Setting the bar
Brantford, ON- The Brampton Steelheads dominated the Brantford Bulldogs in an impressive 7-2 win as Porter Martone brought home two goals, including the game-winner, with an incredible shorthanded breakaway play.
Tonight’s game between the Steelheads and Bulldogs was the first accurate assessment of these two matching up, as each team found itself near full strength. With the Bulldogs leading the Eastern Conference standings and the Steelheads on a three-game win streak, the game was anyone’s game. Yet Brampton reigned victorious, extending their streak to four.
The first period tilted toward the Trout as Brampton went three unanswered. Porter Martone got the game’s icebreaker with a tricky shot below the goal line. Angus MacDonell had the original shot, which deflected out front for Luke Misa, who got the rebound off Ryerson Leenders. Getting the puck from the corner, Martone fired one on goal to get the Steelhead’s first goal.
Shortly after, the Bulldogs had the chance to tie it up as Nikolas Rossetto was given a penalty shot off a foul from behind from Finn Harding. Yet, he was covered off by Jack Ivankovic, who kicked off his strong performance between the pipes to keep the Trout lead.
Gabriel Chiarot extended Brampton’s score to two with a beautiful unassisted goal. Picking up the loose puck in the Bulldog’s zone, Chiarot brought it up the left side before sniping it past Leenders.
Despite the two-goal lead, the Trout faced their first challenge of the period after Harding was handed a major for kneeing. This put Brampton down a defence and sent the Bulldogs on a five-minute power play.
Special teams proved no problem for the Steelheads, as they not only successfully killed the penalty but also extended their lead to three. Martone got his second of the game with a shorthanded breakaway. Catching the Brantford defence off guard in the neutral zone, Martone broke free to drive it to the net, deke it past Leenders and send it in on the backhand.
Brampton took the three-goal lead into the third, continuing to dominate the Bulldogs and extending their score to six. Konnor Smith got the second’s first goal off a sneaky pass from Aidan Lane.
Kieran Witkowski got the zone entry before sending it over to Lane on the right side. Driving the net, Lane faked it down low on Leenders before passing it to a rushing Smith, who fired it into the open net.
The Steelhead’s luck continued as they were given the man advantage after Thomas Budnick got two minutes for tripping. Unsatisfied with just an assist, Lane added a goal to his tally on the power play to extend the score to five. Jakub Fibigr got the initial shot from the point, which deflected behind the net. Luke Misa found the loose puck behind the net to get it to Lane out front, who battled to get it in past Leenders.
Following suit with his teammate, Witkowski added a goal to his point tally following his assist on Smith’s goal. Getting the zone entry, Witkowski dropped it back to Lucas Karmiris before moving behind the Bulldog’s defence. Getting the puck back from Karmiris, Witkowski drove towards the net before beating Leenders glove side.
With the Steelheads going six unanswered, the Bulldogs looked for any momentum to change the game in their favour. Budnick gave Brantford some hope after he got them on the board with a shot from the point that hit a weird bounce to send it past Ivankovic.
However, Budnick’s effort could not stop the Steelheads as Jack Van Volsen extended the score to seven on the power play late into the third period. After Adam Zidickly broke his stick, he raced to the bench to get a new one, allowing him to pick up Fibigr’s pass and bring the puck in deep. Positioning himself below the goal line, Zidlicky found Van Volsen out front for the Trout’s seventh and final goal of the game.
The Bulldogs had one last push in the final minutes as Aiden O’Donnell battled from behind the net to keep puck possession before bringing it out front to snipe one into the net. Yet, it was useless as the Trout maintained their five-goal lead for the remainder of the period to secure their victory.
The Steelheads look to continue their winning streak at home on Friday as they take on the Peterborough Petes for their Country Night. For tickets, click here.
