The Niagara IceDogs hope the success they had in the last weekend of the regular season carries into the playoffs.
The IceDogs defeated the Barrie Colts 3-2 in overtime Saturday night on the road, then closed their schedule with a 6-5 overtime victory against the Erie Otters Sunday.
Vancouver Canucks draft pick Riley Patterson scored twice Sunday to give him 40 goals on the season, while Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick and team captain Ethan Czata scored the overtime winner.
“They bring a heavy game, they have some big guys on their backend,” said Czata when he joined the Niagara Sports Report podcast, and was asked about facing the Barrie Colts for the second straight season in the first round of the playoffs.
“They have depth at forward. They have their skilled guys, three first rounders (NHL first round draft picks)
We beat them once last year in the playoffs, and I think we can do that this year, but more than once.”
General Manager Frank Evola offered this when asked about the Colts.
“We’ve played them five times, and four of the five games have been one goal games,” Evola said. “Looking back and doing a deep dive I think we outplayed them in three of the five games.
They have a great tandem goaltending.
Obviously we’re underdogs, but I love that and we’ll take that underdog mentality – we have a lot of speed and I think if we get under their skin and capitalize on special teams, it’s a new season and a new ball game once the (playoffs) come around. I think our players are looking forward to the challenge.
The IceDogs honoured their three overage players on Sunday, St. Catharines native Grayson Tiller, former Ridley Tiger Charlie Robertson and defenseman Jakub Chromiak.
Here is a look at Niagara’s first round playoff schedule against Barrie:
Game 1: Thursday, March 26, 2026 – 7:00 p.m. at Barrie
Game 2: Saturday, March 28, 2026 – 7:30 p.m. at Barrie
Game 3: Date/Time TBD – at Niagara
Game 4: Date/Time TBD – at Niagara
Game 5 (If Needed): Saturday, April 4, 2026 – 7:30 p.m. at Barrie
Game 6 (If Needed): Date/Time TBD – at Niagara
Game 7 (If Needed): Date/Time TBD – at Barrie
Playoff tickets are on sale now at niagaraicedogs.net or the Meridian Centre box office.
And while the Niagara IceDogs are set to open their playoff run Thursday, four other Niagara based junior clubs are in the thick of postseason wise.
In the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOHL) the St. Catharines Falcons and Fort Erie Meteors open their best of seven semi-final series Friday night in the Garden City. The Falcons deflated the Ayr Centennials in five games, while the Meteors bested the Brantford Titans in a four game sweep.
Elsewhere in the GOHL, the Pelham Panthers swept the Port Colborne Sailors setting up a semi-final matchup against the Cambridge Redhawks who swept aside the Caledonia Corvairs in four straight games.
The region’s most successful playoff team thus far has been the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) Niagara Riverhawks who swept Port Dover before taking down the perennial powerhouse and rival Grimsby Peach Kings in five games.
The Riverhawks are currently facing the Dundas Blues in the Bloomfield Division Finals and trailing the best of seven series 2-0.
Rod Mawhood is a lifelong Niagara native who has had the pleasure of working in all three mediums – Radio, Print and TV – for over 20 years. His first announcing gig was with the then St. Catharines Stompers. Since then he’s worked in radio and TV in Toronto, and currently is the announcer for the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions.
Rod also covers the Buffalo Bills for FOX Sports and the Buffalo Sabres for NBC Sports.
