BULLDOGS LATE COMEBACK FALLS JUST SHORT AGAINST ICEDOGS
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. The Brantford Bulldogs played the middle of their three-game week on Saturday afternoon, hosting the Niagara IceDogs for the first meeting of the season between the clubs. The Bulldogs utilized Saturday afternoon’s matinee to host their annual Remembrance Day ceremonies, and the afternoon began with a touching presentation of remarks delivered to the team by a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and procession of servicemen being honoured at center ice.
The Bulldogs got exactly what they wanted in the opening frame, pouring pressure on Owen Flores early and often, piling up 19 first period shots. The Bulldogs struck first, as the power-play picked up a jolt with Cole Brown parking himself net front as a disruptive presence. Jake O’Brien shoveled the puck around behind the Niagara net where Patrick Thomas delivered it to Brown to snap home his 5th of the season giving the Bulldogs the 1-0 advantage at 12:47. Despite the torrent of shots on goal in the frame, Flores held the Bulldogs to just that one.
The lead doubled to open the second period, once again on the power-play with Tomas Hamara starting the breakout to Jake O’Brien who left the puck for Nick Lardis on the right side. Striding into the circle, Lardis froze the IceDogs defenders and snapped a shot through Flores for his 13th of the season at 1:30. Niagara responded at 2:19 after Noah Nelson had his stick slashed from his grasp, Ethan Czata hopped on the puck and delivered into the right circle for Ryan Roobroeck to record his 13th of the season cutting the lead to 2-1. The IceDogs went to the power-play at 14:52 and it took just six seconds as Kevin He found himself at the top of the left circle with time and space to walk in and pick his spot, besting Ryerson Leenders to knot the game on his 14th of the year. Before the period was out, Andrei Loshko knocked down a clearing attempt in the Bulldogs zone, feeding to Roobroeck in the slot who in turn hit He in flight off the bench for his 2nd of the game & 15th of the season at 19:37 to put the IceDogs up 3-2 through 40 minutes.
The IceDogs kept the pressure on to open the third period, just 37-seconds in Max Crete, carrying on the right wing used Ben Radley as a screen, firing through the defenseman’s legs and eluding Leenders for his 7th of the season putting the IceDogs up 4-2. The offensive outburst wasn’t done, at 3:08 Jack Brauti stepped into the left circle and fired a shot that found its way through Leenders and trickled over the goal line to put the visitors up 5-2 and ended Leenders night, giving way to David Egorov. The Bulldogs looked to mount the comeback from there. First, after Jake O’Brien won a right circle faceoff in the offensive zone, Zakary Lavoie picked the puck through skates and launched his 4th of the season at 3:23. The Bulldogs followed it up on the power-play at 5:55. Lavoie took a hit in the left-wing corner to make the play to Calvin Crombie, shifting the puck to the right circle for Luca Testa to hammer home his 4th of the season pulling the Bulldogs within a goal. Despite their second 19 shot period of the game and 50 shots in total, the furious finish wouldn’t be enough with Patrick Thomas & Cole Brown efforts just turning wide with under a minute to go and Kevin He hitting the empty net to complete his hat-trick at 19:49, giving the IceDogs their first victory over the Bulldogs since November 10th, 2019.
The Brantford Bulldogs wrap up the weekend tomorrow afternoon with a trip to CAA Centre to face the Brampton Steelheads at 2:00pm.
