It was a special night at the Brantford Civic Centre on Friday as the Brantford Bulldogs hosted the Niagara IceDogs, with new team owner Zach Hyman attending his first game at the renowned “Madhouse on Market.”
The Bulldogs wasted no time setting the pace. Just 5:46 into the game, Owen Protz kept the puck in at the left point, playing it down the wall to Nick Lardis. Lardis dazzled the crowd with a slick move through his skates before cutting into the left circle and backhanding the puck over Owen Flores’ shoulder for his 53rd goal of the season. Lardis struck again at 8:16, finishing a perfect feed from Patrick Thomas for his 54th goal, giving the Bulldogs a quick 2-0 lead.
The offensive onslaught continued on the power play at 12:14 when Patrick Thomas delivered a cross-ice pass to Jake O’Brien, who quickly found Marek Vanacker for a tap-in goal, his 15th of the season. Less than two minutes later, O’Brien won a face-off back to Lucas Moore, who set up Vanacker for a blistering shot that beat Flores, marking Vanacker’s second goal of the period and ending Flores’ night in net. Matthew Humphries took over for the IceDogs as the Bulldogs entered the intermission up 4-0.
Niagara showed some fight early in the second period, scoring just 26 seconds in when Jack Brauti’s one-timer, set up by Kevin He, slipped through a screen and beat Bulldogs goaltender Ryerson Leenders. But that would be all the offense the visitors could muster.
The Bulldogs regained control on the power play at 5:30, with Cole Brown converting a slick pass from captain Patrick Thomas for his 22nd goal of the season. At 17:51, Jake O’Brien extended the lead to 6-1, scoring his 27th of the year after a sharp feed from Thomas Budnick.
The third period saw the Bulldogs continue their dominance, capitalizing on Niagara’s frustration and penalties. At 8:56, Cole Brown emerged from the penalty box, took a stretch pass from Aiden O’Donnell, and beat Humphries on a breakaway for his second goal of the night and 23rd of the season. Nick Lardis completed his hat trick at 10:34 with a power-play blast from Tomas Hamara, marking his 55th goal of the season.
The scoring frenzy continued at 12:24 when Cole Brown capped his own hat trick, converting a setup from Lardis and Thomas for his 24th goal. Finally, at 13:40, Marek Vanacker tipped in a point shot from Thomas Budnick on the power play for his third goal of the game and 17th of the season.
The Bulldogs’ historic 10-1 victory featured three hat tricks—from Lardis, Brown, and Vanacker—setting a franchise record for most in a single game. Goaltender Ryerson Leenders made 31 saves, allowing only one goal on the night.
The Bulldogs will complete their home-and-home series against the IceDogs on Sunday, February 16, with a 2:00 p.m. puck drop at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.
