MASEN WRAY SCORES FIRST OHL GOAL IN LOSS TO SPITFIRES
WINDSOR, ONTARIO. Finishing out a back-to-back weekend, the Hamilton Bulldogs made their first trip to the WFCU Centre in Windsor since the 2022 OHL Championship series, looking to pick up another win over a top team in the Ontario Hockey League.
The Bulldogs didn’t get out to the start they wanted with the Spitfires jumping out to an early lead at 3:13 as Anthony Cristoforo fired a shot from just below the left-wing circle that took a deflection on the way through to Matteo Drobac’s net giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. The Spitfires kept the pressure on, while shorthanded Noah Morneau earned a breakaway opportunity that Drobac denied with the blocker, keeping his side in the game. Windsor doubled the lead at 10:55 on the power-play, after Drobac denied a Brett Harrison one-timer, Liam Greentree found a bouncing rebound that Jorian Donovan pulled off the goal line and slid into the goal making it 2-0. More heroics from Matteo Drobac in the opening frame as he denied Aiden Castle on a clear breakaway to keep the Bulldogs in the game, stopping 15 of 17 in all in the first period.
The Spitfires extended the lead to 3-0 at 5:08 of the middle frame as Colton Smith struck on the power-play on a slick feed from Jacob Maillet for his 18th of the year. After Matteo Drobac stopped another breakway opportunity from Oliver Peer, the Bulldogs offense bounced back in the middle stages of the period. At 7:33, with the Bulldogs on the power-play, Jorian Donovan laid the puck right to Panwar who faked the shot and sent the puck left for Nick Lardis recording his 23rd of the year to get the Bulldogs within two. Masen Wray made a little personal history next, after a Lucas Moore right point drive clattered off the end boards, and popped out front, Wray hopped on it to shovel it past Costanzo for his 1st OHL goal getting the Bulldogs back to within one at 3-2. Before the period was out, Matthew Maggio on a high cross in the offensive zone whistled a shot through a moving screen to put the Spitfires backup by a pair at 4-2 through 40 minutes.
As has been the trend, the Bulldogs wouldn’t quit into the final frame, pushing to make their way back into the game while Matteo Drobac continued to give his team a chance to do so. The back-and-forth frame came down to its’ waning minutes, after an Artem Grushnikov hip-check on AJ Spellacy that caused the rookie forward to retaliate, the Bulldogs struck on the man-advantage. Jorian Donovan set Nick Lardis on the left side for a shot that deflected off Patrick Thomas and rolled through the Windsor crease where Lawson Sherk, fending off a defender pushed the puck across the goal line for his 6th of the season at 16:09 to get the Bulldogs back to within a goal at 4-3. Just :21 seconds later, a scramble in front of Matteo Drobac led to the puck finding Liam Greentree who was able spin off a check and toss a shot into the Hamilton goal at 16:30 to give the Spitfires a 5-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish with Matthew Maggio hitting the empty net at 17:21 to assure a 6-3 Windsor win.
The Bulldogs return to action for a rare Tuesday night game, travelling to Meridian Centre in St. Catharines for the middle of their 3-game road trip with a 7:00pm puck drop.
For more information on Hamilton Bulldogs 2022-23 Flex packages or single-game tickets call 905-529-8500 or visit hamiltonbulldogs.com.
