THOMAS EQUALS FRANCHISE RECORD; LARDIS LASERS A PAIR IN 4-2 WIN
FLINT, MICHIGAN. Opening a four-game road trip on Friday night, the Brantford Bulldogs played their first of a pair in the state of Michigan, visiting the Flint Firebirds at the Dort Financial Centre for the only time on the season.
The Bulldogs opened the night with some unfortunate news as star sophomore Jake O’Brien was unable to play on Friday night, being deemed day-to-day and hopeful of a quick return on Saturday. Nathan Day was the story of the opening frame, denying 15 Bulldogs shots, including a spectacular scorpion leg stop on Tommy Budnick who appeared to have the Firebirds netminder down and out off of a feed to the left of the Flint goal from Cole Brown before Day made the incredible save. Owen Protz and Connor Clattenburg had an unfortunate run in at the end boards of the Bulldogs zone with the Flint captain falling to the ice while Owen Protz was committed to a hit, sandwiching the Oilers prospect before tumbling onto him in the aftermath. Clattenburg was slow to get back to his feet but returned to the Flint bench after a couple minutes being checked. Off the ensuing faceoff, Protz was challenged by Alex Kostov who was given a game misconduct for leaping off his skates into a punch at the Bulldogs defenseman, sending the Bulldogs to the power-play. Despite a series of great looks, Day continued to keep the game scoreless. Ryerson Leenders certainly did his part at the other end, denying the Firebirds captain Clattenburg off a left circle shot with a glove stop as part of his 8 saves in the first period. A bad break for the Bulldogs opened the scoring in the first period at 19:40 with a bouncing puck in the right circle falling for Christopher Thibodeau who surprised Ryerson Leenders with a quick release that just squeezed through the pads of the Bulldogs netminder giving the Firebirds a 1-0 lead on his 18th of the season that they took to the first intermission.
The Firebirds opened the middle frame as they closed the first, striking to extend the lead at 2:15. Catching the Bulldogs up the ice in a 4-on-2, Matthew Wang tossed the puck to the right for Christopher Thibodeau who delayed into the right circle and found Artem Frolov on the left to direct the puck past Ryerson Leenders for his 3rd of the season, giving the Firebirds a 2-0 lead. After killing a 4-minute double minor for high sticking, a scramble in front of Nathan Day nearly produced a counter for the visitors with Day scrambled down and Cole Brown right on the doorstep before the official lost sight of the puck. That was followed by Noah Nelson’s left-wing drive being kicked across to Tomas Hamara who was robbed by a sliding Day. In the process, Day lost his goal, but Calvin Crombie’s play towards the open goal was turned aside by a sliding Artem Frolov. The Bulldogs finally cracked through at 18:47 with Thomas Budnick directing the puck in the offensive zone for Nick Lardis who threw it low for Cole Brown. Delaying at the left post, Brown twisted the puck back across the ice for a streaking Lardis, bursting past Jimmy Lombardi and firing the puck into the Flint goal for his 67th of the season, giving the Bulldogs life, trailing 2-1 through 40 minutes.
History was equaled in the final frame, with the Bulldogs pressing for the tying goal, Patrick Thomas carried across the top of the offensive zone looking for Cole Brown breaking left before dropping high for Lucas Moore who carried on to the slot and hammered home his 4th of the season at 11:29. With his assist on the goal, Patrick Thomas equalized Arthur Kaliyev’s franchise record with 248 career points. Nick Lardis turned the game on it’s head at 13:43, stealing the puck inside the offensive blueline and carrying into the left circle, sending a laser beam through Nathan Day for his 2nd of the game and 68th of the season to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game 3-2. Ryerson Leenders stood tall in the final frame stopping all 12 he faced, making 34 saves in the game while the Bulldogs added one more. Tomas Hamara rocketed a pass out of the Bulldogs zone for Marek Vanacker who eluded Matthew Mania on the left side and turned around the back of the Firebirds goal, banking the puck off Day and over the goal line for his 19th of the season, securing a 4-2 Bulldogs victory.
The Brantford Bulldogs return to action on Saturday, March 8th finishing the Michigan portion of the road-trip with a visit to the Dow Federal Events Centre to meet the Saginaw Spirit at 7:00pm.
