HAMARA RECORDS OT WINNER; THOMAS HITS MILESTONE IN VICTORY
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. Returning to home ice to close out a hectic run of games over the week, the Brantford Bulldogs played host to the Ottawa 67’s who entered the Civic Centre on Sunday afternoon to close out their 9-game World Junior road trip.
The Bulldogs received positive news on the injury front, after getting the services of defenseman Niko Krmpotic back on Friday night, forward Dylan Tsherna returned after a 16-game absence to add a little skilled sandpaper to the Brantford lineup. The hosts got the start they were looking for, piling 14 shots on Jaeden Nelson in the first period, forcing the Ottawa goaltender to baton down in his own end. Nelson turned the Bulldogs aside until the pressure paid off at 9:41. Nick Lardis entered the offensive zone off the left side and danced high to the right, Lardis hit the brakes and played the puck back to the middle of the line for Tomas Hamara who found Patrick Thomas in the right circle with a one-touch feed. Thomas initially looked off the target before rifling a wrist shot past Nelson for his 16th of the season and 200th point of his OHL career to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead that they held through 20 minutes.
Jaeden Nelson continued his heroics in the Ottawa goal to start the second period, denying Jake O’Brien in a 2-on-0 with Calvin Crombie despite a perfect delivery to the left side and O’Brien elevating the puck, Nelson was still able to kick the shot aside. Jake O’Brien got his revenge with the Bulldogs on the power-play at 12:37, Patrick Thomas delivered the puck to Nick Lardis in the right circle and although his shot was stopped Cole Brown was able to bat the puck through his legs and behind his back to a waiting O’Brien to hammer home his 21st of the season putting Brantford up 2-0. The 67’s wouldn’t go quietly however, at 16:51, Nic Whitehead raced up the left wing, setting the puck through the middle of the ice for Nathan Amidovski who snuck a shot over Ryerson Leenders to give the 67’s life. After an icing held a tired Bulldogs unit out at 18:47, the 67’s knotted the game. Cooper Foster won a draw to the left point where Matthew Mayich hammered a shot towards goal that Foster himself was able to tip down and through Leenders to even the game 2-2 heading into the third period.
Ryerson Leenders opened up the third period with heroics of his own, denying Cooper Foster on a breakaway from the Ottawa blueline in with the Bulldogs netminder following Foster all the way across the front of the net and running the veteran forward out of options before making an impressive pad save. The 67’s got to their first lead of the hockey game 15:30 after Matthew Mayich’s drive from the middle of the blueline hammered just wide of the net and off the end boards, bouncing back to the side of the net for Brady Stonehouse who batted it into the goal for his 5th of the season and a 3-2 Ottawa lead. The Bulldogs bounced back at 17:12 with Josh Avery navigating the left-wing side and shoveling a pass through the slot for Noah Nelson with the Bulldogs forward delivering it to the right point for Lucas Moore. The Bulldogs assistant captain took a quick moment to let a crowd build in front of Jaeden Nelson and used the moving screens to launch through his 2nd of the season, tying the game 3-3 and sending us to overtime.
After Ryerson Leenders opened the extra frame making a pair of saves, the Bulldogs took possession behind their own goal. Tomas Hamara used Nick Lardis as a decoy carrying into neutral ice and twisted through a pair of 67’s and out racing a third to create a break chance. Striding just left of the slot, Hamara leaned into a wrister that beat Nelson blocker side for his 4th of the season and a 4-3 overtime victory for the Bulldogs.
The Brantford Bulldogs return to action on Wednesday night, January 8th, playing host to the visiting Flint Firebirds for the only time on the season at the Civic Centre with a 7:00pm puck drop.
