The Niagara IceDogs look to piece together a winning streak this week as they gear up for a docket of games starting Thursday, welcoming the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at 7:30.

The Dogs are coming off a decisive 7-3 pounding of the Sudbury Wolves last Saturday, as they were sparked by seven different goal scorers with standout performances from Andrew Shaw and Mark Visentin. 

Matt Petgrave and Mitchell Theoret were able to light the lamp for the first time in their OHL career’s, showing that the IceDogs young talent is coming into fruition and contributing in all facets of the Niagara attack.

The IceDogs also continue to get solid goaltending performances night in and night out from Visentin and Petteri Simila.  Both backstoppers have given the club an opportunity to win every contest and in come cases single-handedly stolen games.  Having two upper tier goaltenders should prove to be influential if the IceDogs hope on making a deep push as the season progresses. 

Alex Friesen continues to build on his career year by posting 18 points in 12 games and anchoring the IceDogs attack in both ends of the ice with a +11 rating.  Freddie Hamilton has also found his stride lately, registering 3 points in as many games as Niagara has shuffled the lines to spread the offensive wealth of Friesen, Chris DeSousa and Andrew Agozzino. 

In Sault Ste. Marie the IceDogs get a team that got out to a hot start this season, but has dropped five of their last six contests, and most recently lost a nail-biter in a shootout to Oshawa.  Defenseman Jacob Muzzin has had an honourable start to the season, putting up 10 points and holding his reputation as a distinguished rearguard.  Vern Cooper’s 8 goals lead the team, and James Livingston is always a viable scoring threat.

On Friday Niagara will head across the border to take on an Erie Otters club that has been on the wrong end of six of their last seven games, as they were finally able to come up with their first win in October by topping Owen Sound in a shootout last Saturday.  The Otters are never a team to take lightly, as they boast the talents of Anthony Luciani and Andrew Yogan.  Luciani’s 17 points lead the team as he continues to build on his breakthrough season. 

The Dogs will get a rare Saturday off before travelling to Brampton for a matinee game Sunday at 2:00 p.m.  Niagara will look for revenge from dropping both games in a home-and-home series with the Battalion earlier this month, where they played a solid road game in the second half of the series but fell in a shootout.  Peter Killeen has started all ten games in goal for the Battalion and performed admirably, posting a 2.46 GAA. 

With some points up for grabs in this weeks slate of games, coming up with a few wins will help the IceDogs gain momentum and climb the standings in the Eastern Conference.  Niagara is yet to piece together an extending winning streak in this young season, and posting some good efforts this weekend will go a long way in terms of establishing themselves as a formidable OHL contender. 

-Brett Vancise