Predators back in the win column

The Niagara Predators got just what the hockey doctor ordered last weekend, putting together convincing wins over Tottenham and Toronto to end their losing streak at six games.

Friday night saw them drop the visiting Tottenham Railers 4-1 at the Meridian Credit Union Arena. They followed that with a 7-4 victory Saturday over the Toronto Flyers at Thornhill’s Paramount Ice Complex. 

It didn’t take long for new signing Declan Fogarty to make an impact on the scoreboard in his first game. Fogarty beat Railers’ goaltender Thomas Rousseau just 13 seconds into the first period Friday to give the Preds their earliest lead in a game this season. They held onto that lead for the remaining 59:47 of the game. 

“I have no words to describe how that felt,” says Fogarty, a 21-year-old St. Catharines resident. “I know the first goal is always the hardest one to get, especially when you’re new to a team mid-season. I was glad to get that one out of the way, and my teammates were amazing with how they welcomed me back after that goal. It felt great.”

The St. Francis Catholic Secondary School graduate returns to the team following a 2022-2023 campaign during which he contributed 10 goals and 28 assists to the Predators. The second-year automotive engineering student at McMaster University originally felt he would be too busy academically to continue to play junior A hockey this year, but he kept the door open. 

As the semester progressed, Fogarty began to realize that he would be able to fit in practices and games and still keep up his grades. He admits that the fact that his linemate from last year, Cameron Savoie, recently rejoined the team, may have had some influence on his decision.

Fogarty brings experience to a Preds team that is much younger than it was last year. That experience includes four years playing for various teams in the Greater Ontario Junior B Hockey League.

“There’s a lot of guys who haven’t had much experience in junior levels of hockey,” he says of his new teammates. “I’ve been at this for six years now. I definitely love to try to help the younger guys, to help bring the team together. Whatever I get on the point sheet, that’s just extra.”

Preds’ coach Kevin Taylor teamed Fogarty up on a line with Gehrig Lindberg and Luca Fernandez, who lead the team with 20 and 19 points respectively. 

“They’re both great players,” says Fogarty of his linemates. “I’ve played against Gehrig on different teams pretty much my whole life. This is my first chance to be able to play with him on the same team. He’s very skilled, a really good player.”

The move paid dividends, as Lindberg added a goal and two assists and Fernandez picked up helpers on goals by Lindberg and defenseman Guy Manco. Fogarty also added an assist on Lindberg’s goal, while Nicholas Nicoletti scored the Predators’ fourth goal.

“It was great to see that he’s back,” Taylor says of Fogarty. “And the boys really enjoyed his goal. He’s got some work to do to get back into game shape, which is our focus right now. We know what he can do, and I don’t think he’s anywhere near what his capability actually is. He will definitely get there. He’s a huge addition to this team.”

The three linemates were responsible for five of the Predators’ seven goals Saturday in Toronto. Lindberg and Fernandez each scored twice while Fogarty added a single. Shane Kaplan and Georgy Kholmovsky also scored in a game that saw the Preds outshoot the Flyers 50-31. 

“We had a full team, probably our best line-up to date for both games,” Taylor tells The Local. “We dominated the game Saturday, but we made some mistakes that cost us some goals. You can make mistakes when you build up a lead, but we won’t be able to do that this weekend.”

That’s because the Preds take on the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League’s South Division’s top two teams, with Durham visiting Virgil Friday night and a trip to North York on the schedule Saturday. They’ll finish their three-game weekend by hosting Toronto for a 3:30 PM game Sunday afternoon.

“We’re hoping that we have Zane (Clausen) back for the weekend,” Taylor says of the team’s number one goalie, who was scheduled for an MRI last Tuesday afternoon. “We know we have to tighten up our defense. We just can’t make mistakes against those teams. We have to be almost perfect.”

Niagara’s current record of 6-9-1 is marred by two losses to the Durham Roadrunners and three, including an overtime loss, to the North York Renegades. Their worst loss this season came just a week earlier, an 8-1 drubbing on the road by the Renegades.

“North York is the best team in the league,” adds Taylor. “I think our guys can beat them, and beat Durham. We just have to play a full 60 minutes of hockey.”

Game time Friday night is 7:30 pm.