Brantford Clinches Top Spot With Shutout Win Over Kingston

Last night, the Brantford Bulldogs clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference after bulldozing the Kingston Frontenacs 4-0. 

Looking back now, it's hard to remember that Brantford was a fairly average team to start the year. Going into the break, their record was 16-14-3.

Since the end of December, the Bulldogs have lost just seven games with two of those losses coming in overtime or the shootout. 

OHL Issues Fines To Kingston And Ottawa For Explosive Altercation Between Coaches Yesterday, the OHL issued fines to the Kingston Frontenacs and Ottawa 67's as a result of a verbal altercation between their coaches after the game on March 16.

The win against Kingston is the cherry on top of Brantford's dominant second half of the season, which saw the team rocket to the top of the standings after a mediocre start to the year. 

Going into last night's game, both teams understood that first place was on the line. However, it was the Bulldogs who came out of the gate strong. Dylan Tsherna scored his third goal of the season just under five minutes into the game.

By the end of the first, they had outshot Kingston 9-7 and taken a 2-0 lead off of a powerplay goal scored by Marek Vanacker. The Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick has been heating up in the scoring department with 11 points in his last six games.

How Self Advocacy Brought Collin Mackenzie An NCAA Commitment Yesterday, Ottawa 67's overage goaltender Collin Mackenzie announced his commitment to play&nbsp;<a href="http://thn.com/ncaa">NCAA</a>&nbsp;hockey for the Rochester Institute of Technology next season.

The Frontenacs seemed to struggle with Brantford's heavy style throughout the game. The Bulldogs' defenders were especially good at forcing Jacob Battaglia and Tuomas Uronen to the outside. 

By the midway point of the second period, they had doubled their lead and seemingly crushed Kingston's spirit through 40 minutes of play. 

Interestingly, CHL-leading goal scorer Nick Lardis had no goals in the contest instead picking up a pair of assists. The Chicago Blackhawks prospect has been a critical part of the Bulldogs' success this season.

Maple Leafs Prospect Easton Cowan Catching Fire As Playoffs Loom The rain is pouring in Toronto as the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs">Maple Leafs</a> navigate the challenges of establishing their identity and securing victories following the NHL trade deadline.

Kingston rallied in the third and outshot Brantford 12-5 during the final 20 minutes of play but was unable to get past Buffalo Sabres draft pick Ryerson Leenders who sealed completed a 30-save shutout. 

It was the first shutout of the season for Leenders who has been a rock for Brantford in the second half of the year.

Brantford will play their final regular season game on home ice against the Ottawa 67's on Mar. 23. Interestingly, depending on how things fall, this game could be a preview of Brantford's first-round playoff series. 

With first place locked up, they will now wait to see whether Ottawa or North Bay claim the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.