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OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Ben Radley Records First OHL Goal in Loss to Generals

December 20, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


OSHAWA, ONTARIO. Playing their last game before the holiday break, the Brantford Bulldogs made their penultimate visit to the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa on Friday night to meet the Generals riding a 4-game win streak. Entering Friday night's matchup both teams were missing a key figure to the World Junior Hockey Championships with Adam Jiricek off Czechia's camp while Callum Ritche made his way to Team Canada for the tournament.

Owen Griffin started the scoring in the opening period, getting the hosts on the front foot. Luke Torrance took a monstrous hit from Owen Protz but in the process slid the puck right for Griffin who found himself alone with time and space, beating Ryerson Leenders over the shoulder on his 5th of the season at 3:42. The Bulldogs answered back at 6:23 with a third Bulldog potting their first OHL goal in the last week as Tomas Hamara hit Noah Nelson with a beautiful cross-ice pass from the right point to the left circle where Nelson laid it to the point for Ben Radley. Rifling a shot through the crowd in front and inside the far post, Radley collected his 1st in the OHL, tying the game 1-1. Ryerson Leenders' heroics were next, after Beckett Sennecke delivered a perfect pass net front for Lauri Sinivuori, Leenders denied the initial shot with a chest save before stopping the follow-up with a tremendous left pad save. The work of the Bulldogs netminder paid off moments later, Patrick Thomas found Nick Lardis over the Generals blueline in stride. The sniper turned provider as he put a backhand cross ice to the left circle right to the stick of Cole Brown, where Brown rifled the chance off the back bar for his 14th of the season giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead 18:13 which they would take to the locker room through 20 minutes.

The middle frame went all against the Brantford Bulldogs, starting at 5:51 when Ethan Toms' deflection of a Zachary Sandhu centering pass went off Lucas Moore's skate and bounced into the Bulldogs net to tie the game on 6th of the season. Bad puck luck continued for the Bulldogs at 6:58 of the period when an Ethan Toms one-timer from the bottom of the right circle that appeared clear to carry across the ice hit Tyler Graham in the chest in the Bulldogs crease and fell for his stick with Graham collecting his 4th and a 3-2 Generals lead. Colby Barlow took the period over from there, scoring on a left circle wrister off a Beckett Sennecke feed at 12:24 and following that up with a right-circle one-time howitzer from Luca Marrelli on the power-play at 15:57 collecting his 16th and 17th goals of the season and sending the Generals to the third period holding a 5-2 lead.

The Generals added one more in the final frame with Luca Marrelli setting Beckett Sennecke at the bottom of the left circle for a one-timer that managed to sneak through Ryerson Leenders and fall over the goal line for his 23rd of the season giving the hosts a 6-2 lead. Despite the scoreline, Leenders battled all the way to the end, making a spectacular split save with both Colby Barlow & Beckett Sennecke on the doorstep to give the Bulldogs something to build off of. Time ran out before the Bulldogs could do any further damage, dropping the 6-2 decision.

The Brantford Bulldogs hit the Holiday Break following tonight's game and return to action on December 28th, when they make their only trip of the season to Owen Sound for a meeting with the Attack at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 20, 2024


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