The Niagara Falls record did not move last week. Most of what sits underneath it did.
The Canucks lost 4-1 at home to Markham on Friday and 3-1 in Pickering on Sunday, and never played the game in between. What they gained instead was a defence pairing that looks like it will hold up, and a shot clock that finally started to balance.
Brady Smith is a good deal of the reason. The Canucks acquired the defenceman from the Stouffville Spirit before Friday’s game. Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League had reassigned Smith to Stouffville, who held his junior rights, after he played 46 games for the Wolves last season.
He did not take long to introduce himself. Smith scored at 18:38 of the third period against Markham, set up by Justin Flora and Rafek Dianov, and spent much of the night finishing checks that were heard well up into the stands.
He had company on the back end. David Greene, an OHL draft pick who had been out since late last season, dressed for his first game of the year Friday. The two were paired together and have already settled in as the team’s top pair. Eric Bründl-Pandzich was back in the lineup as well.
Markham arrived at the Gale Centre 8-0 and left 9-0. The Royals have since pushed it to 10-0 and remain the only unbeaten team in the league. Leo Zhou opened the scoring at 12:36 of the first, Hughston Hurt and Athan Miwa scored in the second, and Joshua Caeser made it 4-0 midway through the third before Smith spoiled the shutout.
The number worth holding on to is 41-36. That is where the shots finished, against a team that has not lost a game all season. A week earlier Niagara Falls had been outshot 51-30 by Milton and 47-28 by King. Timofey Williams stopped 37 of 41.
Saturday night in Georgetown never happened. A major accident on the Niagara-bound QEW that afternoon left the team bus unable to reach the Gale Centre to collect the players.
In Pickering on Sunday the Canucks did the outshooting, 35-28, including 13-4 in a scoreless opening period. Ethan Toms put the Panthers ahead on the power play at 13:43 of the second and Justin Flora answered less than three minutes later off a pass from his brother Jaden. Gage Brandon scored the winner at 13:15 of the third and Tyler Bruce added an empty-netter with 39 seconds left.
Thomas Puhalla stopped 25 of 27. Only two pucks beat him all night.
What is missing is offence. One goal Friday, one Sunday, and an 0-for-5 night on the power play in Pickering. The Canucks are carrying the play for longer stretches than they were a month ago and getting far less for it than the possession deserves.
Niagara Falls is 2-7-1-1 through 11 games. The record is what it is, but the gap between this team and the teams above it has narrowed in a way the standings have not caught up to yet.
King visits the Gale Centre on Friday at 7 p.m. The Rebellion are 6-1 and have surrendered just eight goals in seven games, fewest in the OJHL. If the shots are going to start turning into goals, Friday will be a demanding place to prove it.
