Niagara Falls council says no to Ice Dogs

North Bay's chance of seeing OHL hockey in the near future got a shot in the arm Monday night when Niagara Falls city council unanimously declined a proposal for the city to build a multi-million dollar sports facility that would house the Mississauga Ice Dogs.

Capital Sports pitched the idea two weeks ago of moving the IceDogs to Niagara Falls if the city would build a $35-million, 5,000-seat arena to be the team's new home.

The Niagara Falls Review is reporting that city officials read a statement at council stating the proposal was not financial feasible for the city of Niagara Falls.

That news leaves Capital sports with only one other public bid, which is the one that Rochester Americans assistant coach Moe Mantha Jr. made last fall to the organization owned by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.

Reports indicate that Capital sports has received two other bids with North Bay as the only one that has been made public.

The Ice Dogs were put up for sale after St. Michael's Majors owner Eugene Melnyk purchased the Ice Dogs and the Hershey Centre with the intent of moving the Majors to the Mississauga area and then unloading the Ice Dogs to another buyer.