Brantford Bulldogs celebrated Thanksgiving by defeating the Kingston Frontenacs and Ottawa 67’s for consecutive wins on Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12, 2024.
The Bulldogs started their mini two-game road against the 67’s. Ottawa had a strong start, getting on the board first after Matthew Mayich beat Bulldogs G David Egorov for the early 1-0 lead. The top line for the Bulldogs went right back to work with Patrick Thomas moving the puck to the right side for Calvin Crombie who drew a pair of Ottawa defenders to him before finding Nick Lardis through the middle of the ice. Lardis turned backhand, beating the outstretched leg of 67’s G Collin MacKenzie for his sixth of the season, tying the game at one. The 67’s regained the lead as a Mayich shot was deflected in front of Egorov to give the hosts a 2-1 after the opening 20 minutes.
Ottawa jumped out to a two-goal lead just seven minutes into the second stanza when Nic Whitehead navigated along the Bulldogs blueline, guiding the puck for Mayich on the left side whose shot from the circle whistled over the shoulder of Egorov shoulder to give the 67’s the 3-1 advantage.
The Bulldogs got back into the game with the top line striking again. Thomas sent a pass from the bottom of the right circle to the left point for Noah Roberts. The defenceman’s shot was turned away by MacKenzie but the rebound bounced to Crombie to record his first of the season at 8:42. After Parker Holmes stepped in to defend his teammates after a Matthew Mayich hit on Dylan Tsherna and a successful Bulldogs penalty kill, the Bulldogs power-play went to work.
After a series of chances five-on-three, Jake O’Brien set up Luca Testa for a shot with Zakary Lavoie on the doorstep to put the puck over the goal line, tying the game 3-3. The Bulldogs top line wasn’t done yet as Thomas collected a rebound and tried to feed the front of the net for Lardis but the puck deflected off Brady Horner’s skate and into the Ottawa goal, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the game 4-3.
The Bulldogs offensive outburst continued into the final frame as Crombie and Thomas again combined to set up Lardis for his second of the game and seventh of the season, giving the Bulldogs a 5-3 lead.
Egorov turned aside all 15 Ottawa shots he faced in the final frame, turning in another strong performance, stopping 30 of 33 in the game. With 2:14 to go, the Bulldogs got a moment a long time coming, after Patrick Thomas won the draw back to Noah Roberts who launched the puck 195-plus feet down the rink and into the open net for his first OHL goal to secure the 6-3 Bulldogs victory.
After skating to victory in Ottawa, Brantford travelled to Kingston on Saturday to battle the Frontenacs in a pre-Thanksgiving matinee on Saturday, October 12.
Bulldogs G Ryerson Leenders got the start for the visitors, stopping all 12 shots that were directed to his net in the opening 20 minutes. The Bulldogs had just four shot attempts on Frontenacs G Mason Vaccari, with the Bulldogs best chance coming from a Calvin Crombie steal and Patrick Thomas trying to pass cross-crease for Nick Lardis only to be blocked by a diving Quinton Burns, sending the game down the tunnel in a scoreless tie.
With their goaltender slamming the door shut in the defensive zone, the Bulldogs opened the scoring at 4:06 of the middle stanza. Noah Roberts sent the puck on the right-wing side for Calvin Crombie who carried over the Kingston line and found Nick Lardis streaking on the left-wing side. With time and space in the circle, Lardis ripped his eighth of the season past Vaccari to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead. Ryerson Leenders kept up the heroics through the second period with his finest coming in a scramble in front of the Brantford net.
Kingston would knot the game through their prolific power-play with Tuomas Uronen finding time and space off the left-circle to record his second of the season and tie the game 1-1. Before the frame was out, Calvin Crombie banked the puck off the defensive zone glass, trapping four Fronts attackers deep. Jake O’Brien sped to the puck attacking the right-wing side, manipulating time and space before delivering a perfect pass to Luca Testa in a two-on-one for Testa’s second of the year and a 2-1 Bulldogs lead after 40 minutes.
Ryerson Leenders was a wall again in the third period, denying a pair of early point-blank opportunities for Jacob Battaglia as part of his 11 third period saves. The Fronts managed to tie the game once again as Tyler Hopkins working to his left in the circle sent a shot through Owen Protz that dipped on Leenders evening the score. Leenders heroics continued, on a sprawling split stop on Matthew Soto to keep the game tied and continue to give the Bulldogs a chance to pull ahead.
The Dogs responded to their netminder’s efforts with just 25 seconds to go. Owen Protz played the puck ahead on the right side for Calvin Crombie who danced past a defender and delivered the puck middle for Cole Brown who ripped his first of the season past Vaccari putting the Bulldogs ahead for good. With Ryerson Leenders making 30 saves, the Bulldogs finished the sweep of the mini road trip with a 3-2 victory.
