Andrew Agozzino, Alex Friesen, and Freddie Hamilton led the IceDogs with two points each in a 4-3 victory over the struggling Belleville Bulls Saturday night.

IceDogs captain Andrew Agozzino sent an early message to the Bulls by snapping one home to pick up his 30th goal of the season, giving the Dogs a 1-0 lead.

Belleville defender Shawn Lalonde answered Agozzino’s call by snapping a beautiful shot over Visentin’s left shoulder to tie the game 1-1 just moments later.

The two teams continued to trade goals early in the first, as Alex Friesen capitalized on the power play at the 10:22 mark of the period.

Kyle DeCoste replied for Belleville just one minute later at the 11:22 mark to give the game a 2-2 score.

One of Niagara’s hottest players as of late, Freddie Hamilton, scored his 22nd goal of the season after taking a beautiful pass from Matt Baldassarra to give the IceDogs a 3-2 lead. Hamilton had a slower start to the season, but has really stepped it up and become quite the offensive juggernaut for the IceDogs during the latter half of the season.

The IceDogs kept the pressure on as Johnson Andrews threw his weight around after the goal, which lead to a spirited scrap between himself and Belleville’s Luke Judson. Andrews has played some of his best hockey of the season in the past few games, and will need to continue his efforts to help out the Dogs’ physical game as they continue to chase a playoff spot.

The fight just kept the ball rolling for Niagara, as they were awarded another power play opportunity at the 19:17 mark that allowed Agozzino to notch his second goal of the game, providing the Dogs with a comfortable 4-2 lead going into the first intermission.

After an action-packed first period, the two teams played a tamer, more defensive second. The period was scoreless, and the IceDogs held on to their 4-2 lead after two periods of play.

The Bulls struck first in the third as Richard Panik netted his 15th of the year at the 1:21 mark to give the game a close 4-3 score.

The rest of the period was scoreless; both goaltenders played well, most notably Mark Visentin, who made several key saves in the closing seconds of the third, allowing the IceDogs to pick up 2 points in the 4-3 victory.

The IceDogs will return home to host their 3rd Annual Family Day Season Ticket Holder Skate and Skills Competition on Monday, February 15th, at the Gatorade Garden City Complex, with festivities kicking-off at 11:00 a.m.

The Dogs will return to action Thursday as they play host to the Brampton Battalion at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this game are still available and can be purchased at one of the several IceDogs ticketing locations.


- Jeff Blay, Media Relations


Scoreboard:
1. NIAG Agozzino, (30) , 0:26     
1. BELV Lalonde, (12) (Silas, Aleardi), 1:30     
1. NIAG Friesen, (19) (Strome, Hamilton), 10:22 (PP)    
1. BELV DeCoste, (18) (Basso, Panik), 11:22     
1. NIAG Hamilton, (22) (Baldassarra, Theoret), 13:06     
1. NIAG Agozzino, (31) (Friesen, Traccitto), 19:48 (PP)    
3. BELV Panik, (15) , 1:21

Three Stars:
1. NIAG - Andrew Agozzino
2. BELV - Richard Panik
3. NIAG - Alex Friesen

Honourable Mention: Freddie Hamilton - 1G, 1A, +1; Mark Visentin - 33 Saves.