IceDogs run no surprise to Perlini


By
May 4, 2016

Niagara IceDogs are on a spectacular playoff run that includes a 12-1 record and a 10-game winning streak — and one of their top scorers is taking it all in stride.

1996 birth year forward Brendan Perlini, who was born in Sault Ste. Marie and who has multiple family members who still reside in the Soo, said the IceDogs are merely playing to their capabilities as they head into the OHL championship series against the favoured London Knights.

“I knew this was going to be a good team this year and that this was kind of our year to try to make a run for it,” Perlini told Coyotes.nhl.com. “I’m not surprised how well we’ve done so far.”

Niagara won 35 regular-season games, which is the fewest of any finalist since the 2006-2007 campaign. That’s when the Sudbury Wolves made it to the OHL championship series despite winning only 29 times during the regular season while finishing a game below .500. (The Wolves would eventually lose to the erstwhile Plymouth Whalers in six games in the finals.)

“I don’t think we played as well as we should have throughout the year,” Perlini said. “We’ve always had good players but we didn’t live up to what we were. Now we’re playing our game and we’ve fine-tuned a couple of things and guys are playing great. It will be fun to play London. I’m eager for Game 1 to start and I’m not even playing in it.”

Perlini, a first-round, National Hockey League draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2014, will sit out the first two contests of the OHL championship series as he completes a three-game suspension for cross-checking in the previous series against the Barrie Colts.

“I’m not the type of player that will do anything deliberate,” Perlini said regarding the play that led to his suspension.

“I was kind of just trying to protect myself. It’s an emotional game and things happen. What’s done is done. We just have to move on. Hopefully the guys can play well in the first two games and for myself, I’ve just got to prepare for Game 3,” added Perlini, whose six goals in the playoffs thus far are second-most on Niagara.

The IceDogs-Knights series begins on Thursday in London.

PHOTO: Brendan Perlini, in action for the Niagara IceDogs.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *