BULLDOGS PUSHED TO THE BRINK IN OVERTIME HEARTBREAKER
OTTAWA, ONTARIO. Looking again to take back home ice advantage in their Eastern Quarterfinal series the Brantford Bulldogs entered Game 4 on Thursday night trailing the Ottawa 67’s 2-1 in the best-of-7 series but returned the services of Ben Bujold to the lineup, while Niko Krmpotic made his OHL playoff debut.
For the 4th straight time in the series the Bulldogs were best out of the gates. Marek Vanacker poked the puck along the bench boards away from a 67’s defender, racing forward to the middle of the ice and firing a shot over Collin MacKenzie at 3:51 for his 3rd of the playoffs sparking the Bulldogs to a 1-0 lead. Matteo Drobac made the lead stand up through 20 minutes, stopping all 9 shots that came his direction in the opening period, holding the Bulldogs lead at 1-0 through 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs were first out of the gates in a middle frame they largely controlled. Just 47-seconds in, after Ben Bujold launced a left-wing to the front of the Ottawa goal, Collin MacKenzie lost possession from his glove into his skates where Adrian Rebelo arrived in the goal mouth and jammed it through MacKenzie and over the goal line on the backhand for his 1st of the playoffs giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. With the 67’s on the power-play they clawed one back at 4:57, Braeden Kressler’s initial drive from high on the right was denied by Matteo Drobac who followed it up turning aside Jacob Maillet’s rebound attempt with a brilliant split save, that rebound fell right to the stick of Samuel Mayer, crashing in from his defensive position to cut the Bulldogs lead to 2-1 on 2nd of the playoffs. On the Bulldogs first power-play of the game, they re-established the two goal lead. Nick Lardis bumpered the puck from the bottom of the right circle to the top for Jake O’Brien who darted a pass into the wheelhouse of Zakary Lavoie to hammer a one-timer over MacKenzie’s shoulder for his 1st of the playoffs at 14:46 giving the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead. Before the second period could die out the 67’s clawed one more back. After the Bulldogs were unable to clear their zone, Jack Dever moved the puck to Samuel Mayer high on the right where he fired the puck through a crowd infront of the Bulldogs net and in to once again cut the Bulldogs lead at 19:20, where it stood at the second intermission.
The 67’s struck first in the third period, again on the power-play at 6:20, Braeden Kressler and Samuel Mayer combined to set the puck on the left for Henry Mews where the defender hammered a drive past Matteo Drobac for his 1st of the playoffs evening the game 3-3. Just 1:09 later a harmless looking, long distance drive from Henry Mews through the slot was tipped by Bradley Horner who collected his 1st of the playoffs giving Ottawa their first lead of the game 4-3. The 67’s push continues at 14:36 when Will Gerrior caught Cedricsson Oktiundu pressing forward for the puck just ahead of the Bulldogs line, infront of their bench, and carried down the left wing side. Cutting net-front with a fake shot, Gerrior froze Drobac, turning to his backhand and tucked it through to give Ottawa a 5-3 lead on Gerrior’s 1st of the playoffs. With the lead looking nearly insurmountable late the Bulldogs fought back ferociously, first on the power-play with the net empty at 17:08 Nick Lardis worked the puck to Patrick Thomas at the bottom of the right circle, feeding Zakary Lavoie at the top who hammered his 2nd of the game past MacKenzie to cut the lead to 5-4. The Bulldogs brought Matteo Drobac to the bench once more and Nick Lardis was sprung ahead by Lavoie and Marek Vanacker off the right side, approaching the center of the circle, he beat MacKenzie low for his 3rd of the playoffs, tying the game at 19:04 and forcing overtime.
Though the Bulldogs outshot the 67’s 7-2 in the extra frame, including Lardis being robbed on a left circle attempt it was a Samuel Mayer left point shot at 10:23 that deflected off a Bulldogs defender infront and past Matteo Drobac that gave Mayer the overtime hat-trick winner and Ottawa a 3-1 series lead.
The Brantford Bulldogs will look to stave off elimination and force the series to continue when they host the Ottawa 67’s for Game on Saturday April, 6th with a 4:00pm puck drop.
