IceDogs Blow by Battalion 9-2

The Niagara IceDogs made a statement Saturday night as they defeated the North Bay Battalion by a score of 9-2, and now only trail them by 2 points for third place in the Eastern Conference.

The Dogs were on the hunt for their fourth straight win Saturday night, and came out flying. Christopher Paquette backhanded home the Dogs’ first goal just over one minute into the contest to get the home team rolling early. Jordan Maletta would then go on to finish off a beautiful three way passing play with DiFruscia and Perlini to put the Dogs up 2-0. North Bay would cut the Dogs’ lead in half before the end of the frame, in which the Dogs outshot the opposition 15-10.

The second period seemed to play out very similar to the first as the Dogs scored first and made it 3-1. Aaron Haydon’s point shot went off the glass behind the net and popped up in the air before falling and hitting Battalion goaltender Jake Kment’s back and trickling in. DiFruscia continued his strong play when he tipped a loose puck past a Battalion defender for a breakaway, before making a power move and putting his shot top shelf to make it 4-1. The Battalion would once again score to cut the Dogs’ lead in half before the end of the period and the shots were all even at 10 in the frame.

The third period is when the Dogs absolutely took over the game. They more than doubled their score through two periods, potting five unanswered goals against the Battalion. Jenys potted two goals in the period and Corneil, Knott and Maletta also joined in on the fun, as the Dogs’ offence chugged along, getting goals from all over.

The Dogs are headed to Hamilton tomorrow to take on the Bulldogs in search of their fifth straight win. They will be back at home next Thursday to host the Kingston Frontenacs in a St.Patty’s Day matchup. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at all IceDogs’ ticketing locations.

SCORING SUMMARY

1^st (1:03) NIA – C. Paquette Assisted by: G. Knott and J. Corneil
1^st (11:02) NIA – J. Maletta Assisted by: A. DiFruscia and B. Perlini
1^st (15:47) NB – S. Harland
2^nd (3:24) NIA – Aaron Haydon Assisted by: G. Knott and J. Corneil
2^nd (12:58) NIA – A. DiFruscia Assisted by: J. Maletta and A. Nedeljkovic
2^nd (17:16) NB – M. Amadio Assisted by: M. Colella
3^rd (3:27) NIA – P. Jenys Assisted by: J. Ho-Sang and S. Harper
3^rd (3:58) NIA – J. Corneil Assisted by: A. Haydon and C. Paquette
3^rd (9:01) NIA – G. Knott Assisted by: A. Haydon and C. Paquette
3^rd (9:13) NIA – J. Maletta Assisted by: A. DiFruscia and R. Mantha
3^rd (11:42) NIA – (PPG) P. Jenys Assisted by: S. Harper and A. Haydon

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT NIAGARA FALLS SHOTS ON GOAL

Niagara – 38
North Bay – 29

BIG MARCO’S THREE STARS

1. Aaron Haydon
2. Graham Knott
3. Johnny Corneil