Predators pick up three points in first three-game weekend

Lots of positives can be pulled from the result of the Niagara Predators’ first three-game weekend of this young Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League season. 

On either side of Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Tottenham Railers the team put together two of their most complete performances of the season, a 7-1 victory over Northumberland Friday and a 3-2 overtime loss to the first place North York Renegades. 

The Preds were firing on all cylinders Friday, with Reese Bisci leading the way with a pair of goals and singles from Gehrig Lindberg, Cameron Savoie, Ethan Culp, Yakov Shevchenko and Shane Kaplan. Niagara went up 5-0 before the Stars scored their only goal on goaltender Zane Clausen with 3:09 remaining in the second period. 

What’s more, their power play was the most effective it’s been all season, with three of their seven goals coming with a man advantage. 

“We had that game from start to finish,” head coach Kevin Taylor said Friday night. “There are still some things that need to be corrected, some bad habits. We’re still reaching for the puck a lot, and I think we’re a little too offensive. No major issues, but we have to be better defensively.”

They had the opportunity to push their winning streak to three games Saturday night in Tottenham but the Predators came out on the losing end of a 4-2 decision against the Railers.

The Railers scored twice in the first period, but the Preds answered back in the second. Luca Fernandez scored twice for Niagara to tie it up, but with Cameron Savoie serving a penalty, Sultan Ismanov put away the go-ahead marker late in the period. He added the insurance goal for the Railers in the third, 

The Preds were outshot 61-37, while goaltender Georgii Kodzaev stopped 57 shots and was named the game’s first star in the losing effort.

“The things they did Saturday were things we don’t practice,” lamented Taylor about his squad. “They decided to do something totally different. Our top guys didn’t come to play, and our guys that don’t see as much ice time didn’t really prove that they wanted to be here.”

 The next day North York brought a league-leading 10-0-1 record and the league's leading scorer Christopher Rende into Virgil’s Meridian Credit Union Arena for a rare afternoon home game. 

The Predators played their best two-way hockey of the season, holding the Renegades scoreless for more than half of the game. 

Niagara struck first in the second period when Culp took a pass from Fernandez and  beat North York goalie Marco Squeo on his blocker side with a quick wrist shot. Three minutes later, though, Jake McKinstray tied it up for the Renegades. 

The Preds went up again in the third period when Gehrig Lindberg stole the puck in the Renegades’ zone and kicked it to Fernandez. The speedy forward tried to complete a pass across the crease to teammate Isaac Locker. North York defender Ernazar Isamatov tried to intercept the pass and inadvertently knocked it past his own goalie to put the Preds up 2-1.

But McInstray scored his second goal of the game with 4:38 left in the third to tie it up.  

To start the overtime period the Renegades had both Rende and McInstray on the ice in the three-on-three situation. Just 26 seconds into the extra frame McInstray completed his hat trick when he took a bouncing puck past Lindberg and Fernandez and beat goaltender Mike Mankowski on his glove side. 

“They played hard,” said Taylor, “they showed tons of heart tonight. There is so much positive that came from this game. This is the best team in the league. Our guys are upset, but I told them to hold their heads up high. We battled them the entire game.”

Again, the Preds were severely outshot for the second straight game, 51-14 according to Sunday’s scoresheet. Georgii Kodzaev stopped the bulk of those shots before being injured not long after the Preds first goal, with Mankowski closing out the game between the pipes. 

But Taylor acknowledged that Niagara’s defenders were more involved in the game than previously, getting in front of shots and sacrificing the body to block them. On another positive note, they held Rende to just a single assist. 

“Their top three guys have speed, and they have a full bench,” he added. “We’re short-benched, so our top guys are tired. But he (Mcinstray) made a nice move (on the winning goal).”

The game was marred by a number of Predators who skated off the ice with injuries. Besides Kodzaev, forwards Shane Kaplan and Josh Frena as well as defenceman Dylan Denning all closed out the game in the locker room. Taylor expects Frena and Denning to be available for next weekend’s games. 

The 4-5-1 Predators visit Northumberland next Saturday night and travel to St. George to take on the Ravens Sunday afternoon. Their next home game is Friday, Nov.10 when they have a chance to avenge the overtime loss to the Renegades.