All good things must and inevitable do come to an end . . .

by mr.zoltanblack | November 28, 2008 at 12:04 am

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All good things must and inevitable do come to an end . . .

this will hopefully will be the lesson learned by the young men of the Ontario Hockey Leagues Brampton Battalion following last nights loss to the Niagara Ice Dogs.

The loss stranded the Battalions club record for consecutive wins at 16 games, the longest such winning streak by any OHL team this season.

The match-up @ the Jack Gatecliff Arena in the Gatorade Garden City Complex on Thursday night pitted ADT Canada – Russia Challenge stand-outs Cody Hodgson and Andrew Agozzino against each other for the first time since competing as teammates against a befuddled Russian Select side on Monday night in St. Catharines.

Hodgson, tallied three goal and one assist during the two game OHL segment of the ADT Challenge, well Agozzino managed the game winning goal in his lone tournament appearance.

The two, Agozzino and Hodgson were back at it on Thursday night in Niagra as Agozzino’s Niagara Ice Dogs played host to Hodgson’s Brampton Battalion. Both franchises celebratied their tenth season as member of the Ontario Hockey League last year but have enjoyed differing degrees of success.

The Ice Dogs, born of the blood, sweat and tears of Canadian Hockey legend Don Cheery were housed for their first eight seasons at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario just footstep from the home of their most hated OHL rival the Brampton Battalion.

The Ice Dogs record well in Mississauga was below dismal, winning at just a fraction over the thirty-percent mark. 612 games played, 184 wins, 354 losses, 47 ties and 21 overtime losses. That was all before the franchise was packaged up and sold for the second time in as many years to a consortium, this time lead by Bill Burke who would move the team from Mississauga to St. Catharines where they would be re-christened the Niagra Ice Dogs.

Since the switch the Ice Dogs have appeared to turn a corner. The 2007/08 season their first in their new digs witnessed the teams first playoff berth and subsequent first round series win. This year the Ice Dogs (11-9-4) find themselves in second place in the OHL’s central division seven points behind the division leading Brampton Battalion.

The Battalion on the other hand have managed three central division titles, 315 wins, 307 losses, 52 ties and 22 overtime losses for a decade total somewhere around the five-hundred mark.

It’s kind of like the movie Twins (1988) , the Battalion are the gross over-achievers with their fancy sports cars, bulging muscles and advanced education’s well the Ice Dogs are stuck playing the role of Vincent Benedict.

The Ice Dogs exacted a little bit of revenge on Thursday putting an end to the Battalions winning ways with an overtime marker from St. Louis Blues 4th overall selection (2008 NHL Entry Draft) Alex Pietrangelo with just seven second remaining in the overtime frame.

The fact that the Battalion even made it to the overtime frame speaks volumes about the confidence that lead the team to a sixteen game winning streak following a two win, six loss start to the season. Battalion starting goalie Brandon Foote was shaky at best giving up a goal just forty-five second into the first period and allowing two more before the end of the first. Foote allowed an even swifter goal to open the second period, just seventeen second into the frame before being relived of his duties for the remainder of the evening.

Down four goals to one the Battalion battled back and managed to even the score on the back of a one goal, three assist performance from Captain Cody Hodgson before succumbing to the pressure in the dying moments of sudden death overtime.

Ice Dog left-winger and Klienburg, Ontario native Andrew Agozzino was named the games #1 star with two goals and two assists . . . that’s an 8-point night for Agozzino and Hodgson the two ADT Canada - Russia Challenge stand -outs . . . maybe there’s something to this tournament after all?

Hodgeson and Agozzion will square off again on Sunday afternoon (2:00pm) at the Bunker in Brampton, club seats sell for $20 and are always available.

Nowhere near Brampton, Ontario?

You can checkout the game online @ http://livestream.ontariohockeyleague.com/index.php for $6.95 or subscribe to the thirty-day Live OHL pass for just $34.95.

Zoltan Black

Honourable Mentions:

Niagara Goalie Mark Visentin kicked out an impressive twenty-eight of the thirty-three shots he faced.

And

Battalion relief net-minder Patrick Killeen who stopped twenty-three of the twenty-five shot he faced to keep the Battalion in the game.