The Brantford Bulldogs braved snowy conditions to complete their home-and-home series with the Niagara IceDogs at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, securing a 5-4 victory and moving one step closer to clinching their seventh consecutive playoff berth.
Fresh off a dominant 10-1 win on Friday, the Bulldogs wasted no time establishing control on Sunday. Patrick Thomas set the tone just 4:41 into the first period, stealing the puck from three IceDogs defenders and feeding Cole Brown, who netted his 25th goal of the season to make it 1-0.
The Bulldogs thought they had doubled their lead when Noah Nelson tipped in an Owen Protz shot, but officials ruled it a high stick, keeping the score 1-0 through the first period.
The IceDogs responded swiftly in the second period. Just 48 seconds into a 4-on-4 sequence, Andrei Loshko’s screen shot from the right side beat Bulldogs goaltender Ryerson Leenders, marking Loshko’s 30th goal and tying the game 1-1. Niagara then grabbed a 2-1 lead at 11:36, when Noah Van Vliet capitalized on a defensive lapse, using a screen to slip the puck past Leenders for his sixth goal of the season.
The Bulldogs quickly answered. Cole Brown, instrumental once again, intercepted the puck and set up Nick Lardis, who buried his CHL-leading 56th goal at 12:30 to level the score at 2-2. The Bulldogs kept the pressure on, regaining the lead at 14:30 when Jake O’Brien, fed by Marek Vanacker from behind the net, tucked in his 28th goal to make it 3-2.
Cole Brown struck again at 17:26, banking the puck off goaltender Owen Flores for his second of the night and 26th of the season. The goal capped a flurry of action that saw Flores leave the game with a right leg injury following a collision with teammate Noah Van Vliet, bringing rookie netminder Matthew Humphries into play.
The Bulldogs didn’t let up. With just five seconds left in the second period, Tomas Hamara’s point shot deflected off Noah Nelson and past Humphries for Nelson’s fifth of the year, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 5-2 heading into the final frame.
Despite trailing, the IceDogs fought back in the third. At 14:21, Mike Levin capitalized on a defensive miscue by the Bulldogs, scoring his 11th goal to cut the deficit to 5-3. With Humphries pulled for an extra attacker, Loshko netted his second of the game and 31st of the season at 19:25, pulling Niagara within one at 5-4. But the Bulldogs held firm in the final seconds, with Tomas Hamara and Thomas Budnick running down the clock along the boards to seal the victory.
The Bulldogs return to the Brantford Civic Centre on Monday, February 17, for their annual Family Day matinee, hosting the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at 2:00 p.m. A win would secure their seventh consecutive playoff appearance.
