Riley Patterson scored his team leading 19th in overtime as the IceDogs won their annual Christmas game 4-3 over visiting Sarnia.
A wide open first featured 29 shots with Vladislav Yermolenko stopping 17 Sting attempts. Sean Doherty notched his 3rd to even score at one at 7:18.
The second was a tighter checking affair and once again Krys Barch's side would tie the score late on Ryan Roobroeck's 18th of the season. Niagara outshot Sarnia by an 8-5 count.
The IceDogs would hit the net only three times in final period but Riley Patterson fired home his first of two at 8:21. That lead stood up until an late IceDogs penalty made it a 6 on 4 advantage for the Sting. The tying goal came with 5.6 seconds left in regulation. Shots favored Sarnia 33-23.
In overtime, Niagara gained possession off the hop and registered the only 4 shots of extra time. Patterson seemingly had the game won but was stymied in close. In transition, Patterson used Ryerson Edgar as a decoy and fired home the winner, 44 seconds into sudden death.
The IceDogs will now enjoy an eight day Christmas break before returning to the Meridian Centre for a matchup with the Brampton Steelheads. New Country 89.1 will have the call beginning with the pre-game, Sunday December 28th at 1:45.