The Brantford Bulldogs seized sole possession of first place in the OHL’s Eastern Conference with a thrilling 5-3 victory over the Oshawa Generals on Friday night.
Tied at 77 points entering the game, both teams knew the stakes were high.
The Bulldogs struck first when Cole Brown buried his 30th goal of the season just over three minutes into the contest. Oshawa answered late in the first period with Owen Griffin’s quick-release shot from the slot, sending the teams into the intermission tied 1-1.
After a scoreless stretch dominated by goaltenders Ryerson Leenders and Jacob Oster, Griffin struck again midway through the second, giving Oshawa a brief lead.
The Bulldogs responded quickly as Brown netted his second of the night off a slick feed from Patrick Thomas, tying the game 2-2.
In the third, Nick Lardis, the CHL’s leading goal scorer, took control. First, he fired a power-play rocket through traffic for his 64th goal of the season. Minutes later, Lardis struck again on a 2-on-1 rush, extending the lead to 4-2.
Though Oshawa’s Andrew Gibson cut the gap to one, Thomas Budnick’s empty-netter sealed the Bulldogs’ crucial win.
The Bulldogs are back in action tonight when they host the Peterborough Petes at 7:00 p.m.
