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Ryan Kujawinski and the North Bay Battalion, seen here in action against Niagara earlier this month, fell to the IceDogs on Saturday night, losing 5-2 in their third game in three nights.
Taking on a surging hockey team in their own barn is a challenge on any given night.
But doing it for the third time in three nights is taking it to a new level.
The North Bay Battalion dropped the final match of their three-game Southern road trip 5-2 to Niagara on Saturday night, the IceDogs’ eighth straight home win in their playoff push.
Graham Knott was the top dog for the home team, scoring two goals and notching the game-winner in the first period.
Goaltender Brent Moran only needed to make 21 saves to secure the win, while his opponent, Jake Smith, allowed five goals on 25 Niagara shots at the other end of the ice.
“You don’t want to go down by a couple goals here, especially after three [games] in three nights and a lot of games this month, but you’ve got to stay tight mentally and try to stay in those games,” Battalion forward Ryan Kujawinski said after the game.
In light of the loss though, the Troops return home with four points from the weekend, good enough to stay one point behind third place in the Eastern Conference standings and reemerge from their worst losing streak of the season.
“I liked the way we played the first two games of the weekend, we kind of regained our identity back,” Kujawinski said of the games in Barrie and Kitchener. “We beat two good teams, but we have to come ready to play every night.”
The Battalion dug themselves in a hole early on Saturday, falling victim to a first-period power play that Anthony DiFruscia capitalized on with a redirected point shot.
Defenceman Ryan Mantha then followed that up with a rocket of a shot that eluded Smith, his sixth goal in the month of February.
The North Bay Boys did pull within one after IceDog defenceman Vince Dunn slid into Moran trying to defend a three-on-one rush, knocking the puck into his own net. Miles Liberati was credited with the goal, his 11th of the season.
But Knott scored the eventual game-winner just over a minute later, picking up the garbage from a chaotic passing play with his linemates.
Kujawinski managed to strike early in the second period, but his 26th of the campaign proved all for naught after Knott scored his second of the game later in the frame.
Jordan Maletta added the third-period insurance marker for the IceDogs after the Battalion failed to generate any offence to fight their way back.
“Maybe we just didn’t have as much energy,” said Kujawinski. “I know for myself, I wasn’t feeling that well; we had a tough month with 14 games in 28 days, but we have to find a way to win those games.
“We have to come ready to play every night,” he added. “That’s something we need to keep working on and just keep on improving every day.”
The Battalion power play failed to capitalize on any of their four opportunities, while the IceDogs scored on one of their three chances.
The loss keeps the Battalion one point back of third place in the Eastern Conference after the Ottawa 67’s dropped their Saturday night match to the Plymouth Whalers.
The taxing schedule brings the Battalion back home for a Thursday night tilt against the Belleville Bulls, who are coming off a surprising win over the top-ranked Oshawa Generals.
While the recent road trip will have a big impact on the regular season standings, the real playoff preparation starts now for the guys in green.
With just nine games left on their schedule, the Troops are to be put to the test in games against top teams like the Erie Otters, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Ottawa 67’s.
