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OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Cowan Stands Out In Knights 5-1 Win Over Dogs

October 18, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. The London Knights made their only visit of the 2023-24 season to Brantford on Wednesday night squaring off with an undermanned Bulldogs team who saw the suspensions of defenseman Lucas Moore, Noah Roberts & Cedricsson Okitundu handed down on Tuesday.

The Knights piled pressure on the young Brantford defense early in the game, though the Bulldogs were able to parry the attacks until 5:05. After a Denver Barkey pass struck Jacob Julien's skate and deflected into the slot, Jackson Edward barreled down from the right point and hammered a shot over Matteo Drobac's glove and under the crossbar for his 2nd of the season, giving the Knights the 1-0 lead. Easton Cowan doubled the Knights lead at 12:31, as he ducked his shoulder to fake carrying the puck low and snapped it through Drobac's legs for his 3rd of the season. The Knights carried the 2-0 lead to the first intermission despite a flurry of offensive chances from the Bulldogs before the period was out.

The middle frame the Bulldogs came with continued pressure, tossing the puck at Michael Simpson from all angles, trying to cut into the lead. The Knights re-captured the momentum shorthanded at 3:28. After Oliver Bonk's zone exit banked off Callum Cheynowski's skate, Easton Cowan scooped the puck in neutral ice and flew in on Drobac, with a series of shoulder and head fakes, Cowan was able to drag the puck around the goaltenders pad and tuck his 2nd of the game and 4th of the season giving the Knights a 3-0 lead. London continued to build on offense in the middle frame at 7:20, as Easton Coward worked the puck from high in the Brantford zone to his left for a Kasper Halttunen one-timer that rattled off the back-bar giving the Knights a 4-0 lead on Halttunen's 6th of the season. Brantford began to turn the tide, Cole Brown earned a chance streaking in on the London goal on the right side, beating Michael Simpson but denting the goal post. Noah Van Vliet quickly followed the same way as his left point drive scuffed the goalpost as well. The Bulldogs cracked through Simpson on the power-play at 12:52. Jorian Donovan dealt the puck left to Patrick Thomas who swung it cross zone for Nick Lardis in the right circle, Lardis collected the puck off the boards, strode through the right circle and let loose a "Lardis laser" for his 5th of the season getting the Bulldogs on the board. Just 1:09 after the Bulldogs got on the board, the Knight stole the momentum back with Cowan over the Brantford line setting Halttunen at the top for the slot for another pro-level release catching Drobac moving right and shooting left for his 2nd of the game and 7th of the season with Cowan collecting his 4th point of the night on the assist at 14:01. David Egorov entered the net and kept it quiet from that point on, including a monstrous stop right at the end of the second period, rocketing right to left to deny Halttunen his hat-trick bid.

The Bulldogs refused to quit on the game in the final frame with Luca Testa, Ben Bujold, Jake O'Brien and Callum Cheynowski all generating quality chances on the Knights netminder. In his first OHL game and late in the final frame, defenseman Ben Radley received a Calvin Crombie pass at the middle of the blueline and strode down to the high slot letting loose a drive that but for a Simpson save would have earned the defenseman his first marker in the OHL. With Egorov stopping 9 and Simpson, 8 in the final frame the game came to a close with a 5-1 win for the Knights.

The Brantford Bulldogs return to action on Friday night, October 20th, opening a two game road trip in Oshawa with a 7:30pm start before travelling to Owen Sound on Saturday night, October 21st for a 7:00pm meeting with the Attack.

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