The Niagara IceDogs wrapped up a wildly inconsistent week with a 6-0 loss to the Oshawa Generals in Ontario Hockey League action Monday afternoon in Oshawa.
The loss, on the heels of a similar 5-1 defeat at home the previous afternoon to the Brantford Bulldogs, was in stark contrast to a pair solid efforts versus the Generals and Erie Otters in their previous two games which resulted in victories.
“You see them have success and then you wonder why they’re not doing it on a nightly basis because it feels great when you win,” IceDogs coach Ben Boudreau said. “To be a really great hockey player you have to be consistent in what you do and that’s one thing we lack is consistency in how we play.”
The IceDogs fell behind 3-0 to Oshawa after one period, just as they had to Brantford Sunday afternoon.
“We didn’t execute from any standpoint with the puck and you see other teams make the plays, they don’t bobble the puck and they play with speed and drive the net,” Boudreau added. “We played soft and were easy to play against and we wanted it to come easy after the first of the week and we absolutely got it handed to us.”
The IceDogs continue to struggle on the power play, going scoreless in 10 opportunities in the last two games. The club is last overall in power play percentage.
“We’re not getting the job done. We have still yet to find somebody that can move the puck and find it through lanes,” Boudreau said. “I really lament that being so unsuccessful that it drives me up the wall when I see it.”
Boudreau said the IceDogs need to display more of an effort to score from the dirty areas on the ice.
“Our players need to find a way to play with some grit and with some heart. If you stay on the outside, that’s exactly what you’re going to get. A soft team got soft results and I really lament that thinking it was going to come easy after two big wins.”
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