LARDIS CROSSES CENTURY MARK IN DOGS 5-3 WIN
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. Continuing the team’s five game stretch against Central division opponents and opening a back-to-back of weekend matinees, the Brantford Bulldogs played host to the Brampton Steelheads for the first time on Saturday afternoon, in the third overall meeting of the teams on the season.
Ryerson Leenders drew the start against his former mates but faced an early test with the Steelheads scoring on the first shot of the game. Porter Martone tossed the puck across the front of the Brantford net to a wide-open Carson Rehkopf to bat in his 12th of the season giving the Steelheads the 1-0 lead just 29-seconds in. The top line for Brampton kept the pressure on, after an ill-timed pinch, the Steelheads broke away 2-on-1 with Luke Misa striking far side for his 10th of the season at 9:44 staking the visitors to a 2-0 lead. The Bulldogs began the comeback shortly after. Jake O’Brien sprinted to the puck in the left-wing corner, sending it cross ice for Zakary Lavoie who held just long enough to free Cole Brown net front for the tic-tac-goal & Brown’s 6th of the campaign at 11:34. The hosts got the game back level with the suddenly red-hot power-play at 17:27. Nick Lardis passed off to Jake O’Brien in the left circle who closed towards the net and found Patrick Thomas on the back door, through a group of bodies, where the captain deposited his 6th of the season to send the game to the locker room tied 2-2.
The Steelheads nudged themselves back in front at 10:01 when Manuel Amado raced after a loose puck with Ben Radley, locking up the Bulldogs defenseman and allowing Kieran Witkowski to jump into the play and net his 2nd of the season giving the visitors a 3-2 lead. Amado was sent out of the game at 13:10 after hitting Lucas Moore from behind and drawing blood on the Bulldogs defenseman, sending Brantford to a 5-minute major power-play. The Bulldogs struck less than a minute into the man-advantage. Tomas Hamara shovelled the puck low for Cole Brown below the goal line. Brown put it on the tape of Jake O’Brien attacking through the left-circle only for O’Brien to swivel and place a perfect pass to the high slot for Nick Lardis to launch his 15th of the season & 99th of his OHL career past Jack Ivankovic tying the game again. The Bulldogs power-play wasn’t done. At 17:32 in a scramble out front of the Brampton net, Patrick Thomas laid it to the slot for Cole Brown who spun over top and set Nick Lardis against the grain for his 2nd of the game and 100th of his OHL career, giving the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead that they would take to the locker room.
The third period became the Ryerson Leenders show, turning aside all 13 he faced in the fame including a handful of the spectacular variety. A double stop on a left-wing rush where he turned aside Finn Harding and followed with a sharp shoulder save on MacGregor Richmond was followed by a split save across the crease slamming his pad down and denying Carson Rehkopf a second of the night. At 19:42, the Bulldogs salted the game away. With Lucas Moore batting the puck around the defensive zone boards to Nick Lardis he collected on his forehand and launched it 160-feet into the empty net to finish his hat-trick & mark his 101st of his career, closing a 5-3 Bulldogs win.
The Brantford Bulldogs return to action and finish their week on Sunday, November 17th for the team’s first visit to the Meridian Centre, taking on the Niagara IceDogs at 2:00pm.
