Jan 19, 2020 | Scott Price | 423 views
IceDog Advance with a Gritty Win!
They say the hardest game to win is when you are trying to eliminate a team. The Atom Rep IceDogs had the Central Perth Preds on the ropes but needed a strong effort to seal the deal.
In predictable fashion, the Preds came out very strong and outraced and out hustled the IceDogs to loose pucks to create scoring chances. Peyton had to be sharp but the Preds finally got one to go up 1-0 early. Rookie call-up Waylon G. won a puck battle behind his own net and with Ethan S. providing support, the IceDogs would gain possession. Ethan would gallop the length of the ice and slip a backhand deke behind the Predator tender to get the IceDogs even at ones at then end of one.
The IceDogs would get going in the 2nd period and Owen M. made a sweet dish across the crease to a hard skating Carter G. to put the 'Dogs up one. Play continued to be fairly scrambly the rest of the way as the horn sounded to end the 2nd frame.
The third period was more of the same and an unlucky bounce ended up right on a Predator stick. A top shelf rocket eluded Peyton and the game was tied again at twos. With Coach P. making some line adjustments to get things going, the 'Dogs just couldn't get wound up as the Preds did an excellent job checking and the IceDogs were playing a little too relaxed. With time winding down in the period and the game, Owen M. and Brayden would break in on a 2 on 1. The Predator D-man took away the pass and Owen M. made him pay with another lovely snipe (a carbon copy of his goal yesterday!) Timeouts and a glovely save by Peyton salted this one away and the IceDogs advance in their OMHA playoff with a 3-2 win.
It wasn't their best game--not by a long shot but good teams find a way to win when they aren't going and that's what happened today. The IceDogs know they need to be better if they want to get past their next OMHA opponent-the Huron-Bruce Blizzard.