Jan 26, 2020 | Scott Price | 592 views
IceDogs Start WOAA Playoffs with a Win!
The Atom Rep IceDogs kicked off their WOAA playoff round robin with a visit from a very familiar foe--the Central Perth Predators. Having come off a hard fought OMHA series with the Preds, the IceDogs knew they would need to be on top of their game to win this one.
The IceDogs reversed a disturbing trend the last couple of games---they came out of the gate flying. Peppering the Preds goalie with quality chances went unrewarded until the first period was almost over. Jesse P. won a face-off deep in Predator territory. Alek F. pounced on the won draw and fired a backhand which ricocheted off a Preds d-man. With Carter M. and Brayden P driving the net for the rebound, the puck would elude the Predator goalie and give the 'Dogs a much deserved 1-0 lead.
The IceDogs continued their torrid pace into the 2nd period and it was Jesse's line rewarding the fans with a great shift. Jesse would chip the puck out to Brayden P. who gathered speed through the neutral zone. Attacking the Preds with speed was on the Coach's to-do list and Brayden hit the line, dropped the shoulder and busted to the net before popping the puck into the top corner for a 2-0 lead. The Predators are a well coached and hard working team and they began to push back with a couple of shifts and at the end of two periods they were starting to tilt the ice in their favour.
The third period had the IceDogs killing off a couple of penalties and Owen M. and Carter G. did the dirty work, killing the penalties off to perfection and getting a couple of scoring chances of their own! Owen would ring the cross bar with a bullet drive and the Preds would ring iron seconds later but the score remained 2-1 IceDogs. With time winding down the IceDogs held the lead with a puck possession game. Owen M., Ethan and Carter G. would have a tremendous shift, keeping the Predators deep in their own zone. Next up, Jesse's line hit the ice and Karden C. made two great plays--he separated his man from the puck with a heads up play and got it to Brayden P. who put it in the yawning cage to seal the deal. The IceDogs would earn a hard-fought win, 3-1.
Shout out to Hudson J, Simon J, and Ian M, who didn't hit the scoresheet but did little things right to help earn their team a win. The Coaching staff was proud to see the team utilize the "little things" they have been working on in practice--the little things that make a big difference!
Next up, the IceDogs continue their OMHA series with Huron Bruce (Thursday) and another big WOAA match-up on Saturday vs one of their biggest rivals, Shallow Lake.