The Hamilton Bulldogs showed dogged determination as they beat the Barrie Colts, 6-3, on Sunday night in a chippy, back-and-forth affair in Ontario Hockey League playoff action.
Barrie now leads the best-of-seven, first-round series 2-1. Game 4 goes Tuesday night in Hamilton.
The two teams skated to a 2-2 tie after the first period, with Callum Chisholm and Jacob Frasca scoring for Barrie while Artem Grushnikov and Adrian Rebelo responded for Hamilton.
Bulldogs winger Florian Xhekaj was kicked out of the game following a check to the head on Colts captain Brandt Clarke, but not before he dropped the gloves and fought Barrie's Tyler Savard. Savard was handed an extra two minutes for instigating.
The Bulldogs went up 4-2 midway through the second period on goals from Lawson Sherk and Cole Brown just 18 seconds apart.
The Colts narrowed Hamilton's lead to 4-3 as Chisholm scored his second of the game, with Chris Grisolia and Clarke picking up assists.
Clarke, who was the leading scorer in the playoffs by a significant margin with 10 points in the first two games, was handed a five-minute major and was ejected from the game late in the second period for kneeing Sherk at Hamilton's blue-line. The Colts killed off the power-play.
Barrie goalie Anson Thornton made several big saves in the third period to keep the score 4-3 for Hamilton, but it wasn't enough.
Grushnikov scored two goals into an empty net to make the final 6-3 and complete the hat trick.
Bulldogs goalie Matteo Drobac turned aside 27 of 30 shots, while Thornton made 22 saves on 26 shots.
Game 4 will take place Tuesday night at FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the Ottawa 67's are up 2-0 on the Oshawa Generals, the North Bay Battalion and Mississauga Steelheads are tied 1-1, and the Peterborough Petes lead the Sudbury Wolves 2-0.
Over in the Western Conference, the eighth-seed Kitchener Rangers have a 2-0 series on the Windsor Spitfires heading home. The London Knights are up 2-0 on the Owen Sound Attack, the Sarnia Sting lead the Guelph Storm 2-0, and the Saginaw Spirit have a 2-0 lead on the Flint Firebirds in a battle of Michigan teams.
(3) Barrie Colts vs. (6) Hamilton Bulldogs
Game 1 – Thursday, March 30 at Barrie – Colts 10, Bulldogs 2
Game 2 – Saturday, April 1 at Barrie – Colts 6, Bulldogs 3
Game 3 – Sunday, April 2 at Hamilton – Bulldogs 6, Colts 3
Game 4 – Tuesday, April 4 at Hamilton, 7 p.m.
Game 5 – Thursday, April 6 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.
Game 6 – Monday, April 10 at Hamilton, 7 p.m.*
Game 7 – Tuesday, April 11 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m. *
(* if necessary)
