Last Wednesday night the Ice Dogs faced a crucial test. They went to Belleville to face the Eastern Conference Leading Bulls on their Olympic sized ice. This was a test that Niagara desperately wanted to pass so that they could prove they were ready to play with the leaders in the East. The result, a hugely disappointing 8 - 1 loss.
Since then, the Ice Dogs faced Sudbury in St.Catharines. This was a must win due to Sudbury's poor road record. The result, a narrow but important 5 - 4 win.
Niagara's boys then went head to head with the lowly Kingston Frontenacs on Sunday. Kingston's poor overall record might have suggested an easy win for Niagara but for one important fact. Doug "Killer" Gilmour was now behind the Fronts bench. Their improved play forced the Ice Dogs to face the dreaded shootout for the fifth time this season. Fortunately for the 3011 faithful fans at the Gatorade Garden City Complex, Niagara passed the test and for the first time this year came away from the shootout with a win, thanks in no small part to the goaltending of Mark Visentin and some timely scoring by Alex Pietrangelo.
Niagara now has 5 wins in their past 10 games. But guess who is coming to dinner on Thursday? None other than the hottest team in the league, complete with a 16 game winning streak. The last time these two teams clashed was in Niagara's cozy confines on September 27TH. Matt Piva scored twice and led the Ice Dogs to a 4 -2 win.
But that was then and this (as they say) is now. That loss was the first of five in a row for the Battalion. But they were playing without Cody Hodgson and Evgeny Gravchev. Since Butler's boys have had the benefit of their presence in the lineup, Brampton has been scorching hot as 16 consecutive wins in a row will attest. They currently sit two points back of the Conference leading Bulls, but have the benefit of three games in hand.
Niagara meanwhile, sits eight points behind Brampton, fourth overall in the Conference. Like Belleville, they too have played three more games than Brampton. If Niagara is going to improve its position and close the gap, this is a "MUST" win. They face Hodgson and Gravchev for sure, but they might not have to face Brampton's other main weapon, Matt Duchene. He was injured last weekend and thus his status for this game remains uncertain.
Like Brampton, Niagara has a few things going for them right now. Alex Pietrangelo is back from St.Louis and playing like he has not missed a beat. Witness a goal in the third period versus Kingston, followed by the game winning tally in the shootout.
Matt Sisca has found form and since sitting out one game as a healthy scratch has been scoring regularly enough to be named the OHL Player of the week one week ago.
Mark Visentin was between the pipes during both wins last weekend and looked sharp. The downside might just be that John Cullen went down with an undisclosed injury and might not be available for a while. Who would take his place remains to be seen.
And Drew Schiestel has been out for a while with that dreaded "upper body" injury which seems to be epidemic these days. If he is healthy, then the Ice Dogs might very well have the most experienced blue line corps in the OHL.
What we have here are two teams who appear to be coming into this game on a high note. Sixteen in a row would seem to be enough to suggest the Battalion are for real. Niagara on the other hand has yet to prove they are for real. There would be no better time (it would seem) to prove they are ready to compete on a consistent basis. The question for Mario's team therefore is; "Are you ready for it?"
