Barrie Colts oust Hamilton Bulldogs from OHL playoffs

The Bulldogs’ latest era in Hamilton has come to an abrupt end.

Ethan Cardwell scored a hat trick, including the winner with 9.9 seconds left in the third period, to lead the Barrie Colts to a 5-4 win  over the Hamilton Bulldogs in Game 6 of their first-round Ontario Hockey League playoff series Monday night.

Sahil Panwar broke the ice just over three minutes into the game at FirstOntario Centre and teammate Lucas Moore doubled Hamilton’s lead on the power-play at 6:39 of the first period.

The Bulldogs made it 3-0 with a couple of minutes to go in the first frame but Patrick Thomas’ shot, which was originally called a goal, was called back after video review showed the puck did not cross the goal line.

Sahil Panwar gets the party started in Hamilton! 💪

The @BulldogsOHL star OA finds the back of the net to open the scoring, the first of two quick Hamilton goals against the Colts in Game 6.#OHLPlayoffs | #BARvsHAM pic.twitter.com/XDjUZb7xz5

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 10, 2023

Hamilton’s Florian Xhekaj did make it 3-0 less than five minutes into in the second frame, and this one counted, after he converted a breakaway attempt with a nifty deke to beat Colts goalie Anson Thornton.

Barrie captain Brandt Clarke netted the Colts’ first goal with 6:20 left in the middle period when he wristed a power-play marker past Hamilton goalkeeper Matteo Drobac.

Clarke, who had been repeatedly booed by Bulldogs fans throughout the series, put his hand to his ear and gestured for the crowd to boo louder than it had been.

Beau Akey pulled the Colts to within a goal of Hamilton when he scored at 17:13 of the second and Cardwell’s fourth goal of the series evened the score at 3-3 with 1:26 to play in the period.

Cardwell potted his second goal of the game with 6:18 left in regulation to give the Colts their first lead of the contest, but three minutes later Nick Lardis pulled the Bulldogs even.

That set up Cardwell’s dramatic winner, a wrister that beat Drobac in the dying seconds of the game and sent the Bulldogs packing and the Colts to round 2.

The game was the Bulldogs’ last in Hamilton for at least the next three seasons. The team is set to move to Brantford while FirstOntario Centre undergoes a massive facelift.

by 900 CHML