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Time For The IceDogs To Show If They Are For Real

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?"

WHY THE ICE DOGS SHOULD NOT TRADE ALEX PIETRANGELO

 
A hero's welcome is certain to greet Alex Pietrangelo as he makes his home return this Saturday against the Sudbury Wolves.  The big defenseman, repatriated from St. Louis recently,  already has 1 goal and 3 assists in his two starts.  The question remains as to how long his Ice Dog tenure will be considering that trade talk has heated up with both Petro and some up and comer named John Tavares being enticing bargaining chips.   It stands to reason from this vantage point that holding onto Pietrangelo would be in his and the teams best interest.  Here's why:
 
1. GM's and other management pay close attention to the attendance gate for every home game.  People are predicting an Ice Dog sell out for his home return and improved attendance going forward.  If that trend rings true, then the Ice Dogs could ill afford to trade their star.   
 
2. Related to point number one is that the Ice Dogs did a great job of making their players ambassadors for the community.  Led by guys like Swift, Legein a and Caputi, the Ice Dogs became real heroes.  It makes sense to have Petro as your community centrepiece.  He's a high NHL pick, and more importantly is a genuinely nice guy. 
 
3. Trade partners are limited.  Right now the top four teams are London, Windsor, Brampton and Belleville.  London and Windsor appear to be major players and are gunning for star power.  Brampton is on a heck of a run right now, but likely waits to make a move.  Belleville would be a nice fit.  Imagine Petro partnered with P.K. Subban.  Do they have the pieces to trade?  Dave Brown likely demands a package of draft picks and one or two roster players in any deal.
 
4. In a middling Eastern Conference, the Ice Dogs are not that far off, having lost only two of twelve in regulation.  After Brampton and Belleville, teams are bunched up.  The 3rd seed brass ring is clearly up for grabs.  
 
5. The Ice Dogs need Petro.  Right now the Ice Dogs D is struggling.  Fletcher, Schiestel and Josh Day have all struggled on the back end.  You cannot blame the Ice Dogs' goals against average solely on young goaltending.  There have been defensive breakdowns a plenty!  Petro will play 30 minutes a game for the Dogs, will play in all situations and be better for it at next years St. Louis camp.
 
I believe the Ice Dogs will make a deal or two and a deal for Alex Pietrangelo may be too good to pass up.  It is just not a guarantee that Petro will be in different colours come the New Year.

Steve Clark
TV Cogeco

TV Cogeco Programming Note

 TV Cogeco will be having its annual Rotary TV Auctions over the next few weeks. Please note the following conflicts. 

 Saturday November 22nd vs Sudbury will not be seen in Niagara Falls

 Sunday November 29th @ Barrie will not be seen in St. Catharines

 Friday December 5th vs Sarnia will not been seen in Welland/Pt. Colborne/Fonthill/Ft. Erie

 Saturday December 6th vs Windsor will not been seen in Welland/Pt. Colborne/Fonthill/Ft. Erie

Time to Give Credit Where Credit is Due

We are now approximately one third of the way through this OHL Season.  So as I was driving alone in my car one day I heard Bob McCown on the Fan 590 elaborating once again an idea that he feels is long overdue in the NHL.  And the more I thought about it, the more I thought, why not try it out in the OHL.

 

Simply put, it is an idea that hockey purists (hello Ed Burkholder?) out there are bound to hate.  But it is one I think, that is worthy of serious consideration.  It should give credit ultimately to true success in League Play.

 

For a number of years now, in an attempt to keep teams from playing ultimately for a tie in the dying minutes of a close game, we have seen the advent of sudden death, four on four overtime for five minutes.  The idea of course is that both teams will go all out in an attempt to gain one extra point in the standings by winning in OT.  Fewer players on the ice should provide extra skating room and more offence.  At least that is the theory.

 

Furthermore, if a win is not produced in OT, then we send it to the dreaded Shootout, which goes on until a winner is finally decided.  Losers in OT or Shootout shouldn't go home empty handed, so the loss is rewarded with one point in the standings.

 

In my mind, I agree with Bob McCown.  Why should a loss be worth only one fewer point than a win, just because the game could not be decided in Regulation Time?  Let's really encourage teams to go all out to win in 60 minutes.  And the way to accomplish this you ask, is to change the way we reward wins and losses.

 

Let's award 4 points for a win in Regulation Time, 3 points for a win in OT and 2 points for a win in the Shootout.  If you still must provide a reward for surviving sixty minutes, then you can still award one point for a loss in OT or by Shootout.

 

I would suggest that you will see fewer teams simply "hanging on" for OT or a shootout, because I think you will see more offensive creativity from coaches in the dying minutes or during extra time.  The reason of course would be the extra incentive of more than just a one point difference.  This would be especially true I would suggest in tight playoff races late in the season.  And in the end, this would be more fun for the fans.

 

Listed below are the current standings (at the time of writing) compared to the 4-3-2-1 format.  I would love to hear you the fans on this, so I encourage your comments.

 

And yes Ed Burkholder, Bob and I just might be crazy!

	Current Standings As Of
	November 12, 2008
	Eastern Conference
Rank	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	Pts
1	Brampton Battalion	20	14	6	0	0	28
2	Belleville Bulls	21	13	6	1	1	28
3	Ottawa 67's	21	11	9	0	1	23
4	Sudbury Wolves	18	9	7	1	1	20
5	Oshawa Generals	20	9	10	0	1	19
6	Peterborough Petes	21	9	11	0	1	19
7	Niagara Ice Dogs	21	6	8	3	4	19
8	Barrie Colts	19	8	10	1	0	17
9	Mississauga St.Mike's Majors	18	7	10	0	1	15
10	Kingston Frontenacs	21	5	12	4	0	14
	Western Conference
Rank	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	Pts
1	Windsor Spitfires	21	19	2	0	0	38
2	London Knights	20	14	5	0	1	29
3	Guelph Storm	21	12	7	1	1	26
4	Saginaw Spirit	18	12	6	0	0	24
5	Sault Ste.Marie Greyhounds	19	10	8	1	0	21
6	Erie Otters	20	10	9	1	0	21
7	Sarnia Sting	19	9	8	1	1	20
8	Owen Sound Attack	19	7	8	3	1	18
9	Kitchener Rangers	18	7	9	1	1	16
10	Plymouth Whalers	19	6	11	2	0	14
	Revised 4-3-2-1 Standings
	As of November 12,2008
	Eastern Conference
Rank	Team	GP	W	OTW	SOW	L	OTL	SOL	Pts
1	Belleville Bulls	21	12	0	1	6	1	1	52
2	Brampton Battalion	20	11	1	2	6	0	0	49
3	Ottawa 67's	21	11	0	0	9	0	1	45
4	Sudbury Wolves	18	8	0	1	7	1	1	36
5	Peterborough Petes	21	7	2	0	11	0	1	35
6	Oshawa Generals	20	7	1	1	10	0	1	34
7	Barrie Colts	19	7	1	0	10	1	0	34
8	Niagara Ice Dogs	21	6	0	0	8	3	4	31
9	Mississauga St.Mike's Majors	18	6	0	1	10	0	1	27
10	Kingston Frontenacs	21	4	1	0	12	4	0	23
	Western Conference
Rank	Team	GP	W	OTW	SOW	L	OTL	SOL	Pts
1	Windsor Spitfires	21	17	1	1	2	0	0	73
2	London Knights	20	11	3	0	5	0	1	54
3	Saginaw Spirit	18	10	1	1	6	0	0	45
4	Guelph Storm	21	8	2	2	7	1	1	42
5	Erie Otters	20	10	0	0	9	1	0	41
6	Sarnia Sting	19	8	1	0	8	1	1	37
7	Sault Ste.Marie Greyhounds	19	5	4	1	8	1	0	35
8	Owen Sound Attack	19	5	1	1	8	3	1	29
9	Kitchener Rangers	18	5	1	1	9	1	1	27
10	Plymouth Whalers	19	4	0	2	11	2	0	22