Niagara Icedogs 2024-25 Season Thread, Part III
- Thread starter SoupNazi
- Start date
Dogs Enthusiast
Registered User
Looks like a decent crowd today.
DD faked a road closure to save on a hotel room and gasoline.
DD faked a road closure to save on a hotel room and gasoline.
I don’t like DD just as much as most people on here but I agree with DE here
While I feel DD too often gets a hard time, on this one I feel is warranted. Forgetting drafts and trades for the moment, an owners responsibility is to put his team in the best position possible to succeed. Clearly the original travel plans did not do this and it was avoidable. With all of the back and forth there is no way this was helpful to the team. This schedule was no surprise and accommodation should have been arranged long in advance. Someone dropped the ball on this (GM/Coach/DD) but they were bailed out by a postponed game. The original plan definitely did not put the team in the best possible position to succeed.
Dogs Enthusiast
Registered User
Really?
They stay in London they can be in bed by midnight, get a full sleep, get a full breakfast and use the gym before they get on the bus to drive north. Checkout is noon so it works perfectly.
Versus..
Drive up north after the London game, get in bed by 2 or 3 am. So some sleep depravation the next day because its out of their normal sleep routine.
Plus, London has 10 times the number of hotel rooms. Maybe 20 times the number of rooms.
Staying in London was the right decision. Added, the game was going to be cancelled no matter where the team stayed because the highway closed.
Kingston did the exact same thing, they stayed in Kingston instead of driving up to Barrie after their Friday night game in Kingston and no one is calling out Springer... I'm not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of DD but this screams people looking for a reason to point the finger.
Sure you can defend him for being cheap, that’s your prerogative, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is cheap.
It’s all part of the reason why some OHL teams are more desirable than others. There are consequences for being a low budget team among agents, players and parents. If DD wants to be like London, that’s not it.
I think you may have missed my point. The plan was never to stay in London but to drive back to St. Catharine’s after the game, drive to OS Saturday and return Saturday night for a Sunday afternoon game. Staying in London would have been a good idea. It’s a moot point since the game was cancelled but getting home late Friday, up early Saturday for another longer bus ride and then home late Saturday night for a 2pm game is not ideal. Not good planning and not good for your players, coaches and support staff.
Dogs Enthusiast
Registered User
Ya, its about getting the players in bed at a decent hour because they have a game the following day. It makes total sense.
Dogs Enthusiast
Registered User
Flores back in net and Brauti returns. I think the Dogs will have a big win today.
I see the Colts have made a big trade. They clearly want to win the Conference and have a chance at beating the western champs.
I see the Colts have made a big trade. They clearly want to win the Conference and have a chance at beating the western champs.
Mcnotloilersfan
I'm here, I'm bored
Barrie's trade today is a prime example of what Niagara can do next season.
They traded their 2024 1st, + a mid player, and mid picks for two top-line players (who combined for nearly 100 goals last year).
Niagara will have to up the picks a bit (because our guy wont be a 5th overall pick), but they could essentially do the same thing next season with their 1st rounder plus picks. That right there is an avenue for 2 high end players.
The import draft is an avenue for 1 or 2 high end players.
The overage class could bring in an upgrade in net and on D (assuming we keep Assadourian).
There's even players like Crete, Galiyanov, Cheynowski, Frasca etc, that I'm good with either way. If they're on the roster - awesome. If they can be used next year in deals to bring more high impact players in, all the better.
My locks would be Roobroeck, He, Wassilyn, Czata, Arrowsmith, Assadourian, Brauti and Virgilio. There's a chance to add a strong goaltender, and 4-5 high impact skaters to that roster (at least 2 need to be Dmen)
They traded their 2024 1st, + a mid player, and mid picks for two top-line players (who combined for nearly 100 goals last year).
Niagara will have to up the picks a bit (because our guy wont be a 5th overall pick), but they could essentially do the same thing next season with their 1st rounder plus picks. That right there is an avenue for 2 high end players.
The import draft is an avenue for 1 or 2 high end players.
The overage class could bring in an upgrade in net and on D (assuming we keep Assadourian).
There's even players like Crete, Galiyanov, Cheynowski, Frasca etc, that I'm good with either way. If they're on the roster - awesome. If they can be used next year in deals to bring more high impact players in, all the better.
My locks would be Roobroeck, He, Wassilyn, Czata, Arrowsmith, Assadourian, Brauti and Virgilio. There's a chance to add a strong goaltender, and 4-5 high impact skaters to that roster (at least 2 need to be Dmen)
Windsor shades the Dogs 4 to 3 in overtime on a poweplay goal by Gentree before 3,546 fans at the MeriDian Centre. Next game Thursday night at home against Saginaw.
Sure for Kingston that makes sense since they played in Kingston Friday night. But the IceDogs played in London Friday night, then travelled back to St. Catharines after the game, then went up to Owen Sound on Saturday. That makes no sense. Either stay in London or go up to Owen Sound after Friday's game.
Even the Owen Sound play by play man was surprised that the IceDogs didn't come up to Owen Sound Friday night after their game in London as that's what most teams would do.
Mark McKelvie
@Mark14McKelvie
Jan 4
Made the drive from Guelph to Owen Sound this afternoon (arrived at 1:30pm). Wasn’t a great drive and not improving.
Thought Niagara would’ve made the trip last night after playing in London…but not the case. Game postponed. #OHL
Do you think the Owen Sound play by play man is "just looking for a reason to point the finger"? Of course not. He just knows what other teams would do and thought Niagara would do the same.
But then again, many fans defend DD no matter what he does. So why shouldn't DD take advantage of the fans and put the money into his bank account rather than spending it on the team.
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The one thing I really like about Ben Boudreau is he is very honest and realistic about the team. Here is what he said on BP Sports: Spitfires rally past IceDogs | BP Sports Niagara
“When you look at the analytics on Sportlogiq, the same system that we use in the NHL, he’s got the most saves in the league, he’s played the most minutes. Our expected goals against, we are ranked 20th — we were expected to give up the most goals — compared to what we actually do, it’s sixth. That just talks about not only Flores, but (Charlie) Robertson involved there.”
Even Boudreau realizes that the team would not be as high in the standings without Floris.
“When you look at the analytics on Sportlogiq, the same system that we use in the NHL, he’s got the most saves in the league, he’s played the most minutes. Our expected goals against, we are ranked 20th — we were expected to give up the most goals — compared to what we actually do, it’s sixth. That just talks about not only Flores, but (Charlie) Robertson involved there.”
Even Boudreau realizes that the team would not be as high in the standings without Floris.
Ben’s honesty is appreciated by the majority of fans who attend games and follow this team closely.
Coach Ben Podcast post game interview:
“We’re a highly offensive team that struggles defensively after 40 games,” he said. “I think you can kind of see that.”
“Our defence has to stop giving away the puck. Virgilio, Scott and Wyscik. When our defence plays the puck you have to manage it….The mismanaging of the puck is not a pretty thing right now.”
Did the coach really call out three D by name for mismanaging the puck, and say nothing of the cute button hooks followed by short 3-6 foot back/lateral passes at the opposition blue line that lead to multiple 2 on 1 or break aways per game?
It can be seen that the IceDogs are a bit young and small to expect being able to drive the net with possession and several of the forwards to pick the puck off the boards cleanly in own zone vs much bigger opposition. But if you coach recklessly to create offence, expect some really good chances the other way.
If it was not true (as I have mentioned many times before) or something Ben said, on the record, during his regular home post-game interview, I wouldn’t have posted it. He also included Loshko for doing the same.
IceDog fans, that actually attend games, can respect the complaint in that comment because it has been a recurring problem for our entire D (not just those three) for a large part of the season. Saved most night by Flores, thus his comment on Flores.
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Windsors first goal was very frustrating as the IceDogs had an easy chance to get it out of the zone before playing with it and turning it over. I can’t remember who turned it over was either Virgilio or Arrowsmith but that one was a momentum killer.
forwards inability to move the puck off the boards and the button hook give away for odd man breaks are recurring issues too.
One of those can be coached. The issue of the defencemen and forwards fumbling the puck in own zone hopefully lessens with age and experience.
beastintheeast
Registered User
- Mar 27, 2013
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The team is comparatively small and inexperienced as a whole. This is the first season in a few that being completely over matched has not resulted in significant injuries to younger developing players.
I don’t know what the alternatives might be, but I would not be looking for ways to bail on the skill of Wycisk after his first healthy season. Maybe an upgrade at the next deadline is more appropriate.
Other teams would not do this plain and simple and believe it or not it it's the type of thing that makes players not want to play here.
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