Valiant Effort
Brampton, ON – Despite missing eleven lineup regulars, the Steelheads battled to force overtime against the Brantford Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs dominated the start of the opening frame, as they outscored Brampton 2-0 through the first ten minutes.
First, it was Calvin Crombie who found the icebreaker. Nick Lardis slowed down at the blueline to catch the defenders flat-footed before sending a cross-ice pass to Noah Roberts. The big defenceman caught it in stride and fired a shot off the pad of Jacob Gibbons. Calvin Crombie crashed the net and banged home the rebound to put Brantford in front 1-0.
Just five minutes later, the Bulldogs would double down. Marek Vanacker stripped Manuel Amado of the puck and broke down the wing. The Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick spun back and hit a streaking Nikolas Rossetto. The rookie made a nifty move to cut by the Steelheads defenders, before roofing it on the backhand to give Brantford a 2-0 lead.
Brampton began to put the pressure on the Bulldogs, as they cut the shot differential from 9-3 Brantford at the halfway mark, to just 9-7 at the buzzer.
The Trout would find an answer of their own in the final minute after Lucas Moore was called for a cross-check. On the man advantage, Spencer Sova sent a puck around the boards for Luke Misa. The Calgary Flames prospect backhanded it to the slot where Jack Van Volsen spun a shot by former Steelhead Ryerson Leenders. Van Volsen’s eighth of the season brought the Trout back within one.
The Steelheads came out flying to start the second period of action. Luke Misa nearly found Chase Lefebvre cross-ice, but the puck bounced over his stick. The overage forward returned the favour, as he sent a pass back to Misa on the backdoor. Misa chipped it on goal, but it was stopped by Leenders.
It was Brantford though who scored the first goal of the period. After a faceoff win from Patrick Thomas, Nick Lardis sent the puck to the blue line. Noah Roberts slung a shot on goal which soared through traffic to put the Bulldogs back up by two.
The Steelheads would not take long to answer, as they scored just four minutes later. Troy Patton broke down the wing and rifled a shot on Ryerson Leenders. Patton’s shot bounced off Leenders’ blocker before dropping onto the goal line. Martin Vaculik crashed the crease to tap home the loose puck for his first OHL goal. It was not just a milestone for Vaculik though, Patton picked up his first OHL assist, and Manuel Amado tallied his first OHL point. The rookie connection brought the Trout back within one.
Brampton was not done yet, as they tied the game with seven minutes left in the frame. Alexander Stephen hit Luke Misa with a breakout pass. The speedy winger broke the Brantford blueline and sent a pass rink wide for Gabriel Chiarot. The power forward toe dragged past a diving Bulldog before ripping a shot by Leenders to tie the game at 3-3.
Brantford pressed with just over five minutes to spare in the frame. With the net empty for a delayed penalty, Calvin Crombie found Marek Vanacker in front. The Blackhawks prospect one-timed the feed on goal, but Jacob Gibbons was there to keep it out.
In the last minute of the frame, the Steelheads doubled down on buzzer-beating power play goals. After Spencer Sova kept the puck in at the blue line, he wired a shot wide of the goal. The puck bounced off the endboards right into the wheelhouse of Luke Misa, who quickly fired a shot past a sprawling Leenders. Misa’s third point of the night gave the Steelheads their first lead of the night.
The start of the third period swung in the Bulldogs’ favour, as they scored two quick goals to flip the lead.
The first came on the power play courtesy of Patrick Thomas. After a faceoff win, Tomas Hamara threw a shot on goal. The point shot was stopped by Gibbons, but Thomas was waiting on the doorstep to jam the rebound home. The Bulldogs captain’s goal tied the game at four.
The tie was short-lived, as it lasted just 24 seconds before Brantford scored to take the lead. Joshua Avery found a soft spot in the slot where he was found by Ben Radley. The sophomore centerman took the pass and wired it home to put the Bulldogs in front.
The Trout nearly tied the game with just over five minutes to go. Luke Misa found Gabe Chiarot in the slot. Chiarot wired a shot toward the goal, but a huge block from Calvin Crombie preserved the Brantford lead.
The Steelheads kept the pressure up with the net empty, and it paid off. With just 18 seconds left to play, Spencer Sova fired a shot on goal. Aidan Lane, in his first OHL game, tipped the puck in the slot and it slipped through Leenders to tie the game. The rookie could not have picked a better time to tally his first OHL goal.
Sixty minutes was not enough, so the game headed to overtime. With just 20 seconds left in the extra frame, Nick Lardis cut to the Steelheads net. The sniper had the puck knocked from his stick, but Patrick Thomas was there to pick up and backhand home the game-winner.
The Steelheads are back in action Friday night when they travel to Sudbury to faceoff with the Wolves.
