Written by: Kyle Akitt (@JustKyle51)
Photo Credit: OHL Images/Terry Wilson
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Back at it again in the Meridian Center with this contest as the Niagara IceDogs were wrapping up a 3 game straight stint to end the week. The IceDogs on Thursday won a dramatic scoring game vs. the Barrie Colts 8 to 5 and then travelled to Oshawa on Friday to take on the Generals, where the IceDogs fell short and lost 5 to 3. Russian sensation Danil Gushchin continued his scoring streak by scoring 2 of the 3 IceDogs goals against the Generals. He looked to continue that hot streak going into this game against the Mississauga Steelheads,
who going into this game have the best Goals Against in the Eastern Conference.
The IceDogs currently, at the time before the game, sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-3-0 record. In terms of Goals Against, the IceDogs sit with the 4th best in the east so this looked to be a very defensive matchup. The IceDogs looked to close out the weekend on a winning note with a big win on home ice. Back between the pipes and continuing his exceptional season as well was Tucker Tynan.
Attendance: 3,593
ICEDOGS STARTING LINEUP:
(FWD) Daniil Gushchin, Jake Uberti, Cameron Butler.
(DFD) Landon Cato, Dakota Betts.
(G) Tucker Tynan.
FIRST PERIOD
The game would start off pretty even with both teams trading scoring chances back and forth. It was the IceDogs who would find the back of the net first as Cameron Peters would bury his second goal of the season, capitalizing on his own rebound. Peters looking to stay consistent on the scoring sheet while at the same time staying off the injured reserved list as he missed most of the end of the 2019 season with injury. The Steelheads didn't take long to answer back as IceDogs defenceman Landon Cato got caught on an offensive rush from Mississauga and forward Aiden Prueter put the puck five-hole on goaltender Tucker Tynan to tie the game at 1.
The rest of the period seemed to favour the IceDogs when it came to scoring chances but not without having trouble escaping their own defensive zone as on several occasions they gave the puck away up the middle and the Steelheads would almost score on those chances. IceDogs forward Jake Uberti would put the IceDogs up by 1 as he buries a powerplay goal for his second of the season.
SECOND PERIOD
The IceDogs would start the second period by taking a too many men on the ice penalty call. The IceDogs have had an early habit this season so far at taking some bad luck/unnecessary penalty calls, which Head Coach Billy Burke hopes to have his team break out of soon. Mississauga would take a very bad double-minor penalty and the IceDogs would get the next goal as rookie forward Brice Cooke put the puck home on the powerplay to make it 3-1.
The IceDogs would then capitalize for the second time on the same powerplay as another rookie forward in Aiden Castle would get his third goal of the year to make it a 4 to 1 game almost mid-way through the period. The Steelheads wouldn't go away quietly as Luke Misa would score and make it 4-2. For the rest of the period, the IceDogs would not make it easy on themselves, taking back to back penalties and needing to kill both and actually almost capitalizing on a shot handed chance but Ryan Struthers would look skyward as he hit the post.
THIRD PERIOD
The first half of the period went by without any goals but it wasn't without any chances as both teams traded multiple scoring chances each but no pucks finding the back of the net. Tucker Tynan looked very composed through those chances, coming up with most of the saves through a screen and keeping the IceDogs up with the two goal lead. The rest of the game, the IceDogs showed a lot of grit in terms of keeping the lead intact with some great defensive playing.