| MISSISSAUGA, ON – Coming off of their 3-game homestand this week, the IceDogs travelled to the Paramount Food Centre to take on the Steelheads. Niagara entered the game 1-1-2 this season vs Mississauga after Thursday’s regulation loss.
Niagara came into the game 8 wins behind Sudbury for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference while Mississauga sits at 5th place, tied with last night’s competition, the Kingston Frontenacs.
Owen Flores, Landon Cato, Anthony Agostinelli, Gerard Keane, Juan Copeland and Andrew Wycisk continue to be the scratches for Niagara. The IceDogs would play with 11 forwards and 6 d-men as AP’s William Stewart (F) and Gabriel Runco (D) check back into the lineup.
IceDogs Starters (22/01/23):
LW: Kevin He
C: Alex Assadourian
RW: Zak Lavoie
LD: Nathan Ribau
RD: David Jesus
G: Josh Rosenzweig
Tale of the (Stick) Tape
| Team Leaders |
Niagara IceDogs |
Mississauga Steelheads |
| Goals |
Zakary Lavoie (16) |
James Hardie (27) |
| Assists |
David Jesus (18) |
James Hardie (29) |
| Points |
Zakary Lavoie (27) |
James Hardie (56) |
Between the Pipes
|
Niagara IceDogs |
Mississauga Steelheads |
| Starters |
Josh Rosenzweig |
Ryerson Leenders |
| Games |
20 |
22 |
| Wins |
3 |
6 |
| Losses |
13-2-0 |
10-2-0 |
| Save Percentage |
.867 |
.872 |
| Goals Against Average |
5.35 |
3.63 |
1st Period
Alex Assadourian would receive a hail-mary saucer pass from Jacob LeBlanc and beat Leenders with a quick release to open the scoring with an IceDogs lead at 7:49 into the first period. 13 seconds after the IceDogs goal, Florida Panthers prospect, Kai Schwindt would tie the game for the Steelheads at 1-1. Under 80 seconds later, DeZoete would put Mississauga ahead by 1. Right as the period was about to expire, Josh Rosenzweig would sprawl out for a right pad stop and recover his own rebound with a windmill glove save and keep the game within 1.
After 20 minutes to play, Mississauga would lead 2-1 and 18-6 in the shot column.
2nd Period
Early in the middle period, James Hardie driving the net hard would be met by a poke-check from Rosenzweig to slow the puck down as it trickled over the goal line for a Steelheads goal. The first penalty of the game would go to the IceDogs as Ryan Vannetten would send the puck over the glass for delay of game. The Steelheads capitalized on the powerplay a minute in as Martone made it 4-1 at 5:10 into the middle frame. Niagara was penalized three times in 30 seconds and allowed the Steelheads an extended 5-on-3 opportunity. Josh Rosenzweig stood tall, stopping all 11 shots on the penalty kill. The Niagara IceDogs were awarded their first powerplay and wasted no time as Alex Assadourian did all the work breaking in down low to set up Daniel Michaud for a one-timer to net his thirteenth of the year to bring the IceDogs closer at a score of 4-2. With that assist and first-period goal, Assadourian now has 8 points in his last 5 games for the IceDogs.
Period shots read 21-5 for a two-period total of 39-11 for the home team.
3rd Period
To open the final frame, Daniel Michaud would break into the zone for a shot in deep to set up Andrew LeBlanc to net the rebound and bring the game within one. Minutes later, a high-sticking call on Jesus and a slashing minor to Michaud would give the Steelheads another 2-man advantage chance but the IceDogs PK unit continued to stay strong and killed them both off.
At 14:39 into the period, a 2-minute minor, 5-minute major and game misconduct to David Jesus would allow the Steelheads a 7-minute powerplay for the remainder of the game. On the extended man advantage, the Steelheads managed to put one passed the IceDogs netminder for a 5-3 lead. 1:39 later, still on the PK, Jacob LeBlanc would send Zak Lavoie racing in to dish a centring pass for Daniel Michaud to score his fourteenth and put one more on the board to end the game 5-4.
It was an offensive night for Daniel Michaud as he notched 2 goals and an assist while Josh Rosenzweig would be credited with 52 stops on the night.
The IceDogs are back home on Thursday, January 26th for Rankin Cancer Night sporting their orange specialty jerseys as they take on the Erie Otters. |
