Game Preview: Niagara vs Sudbury

The Niagara IceDogs are heading to Sudbury tonight to play in a divisional matchup against the Wolves. The two teams have faced-off against one another four times so far this season with Niagara taking three of those games, each of which having seen its fair share of goals. There have been a total of 24 goals scored in the previous four games between these rivals.

The Wolves enter this game with little hope of capturing a playoff spot. The team is currently last place in the Eastern Conference and trails Oshawa for the last postseason berth by 12 points. On the other end, the IceDogs find themselves comfortably seated third in the Conference and second in the Central Division. Niagara trails the Barrie Colts by four points for the division lead with a game in-hand.

Rock ’em Sock ’em

Fans can expect to see a physical battle on Friday night as both these team’s dislike for one another is evident each time they take the ice. Through four games played this season there has been 45 penalties called for a total of 100 penalty minutes.

Players to Watch

Sudbury forward Dmitry Sokolov has been impressive in his first season in the OHL. The 17 year-old Russian leads his team in goals with 16 on the season while also leading in shots, recording 157 thus far. Sokolov has accumulated 31 points in 46 games played.

Since being acquired by the IceDogs, goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic has been a steady force on the back-end for Niagara. In December, Nedeljkovic also represented the United States at the World Junior Championship in Finland where he captured a bronze medal. The 2014 Carolina Hurricanes draft pick is boasting a 6-3-0-1 record with the IceDogs so far this season while also holding an impressive 2.19 GAA and a 0.924 SV%. 

Team Stats