography photo
The Niagara IceDogs were in Peterborough at the vintage Peterborough Memorial Centre for a Tuesday Night matchup, coming off a hard fought 2-1 defeat at the hands of the first place Windsor Spitfires the prior Saturday. Starter Owen Flores was sensational once again, not allowing more than three goals in any of his seven starts this season, looking to build off of that string of performances.
Niagara would be without forward Alex Assadourian and goaltender Charlie Robertson, who both were week-to-week casualties after last weekend's three games in three days stretch, while forward Mathieu Paris remained week-to-week with a lower-body injury. First round rookie Braidy Wassilyn was away for Canada at the World U-17 tournament beginning later this week.
Ben Boudreau made some lineup changes as a result as forward Charlie Hotles and defenseman Nick Frasca were in the lineup, while Hayden Jeffery suited up as the backup goaltender. Defenseman Darcy Dewachter took warmups but was scratched afterward.
GAME RECAP
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IceDogs would receive a powerplay with just over five minutes to play in the opening period in a scoreless game as Masen Wray was slashed but Niagara were only able to generate a pair of shots on the man advantage without much sustained pressure.
Late in the opening period it was a scramble in front of Petes goaltender Zach Bowen and the IceDogs were able to shovel it in as Ethan Czata got the last touch, sending Niagara to the room up 1-0 after 20 minutes. Ryan Roobroeck and Blair Scott would pick up the helpers on Czata's third tally of the season.
Niagara would not accomplish a lot on their second man advantage in the middle period and the Petes would take advantage on a two on one chance that Faulkner was able to get by Flores on their 19th shot of the contest, evening the game up at one a piece.
Peterborough would then get a late man advantage of their own, which would result in Andrei Loshko having a shorthanded breakaway for Niagara, which was stopped in tight by Bowen.
After Mike Levin was high sticked by Jonathan Melee, the IceDogs would have a late powerplay but were not able to capitalize for a third straight time, heading into the room tied 1-1.
Not much to report in the final period but the Petes would get a chance on a late man advantage with 3:39 left on the clock in a 1-1 game as Max Crete was called for a trip. A few big saves from Owen Flores and good shorthanded forechecking by Kevin He and Ethan Czata created chances shorthanded.
The game would go to overtime deadlocked at one a piece. Ethan Czata would have the best Niagara chance as cut down the wing towards the net and brushed the goaltender resulting in a Petes powerplay. The IceDogs would kill most of it off but the Petes would have 17.6 seconds of 5on3 time after a Van Vliet penalty for cross checking a Petes player into his own player but Niagara were able to escape and force it to a shootout.
After Owen Flores stopped all three shooters for the Petes, Ryan Roobroeck came in forehand and beat Bowen for the game winner. Niagara completes their fourth game in six nights, going 3-1 in that stretch, thanks to Owen Flores' 37-save performance. Shots were 46-38 in favour of Niagara who improved to 10-3 on the season.
Postgame Thoughts
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The IceDogs head coach spoke about the win being exactly what they wanted with the defensive game plan.
"That's exactly how we drew it up by playing our style and committing to defense, we didn't break through 60 minutes," Boudreau said. "You have to give respect to them, we almost had 50 shots but they were diving, blocking everything you could see how desperate they were and really motivated to get that first one, pushing us to the absolute brink."
"They had to give their absolute best to shut us down. Our game against Ottawa we were the desperate team defensively and found a way to win on our chances. Credit to their goalie but sticking to the game plan and not breaking was huge for us to get the two points."
Boudreau also spoke about his team going a perfect 5/5 on the penalty kill tonight including one in overtime and a short two-man advantage to force it to a shootout.
"Just part of a commitment to defense, I thought that we paid some special attention to it as a group and it was the difference tonight," Boudreau said. "When the offense was struggling, the defense had to step up and I thought they did that, finding a way to kill that and get some key blocks. Commitment to the team allowed us to squeeze out that last shootout goal for the offense."
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The IceDogs were short some key forwards in tonight's lineup as Alex Assadourian, Braidy Wassilyn who is away at the U-17 World Championships, and Mathieu Paris remained out. The head coach spoke about needing to jumble up the lines as a result and how they're still looking for some solutions to that other than their two mainstay combos.
"Right now we've only really found two pairs that have been mainstays; you've got Czata and Roobroeck and Loshko with He," Boudreau said. "We're looking for someone to compliment both of those pairs and find a bit of an identity on the third line, who are just logging regular top nine minutes."
"We like where we're at with our commitment to what we have to do as a team but we're far from being set with lines as far as given the rotating door right now," Boudreau said about his lineup that is currently down three key forwards."
Boudreau spoke about dressing the seventh defenseman as a result to being one less forward and how that changes from a strategy standpoint for how they need to go about executing the game plan.
"You can tell that it's a priority for us and a commitment to defense and Owen Flores is 7-1 with all games he has not given up more than three," Boudreau said of his starting goaltender. "Even in the regulation loss to Windsor he only gave up two by that commitment to defense right there no matter whether you're looking for offense. If we can shut it down we have a chance to win especially with the core six in tact and Flores playing the way he does."
Ethan Czata, who was named to the first NHL Central Scouting list of the season with a "W" grade which indicates a 6th/7th round grade, scored Niagara's only regulation goal and continues to try and move up those rankings the next time they are updated.
"100%, it's not proven wrong when you look at his projected ability to skate and the size and game sense," Boudreau said of his second-year two-way forward. "He fought three times as a 16-year-old, he got in a scrap already this season, scoring goals, killing penalties, playing on the powerplay, and doing it all for us right now. The fact that we-re 10-3 and Ethan Czata is logging 20 minutes a night is no coincidence."
Player of the game brought to you by HockeyStickMan:
Goaltender Owen Flores - 37-save victory (plus all three shots saved in the shootout)
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