Late Gibson Goal Gives Hope, But Bulldogs Hold On for 5-3 Win
Oshawa, ON — The Oshawa Generals travelled to Brantford to face off against the Bulldogs for the eighth and final time of the regular season, holding a 2-3-1-1 record against them so far. Coming off a strong 6-1 victory over the Kingston Frontenacs, the Generals were riding a two-game win streak. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, entered the game with a one-game win streak of their own. Both teams were eager to extend their runs, but it was the Brantford Bulldogs who ultimately came out on top, winning 5-3.
The Bulldogs struck first in the opening period as New Jersey Devils prospect Cole Brown slipped one past Jacob Oster, scoring his 30th goal of the season off a pass from Patrick Thomas just over three minutes in. Brantford maintained their lead for most of the period until Oshawa’s Owen Griffin fired a top-corner shot past Brantford goalie Ryerson Leenders, assisted by Ethan Martin. This marks Griffin’s third straight game with a goal. The teams headed into the second period tied at one.
The second period remained tied at one for most of the frame until late in the period when the Generals went on the power play. Owen Griffin capitalized, scoring his second goal of the night and 16th of the season with under five minutes remaining. However, the lead was short-lived. Exactly two minutes later, Cole Brown of the Bulldogs answered with his second goal of the night, assisted once again by Patrick Thomas. The teams headed into the intermission tied at two.
Both teams came out fired up for the third period, exchanging chances early on. However, it was Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis who broke the deadlock, scoring on the power play with just over 10 minutes remaining to give the Bulldogs a one-goal lead and his 64th of the season. Less than a minute later, Lardis struck again, this time at even strength, extending Brantford’s lead to two goals and notching his 65th of the season with an assist from Cole Brown.
With the clock winding down, things werent looking great for the Generals as they faced a two-goal deficit. But with under four minutes to go, Nashville Predators prospect Andrew Gibson squeezed a shot past the Brantford goaltender from an impressive angle, assisted by Zackary Sandhu, giving Oshawa a glimmer of hope. The Generals pulled goaltender Jacob Oster with just under a minute remaining in an effort to tie the game, but Thomas Budnick called game with an empty-net goal with 19 seconds on the clock, securing a 5-3 win for the Bulldogs.
The Oshawa Generals return to home ice this Sunday to take on the London Knights for the second and final time this season. Don’t miss a moment of the action, grab your tickets here! If you can’t make it to the Tribute Communities Centre, catch the game live on Rogers TV, CHL TV, or tune in to Oshawa Generals Radio here. Puck drops at 6:05 P.M.
