In a Sunday afternoon game that featured 16 goals and 97 shots, the IceDogs outlasted Erie 9-7. The biggest win of the year, over the CHL’s top ranked team, keeps the Dogs two points clear of North Bay for the 8th and final playoff spot in the OHL Eastern Conference.
Erie would grad a 2-0 lead before the game was ten minutes old but on the power-play, Kirill Maksimov’s first of three cut the lead in half. Two more Erie goals had the home faithful thinking about the Otters win Friday night in Erie. Twelve seconds after Erie made it 4-1, Oliver Castleman buried his 17th with just 6.5 seconds left in the opening period.
Second periods have been a struggle for Dave Bell’s IceDogs of late but not on this day. Ryan Mantha scored his 15th, 2:43 in and Johnny Corneil, a game time decision due to injury hit for his 28th at 6:19. Kyle Langdon’s 10th, just after the mid-way mark gave the Dogs their first lead before Erie tied it again four minutes later short handed. Maksimov’s goal on that same power-play less than a minute later made it 6-5. 1:23 later, Kirill’s hat-trick goal, his 15th of the year ended the middle period with the IceDogs up 7-5.
Early in the final period, Erie made it a one goal game again but Mantha’s second on the game and 16th of the season made it 8-6. The game then stayed scoreless for ten minutes before the Otters made it 8-7 with 3:28 left. Finally, Kyle Langdon’s second of the game into the empty net with 1:02 left rounded out the wild Sunday scoring summary.
Maksimov and Corneil both netted four points apiece, while Castleman and Mantha chipped in with three point days. Justin Brack led a parade of two point efforts and was a leader at both ends of the ice.
The IceDogs will entertain Owen Sound Thursday night in the second of six straight games at the Meridian Centre. 610 CKTB will be front and centre for the playoff run to the wire with the pre-game at 6:30.