Game Preview: Niagara vs Kingston (Game 2)

With Game 1 in the books, Niagara will look to keep momentum rolling as they aim to take a second game in Kingston before heading home to open games three and four in front of the hometown crowd.

The opportunistic IceDogs didn’t let many chances slip away from them in last night’s contest, capitalizing on enough chances to give them the edge over Kingston on their own turf. Though the defense did a spectacular job limiting the number of scoring chances the Frontenacs had, it was Alex Nedeljkovic who stole the show in Game 1. The net-minder made 31 stops on the night and had to be especially sharp in the third period when Kingston had three consecutive power-play opportunities.

Dogs’ Not Rolling Over

Last night’s loss was the Fronts’ first defeat at home in the 2016 postseason. Kingston has been great in their own barn, scoring 20 goals and only allowing six in four games, but they were no match for the IceDogs who started the contest looking like the team who wanted it more. Anytime a team can take a game in the opposing team’s arena is special, but to do it against one of the top ranked teams in the CHL makes it that much sweeter for the IceDogs who will look to take Game 2 tonight and head home with a 2-0 series lead.

Players to Watch

Frontenacs’ goaltender Jeremy Helvig should not be an overlooked figure in net. Although Kingston often relies on its powerful offense, no team is complete without a steady player in the crease. The Markham, ON native has a 3-1-0-0 record in the playoffs thus far, putting up imposing figures such as his 1.71 GAA and 0.929 SV%, all while adding two shutouts.

Watch out for Brendan Perlini as he has yet again to demonstrate his love for shooting the puck. Perlini has not recorder any less than four shots in his six postseason appearances this year, registering as high as six and seven on three separate occasions. With three tallies to his name so far, look for Perlini to chase last year’s career postseason-best seven goals.

Team Stats