Lardis Leads Bulldogs to Top Spot; Hamara Skates in 150th OHL Game
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Lardis Leads Bulldogs to Top Spot; Hamara Skates in 150th OHL Game

Published on March 1, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. Returning home after capturing a pair of wins on their three-game road trip, the Brantford Bulldogs hosted one of their biggest games of the year in a battle for first place in the OHL's Eastern Conference against the Oshawa Generals in the teams' 8th and final meeting of the season.

As the puck dropped, Friday night marked Tomas Hamara's 150th OHL Game with the Prague, Czechia native becoming the first import player with the Bulldogs to cross that milestone.

Both the Bulldogs & Generals entered Friday night's matchup sitting on 77 points in a tie for top spot in the Eastern Conference and on home ice it was the Bulldogs who hopped out to the lead. Stepping over the Oshawa blueline on the left side, Patrick Thomas navigated the puck to the high slot for Nick Lardis. The CHL's leading goal scorer didn't see the lane he wanted for his shot and turned it back to Thomas low on the left. The Bulldogs' captain quickly swung the puck net front to Cole Brown who fired his shot past Jacob Oster for his 30th goal of the season, crossing that milestone for the first time in his OHL career, and putting the Bulldogs up 1-0 at 3:26. The Bulldogs followed with a glorious opportunity with Lucas Moore holding the puck on the right-wing side and racing down into the circle where the defenseman fed a perfect pass across the ice for Jake O'Brien but the puck heeled off the super sophomore's stick and turned wide short side keeping the gap at a single goal. The Generals got on the board late in the opening frame with Ethan Martin making a nice play behind the Bulldogs net to set Owen Griffin for a quick slot shot as he drifted across the front of the Bulldogs goal, tying the game 1-1 on his 15th of the season at 19:22.

The second period was a goaltender's duel between Ryerson Leenders and Jacob Oster with two of the OHL's elite netminders each stealing away wide-open opportunities to keep the playoff-esq game deadlocked. The Generals nudged ahead on the power-play at 15:22 with Colby Barlow dropping the puck in neutral ice for Owen Griffin who raced up the right-wing side and beat Leenders with a dart over his shoulder for his 16th of the season and 2nd of the night pulling the visitors ahead 2-1. Two minutes exactly, the Bulldogs answered with a beautiful goal. After Niko Krmpotic broke up a Callum Ritchie rush, Patrick Thomas turned the puck forward for Nick Lardis racing through neutral ice on the right. Cutting middle as he entered the offensive zone, Lardis froze the defense and laid the puck forward on the left side for Patrick Thomas who immediately picked out Cole Brown net front. Corralling the puck, Brown faked to his backhand and used his reach to tuck the puck around Oster's pad for his 2nd of the night and 31st of the season to tie the game 2-2 at 17:22, setting the stage for a wild finish.

The Bulldogs appeared to pull ahead early in the third period with Jake O'Brien feeding Josh Avery just inside the left circle who rocketed a shot over Oster's glove. On review the goal was deemed "goaltender interference" on a net front play far earlier in the sequence, keeping the game tied 2-2. The Bulldogs single season scoring record holder took the game into his hands from there. On the power-play at 9:54, Nick Lardis handled the puck off a Tomas Hamara feed in the right circle, pausing and slowly approaching the dot. With Patrick Thomas & Cole Brown creating a screen, Lardis launched a shot through the crowd and past Oster for his 64th of the season and a 3-2 Bulldogs lead. At 10:59, Thomas Budnick chopped the puck forward through the Bulldogs zone for Cole Brown who whipped it wide on the right for Nick Lardis starting a 2-on-1 with Patrick Thomas, coming over the blueline of the right-wing side and stepping into the circle, Lardis lasered a shot through Oster for his 2nd of the game and 65th of the season to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead. Andrew Gibson clawed one back on a funky bounce off the glove of Ryerson Leenders to make it 4-3 at 16:33 but its' as close as the Generals would get. With Oster on the Generals bench at 19:41, Patrick Thomas pulled a neutral zone faceoff back to Thomas Budnick who fired the puck down the rink and into the empty net for his 6th of the season, securing a 5-3 Bulldogs victory and solo possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Brantford Bulldogs return to action on Saturday, March 1st, hosting the Peterborough Petes for the final meeting of the teams on the season with a 7:00pm start time.

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