After six seasons with the Barrie Colts and one-and-a-half with the IceDogs, head coach Marty Williamson was behind the bench for his 500^th game at the helm on Thursday. And Williamson received the best gift he could have hoped for from his team: a high-scoring, soundly-defensive victory.

A scoreless first period that saw just one penalty called (against Brampton) would yield the way for a rousing second period in which by 3:40 minutes into the second period, three goals were scored. Just over a minute into the first, Ryan Strome netted his team-leading 14th goal of the season off of assists from the Hamilton brothers. Freddie is now tied for fifth-most points in the league with Sarnia’s Charles Sarault. Thirty-four seconds later, the overager line of Alex Friesen, Andrew Agozzino and David Pacan struck to double the IceDogs’ lead. But Niagara didn’t hang on to their two-goal lead long; Battalion captain Sam Carrick scored his ninth of the season with 16:20 left in the period.

However, Brampton’s attempted comeback would be short-lived as another pair of quick goals by the IceDogs gave the team a commanding lead by the second intermission. At the 13:25 mark of the second, Mitchell Theoret scored his first goal since October 20^th. Pacan snapped his 12^th goal of the season in 1:13 later.   

Niagara didn’t stop scoring once the third period commenced, though. A shot from the point by Myles Doan gave the third-year IceDog his second of the season and gave Niagara their fifth, and third unanswered, goal of the game.

And to cap off the offensive prowess displayed by the IceDogs, with 4:04 left in the period, Carter Verhaeghe scored the first goal of his OHL career, a power play goal.

But despite the high-scoring affair, there was a physical edge to the match. Four separate roughing penalties were assessed to Brampton’s Brett Mackie and Barclay Goodrow, and Theoret and Strome for Niagara in the second period. In the third, 12 penalties were called on both teams, including three penalties to Carrick. The IceDogs were on the power play for a total of 10:51 in the period.

The IceDogs fly into Windsor tomorrow, looking to capture their fifth victory in six games.

SCORING SUMMARY
2. NIAG R. Strome, (14) (F. Hamilton, D. Hamilton), 1:07   
2. NIAG A. Friesen, (9) (A. Agozzino, D. Pacan), 1:41         
2. BRA S. Carrick, (9) (B. Goodrow, B. Mackie), 3:40         
2. NIAG M. Theoret, (4) (R. Strome, F. Hamilton), 13:12     
2. NIAG D. Pacan, (11) (A. Friesen, A. Agozzino), 14:25     
3. NIAG M. Doan, (2) (F. Hamilton), 3:34     
3. NIAG C. Verhaeghe, (1) (D. Hamilton, J. Graham), 15:56 (PP)

ATTENDANCE - 2819