HAMILTON, ONTARIO. Following an emotional, playoff style victory over the Kingston Frontenacs on Friday night, the Hamilton Bulldogs moved onto Ottawa for the start of a weekend back-to-back with the Ottawa 67s.
It was a nightmarish start to the opening frame for the OHL’s top team, surrendering a pair of shorthanded goals with Vinzenz Rohrer and Cameron Tolnai striking at 11:26 & 13:55 respectively to give Ottawa an early 2-0 lead. With 7 seconds left in the opening period, cue the comeback; George Diaco put a mid-slot tip on a Gavin White point drive, with Ryan Winterton picking up the secondary assist getting the Bulldogs back to within one after 20 minutes.
The scoreboard stayed empty in the second period with Will Cranley and Matteo Drobac putting on a show in their respective goals. The Bulldogs net minder highlighted the frame with an explosive left to right move across his crease to deny the 67s a goal at the right post, sending the game to the final fame with the Bulldogs trailing by one.
The Bulldogs sieged the Ottawa net in the third period, searching for the game tying goal, and found it at 8:33. Gavin White shuttled the puck along the blue line from right to left to Nathan Staios letting go of a wrist shot that Logan Morrison tipped down past Cranley giving Morrison 30-goals in an OHL season for the first time in his OHL career. Hamilton kept the pressure on down the stretch but couldn’t find the winner in regulation.
Off to overtime, the Bulldogs controlled possession and Arber Xhekaj found himself with the best opportunity to end the game, turning Ranvir Gill-Shane, Xhekaj cut from the right circle to the net on a move to his forehand, denied by Cranley while a Winterton follow-up hit the underside of the front crossbar.
To the shootout, only one goal was needed as Matteo Drobac stopped all 3 67s shooters he faced while Mason McTavish with the touch of an all-world prospect beat Cranley under the arm and over the pad to give the Bulldogs the 3-2 comeback victory.
The Hamilton Bulldogs will next skate in a rematch with the Ottawa 67s at TD Place Arena on Sunday March 20th at 2:00pm.