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OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Drobac Sets Career High in Saves in Spectacular Performance

November 3, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


LONDON, ONTARIO. The Brantford Bulldogs travelled to Budweiser Gardens in London on Friday night for the second and final meeting of the 2023-24 season with the Knights.

Matteo Drobac was the story of the opening frame, denying 16 shots in the opening period and starting his fantastic run of stops with a brilliant blocker save to deny Denver Barkey from point blank range. Michael Simpson in the Knights crease wouldn't be outduelled early making a brilliant glove save of his own to steal a potential goal from Nick Lardis. The Knights broke through at 9:26 with just 3-seconds left in a Jackson Edward penalty, Easton Cowan broke away 2-on-1 with Denver Barkey with the 1st round NHL draft selection feeding Barkey to find the goal for his 8th of the season giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. Before the period was out, Drobac went right back to work making an incredible splitting blocker save on a Max McCue slot shot to keep the Bulldogs within a goal through 20 minutes.

Drobac's heroics in goal paid off early in the middle frame. Calvin Crombie worked the puck down the right wing side to Patrick Thomas around the back of the London goal who found Luca Testa right in front of Michael Simpson. With a picture perfect touch, the former Knight's 1st rounder selection Testa struck against his old mates for his 6th of the season at 2:22 tying the game 1-1. From that point the goaltenders took over again. Matteo Drobac outdid himself from the opening frame, stopping all 17 he faced in the middle frame, including a brilliant glove stop on a slot drive from Kasper Halttunen and a cross-crease sliding stop on Sawyer Boulton to keep the game locked up 1-1. As the frame was coming towards a close, Lawson Sherk freed Marek Vanacker along the left wing side. The Bulldogs winger drove through the bottom of the circle, cutting to the front of the net and transferring the puck to his backhand looking to lift it over the Knights netminder but Michael Simpson was just able to deny the opportunity with the webbing of his glove to keep the game tied through 40 minutes.

The third period was more Matteo Drobac, six minutes into the frame Denver Barkey was sent in alone on the Bulldogs netminder only to be denied in spectacular fashion. Brantford took their first lead of the game at 10:45 on a wacky goal. After Lawson Sherk found Lucas Moore to carry out of the Bulldogs end, Moore sent it off glass just past the redline. Hitting a stanchion in the glass, the puck rolled to the middle of the ice escaping Michael Simpson who had skated to the end boards and rolled into the London net giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead on Moore's 1st of the year. The lead wouldn't last, at 12:10 the Knights got their own fortunate bounce as a wide shot at the Bulldogs net hit a stanchion behind the goal and bounced back to the front of the Bulldogs net off Kasper Halttunen's skate and right to William Nicholl who batted the puck in for his 2nd of the year. With 7-minutes to go, Matteo Drobac once again stood tall denying Jacob Julien at point blank range and then backstopped the Dogs through a double minor penalty kill at 13:10 to force the game to overtime.

In the extra frame, the teams traded chances at both ends of the rink with Luca Testa nearly finding an open Patrick Thomas at the goal and Lawson Sherk trying to jam the puck at the side of the London net. At 4:06, the Knights called an end to the contest as Easton Cowan sent the puck right to left for Max McCue in a 2-on-1 scoring his 2nd of the season for a 3-2 Knights overtime win. Despite the loss, Matteo Drobac set a career high for saves in a single game with an incredible 52 on the 55 shots he faced in shouldering the Bulldogs to a point.

The Brantford Bulldogs return to action on Sunday evening at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa for the third meeting of the season with Oshawa Generals with a start time of 6:05.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 3, 2023


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