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ICDOGS FIGHT ERIE TO TIE
November 25, 2002
Story by: Armando
D'Andrea
MISSISSAUGA, ONT. - Sometimes successful
games plans are built around the concept
of intimidation. It is a highly effective
concept to develop a game plan on, unless
players on the other team just don't get
it.
Despite playing without top guns Patrick
O'Sullivan and team captain Daniel Sisca
the Mississauga Icedogs, lead by goaltender
Miguel Beaudry, bravely fought to a 2 -2
tie with last year's OHL champion Erie Otters
on Sunday before a quiet crowd of 2,640
fans at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.
The game, although sluggish in the early
stages, was marked by hard hitting and a
sprinkling of offsetting roughing minors
and misconduct penalties in the final two
periods of play.
Icedogs GM and head coach Steve Ludzik
was stoic after the game.
"It was tough to play without our
top scorer and our captain serving a suspension,
but we fought through it", the former
Chicago Blackhawk player and Tampa Bay Lightning
head coach said. "We gave up a lot
of shots, but this is all part of the learning
curve for our team."
This was the final game of a two game suspension
being served by team captain Sisca, who
leads the Icedogs in goals scored with 16.
The reason for the highly touted O'Sullivan's
absence was somewhat more curious, with
initial rumours ranging from an undisclosed
injury to his merely being a healthy scratch.
At the game's end it was revealed that Icedogs'
leading points scorer was suspended on Saturday
but Ludzik refused to disclose for how long
O'Sullivan would be suspended or for what
reason. Prior to the puck drop news of his
absence brought groans from several professional
scouts from San Jose, Pittsburgh and Buffalo
who attended to see him. An Edmonton scout
left for the Sudbury-Brampton game just
up the street immediately after hearing
O'Sullivan was a scratch. However with this
game featuring both the Icedogs' Russian
defenceman Pavel Voroshnin and Erie's centre
Rob Hisey, 2 players listed at #23 and #21
respectively in the NHL Central Scouting's
top 25 Preliminary Ranking List, many other
scouts were persuaded to clock in a few
hours at the Hershey Centre anyways.
The game's slow start evapourated after
Otters' winger Brandon Dafoe split the Icedogs
defence on a two on two rush midway through
the first period but was ultimately sandwiched
with Icedogs defender Ryan Stokes riding
him hard into his own team's goalpost.
Setting off the game's physical element
seemed to spark each team offensively also,
with aggressive forechecking by both squads
in each other's end. The game's first goal
came off a turnover in the Icedogs' zone
early in the second period with Czech defenceman
Tomas Linhart throwing a blind pass up the
middle that was intercepted in the high
slot by the Otters' winger Brad Bonello,
who potted it past Beaudry to put Erie up
1-0. The little goalie remained cool under
the ensuing pressure put on him by the Otters,
turning away Bonello soon after from the
same spot when he stole a loose puck again
in the Icedogs zone.
After Otters goalie T.J. Aceti took a penalty
for a vicious slash in the crease on Icedogs
winger Dan Bucella Beaudry was called on
to make a big stop on Bonello on a short
handed 2-on-1 rush and again immediately
after that with Erie winger David Herring
in close. The importance of those saves
could not be overstated, as off the next
faceoff in the Erie zone Ian Maracle took
the puck at the blueline and blasted a shot
that centre Dan Rudisuela tipped in traffic
past Aceti for a power play marker to knot
the score at 1.
Erie responded furiously but Beaudry again
came up big to turn aside Leaf pick Carlo
Colaiacovo, who had charged in from his
spot on the Icedogs' blueline to try and
scoop in a puck sliding through Beaudry's
crease. However the Icedogs continued to
push forward with Tyler Eady bulling his
way to the Otters' net, carrying a couple
of Erie defenders with him. He fired off
a shot that rebounded to trailing defenceman
Scott Hotham who punched it past Aceti for
a 2-1 lead late in the second period.
The Icedogs may have actually beaten themselves
in the third period when centre Greg Jacina,
who had played an energetic game to that
point, took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty
for firing the puck deliberately after the
play was clearly whistled offside. Erie
finally managed to solve Beaudry on the
ensuing power play with defenceman Chris
Campoli burying a blast from the point at
the midway point of the frame to tie the
game again. A spirited overtime, highlighted
again by Beaudry robbing Campoli on another
blast, solved nothing.
Beaudry, the game's first star after stopping
44 of the whopping 46 total shots he faced,
appeared at times a target of the Erie attack
not only offensively but physically. The
goalie was run into several times in the
game, particularly during the overtime frame,
and at one point was plowed directly and
forcefully into the back of his own net
by charging Otter winger Brandon Dafoe,
who on the play drew a penalty and the attention
of several Icedogs who rushed to their goalie's
rescue.
Beaudry was unfazed over both the number
of shots his team allowed and the questionable
tactics used by some of the Otters.
"I wasn't too concerned about the
shot total, since most of them were from
the outside, up around the blue line,"
the 20 year old goaltender from Verner,
Ontario said. "The guys did a good
job keeping the puck away."
The 2nd year Icedog said the tempo of the
game and the abuse he absorbed were expected.
"We knew what we were in for with
these guys," he said. "They did
this the last time they played us too, they're
always doing this. We just have to prepare
for it, and we were ready for it. We told
the refs before the game that this would
be going on."
First year Icedogs defender Pavel Voroshnin
appeared prepared to even the score for
his goaltender on several occasions, establishing
himself as a physical presence throughout
the game and delivering two bone jarring
hits on the Otters' Bonello and his Ranking
List counterpart Hisey. The hit on Bonello
was of the Stevens-esque variety, with the
defenceman challenging the Otters winger
at his own blue line and bluntly knocking
him on his back.
The 18 year old rookie, who played with
Traktor Chelibinisk in Russia last year
and who has been in Canada all of 3 months,
felt that he was beginning now to settle
in with the Canadian style of play.
"In Russia the ice is much larger,"
he said. "Here it's smaller, the game
is more physical, which I like more."
While he acknowledged the loss of impact
players like O'Sullivan and Sisca, he downplayed
its significance.
"When the team plays short, everyone
tried to step up and played better. We did
well today."
The game was the second time this season
the teams have locked horns, with the Icedogs
unable to fully avenge a 2-1loss suffered
in Erie on November 1st. With Sunday's tie
the Icedogs improved their record to 7-13-5-0
and remain in fourth place in the OHL's
Central Division. The Otters record now
stands at 9-11-1-2, and last year's league
champions sit in last place in the West
Division. The Icedogs next game is next
Friday, versus Oshawa, while Erie plays
on Thursday against Belleville.
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