Saturday Highlights: IceDogs run wild

The Niagara IceDogs were off the leash on Saturday, striking for nine goals against the North Bay Battalion to draw within two points of the Troops in the Central Division.

Jordan Maletta and Pavel Jenys each scored twice while veteran blueliner Aaron Haydon gathered a goal and three assists. Graham Knott, Christopher Paquette, Johnny Corneil and Anthony DiFruscia all collected a goal and two helpers as the Dogs ran wild on the Battalion in front of 4,799 in St. Catharines.

Not only did Niagara pull within striking distance of North Bay, but the Dogs stayed three points ahead of Ottawa in the Eastern Conference to keep a grip on home ice advantage in the first round of the OHL playoffs.

Niagara’s biggest offensive output of the season came in one of eight games around the league on Saturday.

 

NIAGARA 9 NORTH BAY 2 – Dallas Stars prospect Aaron Haydon earned first star honours with a goal and three assists while Jordan Maletta and Pavel Jenys each scored twice in a 9-2 Niagara IceDogs victory over visiting North Bay. The Dogs pulled to within two points of third place North Bay in the Eastern Conference while maintaining their three point cushion over fifth place Ottawa, skating to their fourth straight win in front of a big St. Catharines crowd. Niagara outshot North Bay 38-29 as Anthony DiFruscia, Graham Knott, Christopher Paquette and Johnny Corneil all had a goal and two assists. Rookie blueliner William Lochead led all IceDogs with a plus-5 rating in the lopsided victory. Niagara’s nine goals were a season-high as they continue to heat up at the right time. Not to be overlooked, North Bay captain Mike Amadio set a Battalion single-season franchise record with his 48th goal to surpass Wojtek Wolski’s 2005-06 mark of 47.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

ERIE 5 GUELPH 3 – The Erie Otters are the first team in OHL history to record three consecutive 50-win seasons after Dylan Strome scored twice in a 5-3 win over the Guelph Storm. The Otters outshot Guelph 41-23 on home ice as Erik Cernak, Alex DeBrincat and Taylor Raddysh also tallied to bring Erie to 101 points atop the Western Conference standings. Down 2-1 to begin the third period, the Otters surged for four in the final 20 minutes to overtake the Storm and keep pace with the London Knights who also won on Saturday. Alex DeBrincat’s goal and three assists bring him to within one goal of 50 on the year as well as five points shy of 100 on the season. The Otters were a dominant 52-for-67 (78%) in the faceoff circle on Saturday.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

OTTAWA 5 KINGSTON 4 OT – Artur Tyanulin’s first OHL hat-trick led the Ottawa 67’s over the East Division champion Kingston Frontenacs 5-4 in overtime as Ottawa remains in the hunt for home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference. Tyanulin hooked up with Nathan Todd 22 seconds into the extra frame to beat Kingston’s Lucas Peressini and give the 67’s their third straight win. Ottawa was outshot 39-21, getting 35 saves from goaltender Leo Lazarev while veteran scorer Dante Salituro struck twice for his 35th and 36th goals of the season. With losses to Mississauga and Ottawa, the Frontenacs have dropped consecutive decisions for the first time since late January. New York Islanders prospect Michael Dal Colle had a goal and two assists to give him 54 points (27-27–54) in 29 games with Kingston.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

OWEN SOUND 5 WINDSOR 4 SO – Petrus Palmu and Kevin Hancock scored shootout goals to give the Owen Sound Attack a 5-4 win over visiting Windsor in a Saturday night thriller. Owen Sound led 3-1 in the second period before goals from Logan Brown, Gabriel Vilardi and Jalen Chatfield put Windsor ahead 4-3. Palmu knotted the score at four on the powerplay with just 1:10 remaining in regulation to force overtime. Daniel Dekoning would follow up his 36-save effort with shootout denials of Brendan Lemieux, Christian Fischer and Logan Brown to secure the two points. The shootout win erases three straight Attack losses as they sit two points ahead of seventh place Sault Ste. Marie in the Western Conference. Windsor earns a point to remain within four points of first place Sarnia in the West Division.
GAME SUMMARY • HIGHLIGHTS

BARRIE 5 PETERBOROUGH 2 – The Barrie Colts kept rolling as Andrew Mangiapane scored twice to become the OHL’s second 50-goal scorer and sixth player to 100 points this season in a 5-2 win over the Peterborough Petes. Barrie’s seventh straight victory saw the Colts take out a 4-0 lead behind goals from Justin Scott, Adrian Carbonara, Kevin Labanc and Mangiapane before Logan DeNoble and Matt Spencer replied for Peterborough. Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves in the Barrie crease as the newly crowned Central Division champs are picking up speed with the postseason just over a week away. The Colts added two more shorthanded goals for a league-leading total of 27 this season, equalling their franchise mark from 2009-10.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

HAMILTON 2 SUDBURY 1 – Matt Luff scored with 6:24 left in the third period to put the Hamilton Bulldogs over the Sudbury Wolves 2-1, keeping the Dogs in the playoff discussion as they trail eighth place Oshawa by two points with the Generals holding a game in hand. Sudbury’s Zack Bowman earned second star honours with 34 saves in the loss as his stellar outing couldn’t net the Wolves any points on Saturday. Michael Cramarossa also scored for Hamilton while Niki Petti earned third star recognition with an assist. The Bulldogs look to keep the points coming on Sunday afternoon at home to Niagara.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

LONDON 5 SAGINAW 2 – The London Knights skated to their seventh straight win as Matthew Tkachuk scored twice in a 5-2 road decision over the Saginaw Spirit. Christian Dvorak and Max Jones each had a goal and an assist while Mitchell Marner had a helper to join Niagara’s Josh Ho-Sang as the second OHL player to record his 200th career assist this season. Tkachuk extended his current point streak to 16 games while Marner stretched his to 12 as the Knights outshot Saginaw 40-19. Matthew Kreis and Connor Brown both had goals for the Spirit who clinched the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference despite their fifth straight loss.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

KITCHENER 7 FLINT 2 – The Kitchener Rangers connected for seven goals on 30 shots as Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Jeremy Bracco led the way with a goal and three assists in a 7-2 win in Flint. Ryan MacInnis pitched in with a goal and two helpers while overage winger Brandon Robinson had a goal and an assist as the Rangers improved to 42-15-5-2. Flint rookie Samuel Duchesne scored his first career OHL goal in the loss while Matyas Kantner registered his second of the season. The loss eliminates the Firebirds from playoff contention.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

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