Otters demolish IceDogs in 9-3 rout

ERIE, Pa. – Alliteration is wonderful isn’t it? Especially when the serial vowels or consonants are reflected in the phrase “opportunistic Otters” as in Friday night’s three-goal first period explosion that launched Erie past the Niagara IceDogs 9-3 in Ontario Hockey League action before 3,107 fans at the Tullio Arena, the team’s largest home ice margin since Oct. 26, 2005 when the IceDogs, then from Mississauga, fell 8-2.rrDespite a small hiccup in the second, the home team stormed back with a five-goal performance in a fight-filled third period that promises even more fireworks in the second game of a home-and-“home” series as the teams meet Saturday night in St. Catharines.rrThere could be significant absentees in that game as the IceDogs’ Alex Friesen was injured in the first period, tried to go in the second and was shut down by the Niagara training staff, and then Erie’s Greg McKegg took a chin-rattling elbow in mid-ice from Matt Baldassarra and left the game at 4;10, never to return. Baldassarra, who fought with Shawn Szydlowski in the aftermath, as Zack Torquato and Chris DeSousa also exchanged punches, inexplicably was assessed only an interference penalty for the hit that put McKegg out of the game.rrBrady Austin and Torquato led the charge for the 6-9-2-1 Otters with a pair of goals each, with Andrew Yogan and Anthony Luciani turning in three-point performances on identical records of a goal and a pair of assists each. Mike Cazzola and Matt Paton each contributed two helpers, while Szydlowski, Brett Cook and Tyler Hostetter rounded out the scoring. Andrew Fritsch, Andrew Agozzino and Johnson Andrews replied for the visitors.rrIt was a flurry of firsts that got Erie going at 7:21 of the opening period. Austin, a defenseman who enjoyed a regular forward shift in this game with the departure of Mike Liambas, made a nice play to keep the puck in the visitors’ zone and headed for the front of the net. Paton picked up the puck behind the goal line to the right of Niagara’s Mark Visentin, spotted Austin alone in front and the 16-year-old from Bobcaygeon one-timed a perfect feed high over the glove of Visentin for his first career OHL goal.rrThe IceDogs’ Mike Schwindt stepped into Paton along the left boards just inside the Erie blueline 15 seconds later, but unfortunately for the visitors, Paton did not have the puck and Schwindt was whistled off for interference. It took the Otters only 14 seconds to capitalize. McKegg cycled the puck to Cazzola in the corner to Visentin’s left and he emerged from the corner and put a puck on the tape that Torquato lifted past the goalie for a powerplay marker, his seventh goal of the year, at 7:50.rrAt 11:13, Yogan let go a hard shot that Visentin got his right pad on, but the puck went straight to an unguarded Szydlowski in the slot and he had a wide open net for his fourth of the season. At this point IceDogs head coach Mike McCourt called a time out to settle down his road-weary team, but it didn’t seem to work; Erie pressed to the final buzzer and only an alert Visentin prevented the score from being even higher for the home team.rrRobbie Ftorek appreciated the effort: “It was important for the guys to get off to a fast start tonight as they start playing together.”rrThe question of the Ages that has perplexed hockey coaches everywhere goes something like this: “How can we hold them to three shots in the first, and then give up 19 shots and two goals in the second?” Two very different teams emerged from the first intermission; a seemingly self-satisfied Erie team convinced that their 3-0 lead with returning veteran Jaroslav Janus in goal would be enough, and a Niagara team obviously smarting from some unkind words by McCourt in the dressing room.rrResult? Niagara had the jump from the get-go, outshooting Erie 16-7 by the 15-minute mark and beating Janus twice, Fritsch’s fourth on an Agozzino rebound at 12:48, and then Agozzino with his 12th of the year after he took a stretch pass from Schwindt at the IceDogs blue line in behind the Erie defense at the opposite blue line and walked in unmolested to beat the Slovakian goaltender at 15:41.rrIt was a nice play started by Hostetter in the Erie zone in the final minute that allowed Erie some breathing room. He got the puck quickly up ice to Yogan who tipped it forward to Szydlowski in the middle of the ice. He spotted Luciani to his right and his short pass sprang the winger on a clear breakaway and he beat Visentin high at 19:15 to restore a two-goal lead, 4-2.rrFinal shots in the period were 19-12 for the IceDogs (7-10-2-1) and everyone in the rink knew it would be Ftorek’s turn to speak sternly to his charges during intermission this time.rrIt must have worked. Torquato scored 36 seconds into the period to put the game out of reach and the only question from that point on was how many more times would Erie find the net. There were other significant hits; Andrew Shaw’s on Yogan that prompted Paul Cianfrini to engage Shaw in a heavyweight bout at 4:47 and the teams were definitely short tempered the rest of the way. Niagara’s aggravation was increased as the Otters scored two more power play goals, giving them three on the night.rrAfter Austin scored his second at 17:00, the teams exchanged unpleasantries in the center ice faceoff circle, and the referees stepped in before the puck was dropped, sending off Baldassarra and De Sousa for Niagara and David Broll and Szydlowski for the home team in a bid to maintain order.rrA raw rookie and a grizzled veteran, the two players with a pair of goals on the night, had different takes on the contest, as they should.rrAustin was ecstatic after his first two goals: “Now that I scored it’s a lot off of my shoulders. We wanted to come out tonight and show we can play with any team in the league.”rrThe team captain took time to honor a former teammate who is gone but not forgotten: “Everyone played with a little Bus (Liambas) in them tonight,” said Torquato. “It was a great team effort.”rrErie outshot Niagara 35-26 on the night. The Otters went 3-for-6 on the power play, a were a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.