Following a strong start to the New Year, this Niagara IceDogs squad is hoping to carry the January momentum into February.  As they push to hang onto their lead in the Central Division, they are also hope to gain on the Ottawa 67’s who they trail by four points for the Easter Conference lead.  The IceDogs made the move up the standings with an outstanding January, the IceDogs held a record of 9-2, including 5-1 at home. 

January highlights included the acquisition of defenceman Jamie Oleksiak, goaltender Mark Visentin’s league-leading three straight shutouts, giving him a league high seven on the season, and Andrew Agozzino passing Patrick O’Sullivan for first in career goals in IceDogs franchise history.

The coming weekend will be a big one for the IceDogs who have two games, both of which are going to be tough matchups.  This weekend will see a key back-to-back that will give the IceDogs a chance to prove to the rest of the league just how good they are.

The first matchup, on Friday night, sees the IceDogs hitting the road to take on the league leading Knights in London.  Then Saturday, Niagara will return home to take on their division rivals, the Brampton Battalion, with whom the Dogs are currently tied for first in their division and second in their conference.

Friday, February 3^rd, 2012 @ London Knights – 7:30 pm
The first place London Knights, who went 11-2 in the month of January and are 18-6 at home so far this season, have been a dominating force in the OHL and look to be a big test for a Niagara squad that put together a strong January that saw them go 9-2.  The IceDogs and Knights met once before at the beginning of the season the ‘Dogs were defeated 7-3 at home.  However the IceDogs will be icing a much different lineup for this one than the earlier matchup, where the IceDogs were missing several key players.

The London Knights have a strong forward corps including Seth Griffith with 67 points, Vladislav Namestnikov with 55 points, and Greg Mckegg with 56 points to name a few. London’s high scoring is supported by their solid defense, which features players like Olli Maatta, Tyler Ferry, and Tommy Hughes, who all have a +/- more than +20.

The IceDogs defense will need to stay focused, and they will need strong goaltending to compete with a solid Knights squad.   A strong all around team effort will be necessary if they are to come away from London with a win.

Saturday February 4^th, 2012 vs. Brampton Battalion – 7pm
Saturday will see the IceDogs host the Brampton Battalion, who they are currently tied for first place in their division with. The game will be an important one as it will provide the opportunity for the IceDogs to themselves from Brampton in the push for first in the Central Division.

The IceDogs and Battalion are definitely not strangers as the two squads have met 5 times already this season. The IceDogs are 3-2 against the Battalion this season and are hoping for a repeat performance of their last matchup that saw the IceDogs shutout the Battalion in a 3-0 win in Brampton. So far the Dogs are 2-0 at home against the Battalion this season.

Some of the key players for the Battalion are Sam Carrick (25 goals, 21 assists), Barclay Goodrow (21 goals, 16 assists), and Philip Lane (13 goals, 21 assists) who lead the Battalion scoring. The IceDogs also need to be aware of goalie Matej Machovsky (GAA 2.21, SV% 0.910) who has been among the top goalies in the league.

While every weekend is crucial for the IceDogs as they try to hold on to the Central Division lead and gain on the 67’s for the Eastern Conference lead, this weekend is bigger than most.  Friday’s game will provide the IceDogs a chance to show what they are made of against the league’s best, while Saturday’s game could play a key role in deciding who will win the Central Division down the road.  If the IceDogs are able to pull of these two big wins, they can make a statement to the rest of the league that they are a force in this league.