The Niagara IceDogs have won every game this season in which they’ve entered the first intermission with the lead, and that trend continued Thursday night in St. Catharines, as the IceDogs took on the Erie Otters, in the midst of their worst losing streak in four years.

Captain Andrew Agozzino opened scoring with 2:12 left in the first period when he scooped up the rebound of a quick Ryan Strome pass from behind the goaltender Ramis Sadikov and stuffed the puck in the open net. Though the goal was scored late in the period, the IceDogs weren’t done producing offense. As the final horn sounded to end the period, a soft shot from the near side yielded Agozzino’s second goal of the game. However, the green light behind the net signaling the period’s end was lit and after OHL officials watched the replay, ruled the goal was legal.

The second period opened with the IceDogs firing a series of shots onto Sadikov’s net, and an Otters’ defensive breakdown was all Agozzino needed to give Niagara a three-goal lead. His 13^th of the season was the first natural hat trick recorded by a Niagara player and just the second hat trick scored by any IceDog this season (the other hat trick was scored by Strome in his first game on the season on October 13^th).

The IceDogs maintained their strong offensive prowess and 3:24 later, they struck again. With Dougie and Theoret sidling either side of the net, Theoret redirected a pass from Strome, who was sitting in front of Sadikov, for Niagara’s fourth unanswered goal of the game.

But Mark Visentin’s quest for his league-leading fifth shutout of the season was spoiled by Connor Brown’s ninth goal of the game 7:19 into the third period.

The IceDogs were dealt another blow shortly thereafter, when Adam Pelech caught Theoret’s knee with his hip, an action that sent Theoret flying to the ice. After lying in obvious pain, he was able to leave the ice under his own power. The injury seemed to anger Niagara, and they responded just over two minutes later. An awesome defensive play by Jesse Graham, who carried the puck from near Visentin’s net to David Pacan, perched just in front of Erie’s blueline, yielded the IceDogs’ fifth goal of the game.

Graham wasn’t through making strong defensive plays, and 14:34 into the third period, sent a cross-ice pass to Freddie Hamilton, who threaded the puck through multiple defenders and slid the puck in the net for his 14^th of the season.

The Otters answered the goal with one of their own just 14 seconds later. Patrick Murphy threw the puck on net, which bounced off of Visentin directly to Stephen Harper, who slapped in the rebound for Erie’s second of the game. And to cap off scoring for the IceDogs, a power play goal by Theoret, who returned to the game following his injury, gave Niagara their most goals scored in a game this season at seven. The victory gives the IceDogs the top spot in the Central Division, a position they’ll look to maintain when they take on the Barrie Colts on Saturday in St. Catharines.

SCORING SUMMARY

1. NIAG A. Agozzino, (11) (R. Strome, L. Mercer), 17:48    
1. NIAG A. Agozzino, (12) , 19:59
2. NIAG A. Agozzino, (13) (C. Verhaeghe), 5:13      
2. NIAG M. Theoret, (5) (D. Hamilton, R. Strome), 8:37
3. ER C. Brown, (9) , 7:14     
3. NIAG D. Pacan, (14) (J. Graham, M. Visentin), 9:42
3. NIAG F. Hamilton, (14) (J. Graham, D. Hamilton), 14:34
3. ER S. Harper, (9) (P. Murphy, A. Pelech), 14:48
3. NIAG M. Theoret, (6) (F. Hamilton, D. Hamilton), 17:37 (PP)