Hillebrandt Halts Bulldogs as Colts Gallop to Win

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Brantford Bulldogs

Hillebrandt Halts Bulldogs as Colts Gallop to Win

November 30, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BARRIE, ONTARIO. Finishing out a weekend back-to-back and reaching the middle of a three-game road trip, the Brantford Bulldogs' bus pulled up to Sadlon Arena for their first visit of the season to meet the Barrie Colts, coming off a 7-3 Friday night victory over the Oshawa Generals.

The Bulldogs welcomed back Calvin Crombie to the lineup following a one game absence in Oshawa on Friday night, while Friday night marked the Teddy Toss game for the Colts. The Teddy Toss goal came just past the halfway point of the opening frame with Kashawn Aitcheson & Brad Gardiner combining in the defensive zone to feed Colts' captain Beau Jelsma who carried to the top of the Bulldogs slot, rifling a shot past Ryerson Leenders for his 7th of the season at 12:04. The Colts doubled their lead shortly after the teddy bear cleanup at 12:28 with Riley Patterson collecting his 9th of the season from Cole Beaudoin & Kashawn Aitcheson to give the Colts a 2-0 advantage through 20 minutes of play.

After stopping 14 of 16 shots in the opening frame, Ryerson Leenders made himself a bit of a story in the middle frame. Before Leenders could, the Bulldogs pulled back into the game on the power-play. Tomas Hamara rotated the puck off the top for Jake O'Brien, in turn the Bulldogs brilliant playmaker dropped the puck for Nick Lardis to hammer his co-league leading 24th of the season past Sam Hillebrandt :42 seconds into the middle frame. Leenders started his middle frame heroics just after the Bulldogs goal with a point-blank stop on an uncovered Brad Gardiner. With the Colts on the power-play at 2:36, Cole Beaudoin found an open Kashawn Aitcheson across the ice from the right side for his 8th of the season giving the Colts a 3-1 lead. Leenders went back to work trying to give the Bulldogs a boost with an incredible double pad stack stop when Dalyn Wakely alone off the left side thought he had an open side of goal. The Bulldogs responded at 10:31 with Patrick Thomas on the right side, feeding a rushing Noah Roberts down the left side. Roberts' shot was perfectly placed off Hillebrandt's pad where only Zakary Lavoie could reach it and deposit it into the Colts goal for his 5th of the season cutting the deficit to 3-2. Ryerson Leenders held the Bulldogs in again after Riley Patterson sent Cole Beaudoin alone on a breakaway with the Bulldogs netminder denying him with another brilliant stop. The Colts took the air out of the Bulldogs at 12:34, with Brantford capturing momentum on a power-play a breakdown sent Cole Beaudoin alone to the puck in the left corner of the Brantford zone, sending it net front for an unchecked Riley Patterson to record his 2nd of the game and & 10th of the season giving the Colts a 4-2 lead on the shorthanded marker. Leenders had one more moment of brilliance in the middle frame, denying a 3-on-1 for the Colts with show stopping split save, fighting off a Wakely shot with his glove. Despite the heroics, the Colts struck once more before the frame was out on the power-play again with Brad Gardiner launching a shot through the screen of Carter Lowe past Leenders to give the Colts a 5-2 lead through 40 minutes.

The final frame was Sam Hillebrandt's period, denying 20 Brantford Bulldogs shots as the visitors threw everything they could at the Barrie goal. The Bulldogs had a pair of power-play opportunities in the final frame and Nick Lardis appeared poised to claw one back on a Jake O'Brien feed only to have Hillebrandt dart cross crease and steal it away. With 36 saves from Sam Hillebrandt and an empty netter from Beau Jelsma at 17:29, the Bulldogs collected a 6-2 win.

The Brantford Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday night, December 3rd, making their only trip of the season to the legendary Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener to meet the Rangers with a 7:00pm puck drop.

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