The Brantford Bulldogs kept their Eastern Division title hopes alive as they defeated the Ottawa 67’s 5-2 on Saturday, March 16, 2024.
The first period saw the historic rivals engage in a seesaw battle. At the 3:38 mark, the defending Eastern Division Champions struck first. Left winger Luca Pinelli retrieved the puck at their zone from Bulldogs centreman Patrick Thomas, skated down to the centre area of the Bulldogs zone, and shot the puck past the left side of Bulldogs netminder David Egorov.
Less than two minutes after the Pinelli goal, the Bulldogs got into the penalty kill after a double minor from defenceman Daniel Chen. The league’s eighth-ranked unit limited the 67’s to three shots in the four-minute timeframe, receiving a well-deserved ovation by the 3,167 in attendance at the end of the penalty kill.
At the 13:28 mark, the Bulldogs tied the game. Centreman Florian Xhekaj made the short pass in their attacking zone to defenceman Daniil Sobolev, who fired the shot from the middle area, through a screen and past Ottawa netminder Collin MacKenzie for his seventh of the season. With the assist, Xhekaj has 19 points in his last 14 games (12 goals, 7 assists).
Ottawa would then retake the lead with just over two minutes remaining in the period. On the penalty kill, the 67’s hustled down the rink from their zone, engaging on the initial three-on-two sequence. Defenceman Matthew Mayich made the quick feed to right winger Jack Dever on the right side of the neutral zone and shot the puck which was stopped by the Bulldogs netminder Egorov, but centreman Jacob Maillet shot a low shot that trickled between the pads of Bulldogs netminder Egorov and into the net.
But less than thirty seconds later, the Bulldogs even the score again. Coming off his 250th career game last Thursday, March 14 in North Bay, team captain Lawson Sherk dished a pass from the back boards to defenceman Lucas Moore. Moore then shoots the puck through a screen, but the shot gets tipped past Mackenzie by left winger Luca Testa. The goal was Testa’s 13th of the season, first since February 18 against Niagara. Moore and Sherk with the assists.
The two sides headed to the locker room with the score at two apiece, with the home side having a slight advantage in the shots-on-goal category with an 11-9 margin.
In the second period, the Bulldogs penalty kill continued their solid performance, successfully ending two Ottawa power plays and allowing a grand combined total of only two shots. Brantford had few quality chances to take the lead, but the 67’s netminder Collin MacKenzie was sharp, stopping all nine Bulldogs shots in the middle frame. Bulldogs netminder David Egorov, who took over the starting duties for Matteo Drobac who is battling an illness, was efficient as well – stopping all five Ottawa shots in the period.
The third period was all black and gold. With 10:59 left, defenceman Lucas Moore passed to centreman Jake O’Brien, whose shot was deflected in front of the Ottawa net, but left winger Marek Vanacker got the rebound into the open net for his 35th of the season. O’Brien and Moore get credited for the assists on the Vanacker goal.
Following the goal, the two teams engaged in a scrum, resulting in multiple penalties for both sides and an Ottawa powerplay.
The 67’s looked to respond, and their best opportunity came with 5:30 left. Left winger Brady Stonehouse had the chance to tie the game with a shot up close in front of the Brantford net, but the Bulldogs netminder Egorov made a miraculous pad save in the crease.
Bulldogs would then extend their lead with 4:24 to go. Egorov dumped the puck on the boards, retrieved by right winger Cole Brown, who also registered his 100th career OHL point last Thursday in North Bay. Brown passed the puck to the left winger Sherk, who then found centreman Ben Bujold in front of the net, who made no mistake for his 13th of the season. Brown and Sherk with the assists on a great offensive sequence.
The Bulldogs would then cement their victory with 26 seconds left, on an empty net goal from centreman Patrick Thomas. Sherk and defenceman Owen Protz set up the play, and Thomas shoots the puck from the Centre ice area for his 20th of the season. Sherk capped off a memorable game with his third assist of the game, while Protz got credited for the assist as well.
