Niagara IceDogs’ David Pacan has happy homecoming with huge third period

David Pacan, for all the miles and miles he hopes are ahead for him in hockey, came full circle on Wednesday night. He also did it in a way that fully encapsulated what he meant for the Niagara IceDogs throughout their playoff run.

The IceDogs do draw a lot of attention for having 12 NHL draft picks, including star centre Ryan Strome and defenders Dougie Hamilton and Jamie Oleksiak, who were among the first 14 picks in last summer's entry draft. Yet to know Niagara is to know its heart and soul comes at least as much from its overage trio of Pacan and Niagara originals Andrew Agozzino and Alex Friesen. That was manifest in their 5-2 Game 4 win over the Ottawa 67's. With Strome limited to one period by injury, Agozzino scored their first two goals and Pacan potted a pair in a 5:40 span in the third period to set Niagara up with a series-clinching game on Friday in St. Catharines.

Pacan grew up in Ottawa, attending Sir Robert Borden High School in suburban Nepean and playing for the Junior A Cumberland Grads. With the 67's moving to Scotiabank Place for the next two seasons while the Ottawa Civic Centre is renovated, he might go down as the last winning goal scorer the arena sees for quite some time.

"I didn't think of it that way, but now that you put it that way, it's a pretty awesome feeling," said the 21-year-old Pacan, whose NHL rights are held by the prospect-rich Florida Panthers. "I grew up watching the 67's. I went to a lot of games. I just love this building, the atmosphere, the history of this rink is just amazing. As for going down in the record books, that could be interesting.

"It's an amazing feeling," Pacan said of being one win away from facing the London Knights in the OHL final. "We didn't start the way we wanted to but, you know, there's the character in the room. We had good talks between periods and came together to get the win. Getting those two goals for the team is just an unbelievable feeling. It comes from the whole team, not just me."

Deeper meaning

Pacan, who joined the IceDogs in September 2010 after leaving the NCAA's Vermont Catamounts, is coach-GM Marty Williamson's fixer. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he offers a confluence of size and finishing touch around the goal that allows him to skate with almost any forward.

The Strome injury forced Williamson to juggle lines. The IceDogs typically use Agozzino, Friesen and Pacan on an all-overage line. But the coach separated them and moved San Jose Sharks prospect Freddie Hamilton to the No. 1 centre slot. Hamilton ended up feeding Pacan for both of his goals, including a dagger power-play tally with 6:39 left.

"We were just trying to get some balance," Williamson said. "We lost Stromer as the game went on. David can play with anybody. We moved Freddie into the middle and put [Tom] Kühnhackl on one side and David on the other. David made some great finishes, Freddie Hamilton made some great plays.

"We took some injuries this game and guys really stepped up. You want your overagers to step up. It's their final year and it always seems to mean a little more to those guys."

'Calming influence'

Agozzino and Friesen were also pivotal. The latter's deft dish led to Agozzino deking Ottawa's Petr Mrazek for a tying goal late in the second period. Agozzino said there was a palpable sense that Pacan, playing in his hometown, might be poised for a breakout in the final frame.

"He's great in all areas," Agozzino said of Pacan. "He's scored a lot of big goals for us in the playoffs. He keeps getting better and better. He's a calming influence in the room and he's been great for us.

"Any time he's got the puck in the offensive zone he's dangerous. He had a lot of family here tonight, so some people picked him to score a couple."

All told, seven of Pacan's eight goals in the post-season have come in either the third period or overtime. Most of those have come when the game was still in doubt, rather than all but official. That fits in with the notion it's Niagara's time now and that they were a year away when they ran into an older Mississauga-St. Michael's Majors outfit in a five-game loss in the 2011 Eastern final.

"Last year we made it to the Eastern Conference finals and didn't close it out against Mississauga," Pacan said. "They were a tough team. But coming into this year I knew we had a great group of guys, a lot of guys returning, a very veteran team. We had a good shot at it. Throughout the season we were just resilient. From Marty through the whole organization, everyone pitched in."

Now, thanks in big part to Pacan, the IceDogs are 60 minutes from going to the championship series. It's a scene that Agozzino might have had trouble picturing as a rookie in 2007, when co-owners Bill and Denise Burke had just bought the team and moved it down the QEW highway from Mississauga to St. Catharines.

"Every year it's gotten better and better," Agozzino said. "Especially with the great team we had last year and this year. The fans have been crazy and anyone who's been down to St. Catharines will say the same thing. It's been rockin' all year and it will be again on Friday night."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.