Fronts Halt Bulldogs' Roll in 4-2 Friday Defeat
February 21, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release
KINGSTON, ONTARIO. In one of the biggest games of the season to date, the Brantford Bulldogs, sitting 1st in the OHL's Eastern Conference, continued their weekend road swing making their way to Slush Puppie Place in Kingston to meet the 4th place Frontenacs who sit just 3 points behind the Bulldogs coming into play on Friday.
The Bulldogs got the start they were looking for with Aiden O'Donnell making a play at the front of the Frontenacs net and allowing Adam Jiricek to stride down from the blueline, collecting on the backhand and snapping a shot to the front of Charlie Schenkel's goal. The puck deflected off a Frontenacs defender at the net front and went from the left circle to the right to a wide-open Noah Nelson to drive into the open net, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead at 10:03. On a night with special teams at a premium the Fronts were first to the power-play on a questionable call to Thomas Budnick and took full advantage after an Adam Jiricek went off the turnbuckle between the benches leading to a defensive zone draw. Off the faceoff, Jacob Battaglia laid the puck back to the right point for Emil Pieniniemi who quickly transitioned the puck to left for a Tuomas Uronen one-timer that made its way through the pile to tie the game 1-1 at 15:30. Ryerson Leenders was quick to counter making a brilliant split save going right to left, post to post, and steal one from Jacob Battaglia. After back-to-back calls inside the final 90-seconds the Bulldogs closed the opening frame on a 5-on-3 with Charlie Schenkel able to get the game to the intermission tied 1-1.
Like the opening frame the Bulldogs got the start to the second period they wanted. While on the 5-on-3 power-play, Tomas Hamara controlled the puck in the middle of the line, playing it left for Jake O'Brien in the circle. Arcing out to the top of the circle and towards the slot, O'Brien set it to the net front, where Patrick Thomas tipped the puck past Schenkel for his 23rd of the season giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead just 32-seconds into the period. Controversy followed, with the Bulldogs on the power-play Nick Lardis appeared to rifle in his 61st of the season, on a play that would have given him 100 points on the year. The play was challenged and on review, despite Jake O'Brien having been pushed into Charlie Schenkel and the Fronts goaltender having ample time to go left to right in the crease, even re-setting and dropping in the butterfly before Lardis' shot, the play was still ruled no goal on goaltender interference after a lengthy review. That dubious call loomed large when Jacob Battaglia burst into the Bulldogs zone and fed for Cedrick Guindon who returned the puck to Battaglia and managed to get it to bounce over the goal line for his 33rd of the season, despite Leenders nearly coming up with a spectacular paddle save to tie the game 2-2. The Bulldogs again felt hard done by late in the period when Marek Vanacker was taken from the Bulldogs bench for an unsportsmanlike call for a reaction to a cross-check on Nick Lardis, and the Fronts power-play struck again. Jacob Battaglia's initial drive was stopped but the puck sat dead at the side of the net where Gage Heyes poked it over the goal line to give the Fronts their first lead of the game 3-2 at 19:22.
The final frame proved uneventful, with the Fronts defending the lead and frustrating the Bulldogs forwards keeping a tight trap through neutral ice. In the last couple minutes, the Bulldogs manufactured a couple looks with Ryerson Leenders on the bench skating 6-on-5 but it wouldn't be enough with Will Bishop backhanding the puck out of the zone and Gage Heyes hitting the empty net for his 2nd of the game and 19th of the season to halt the Bulldogs roll by a 4-2 final.
The Brantford Bulldogs return to action on Sunday, February 23rd, in making their final trip of the 2024-25 season to the nation's capital to visit the Ottawa 67's for a 2:00pm start.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2025
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- Fronts Halt Bulldogs' Roll in 4-2 Friday Defeat - Brantford Bulldogs
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