Exclusive interview with Brantford Bulldogs forwards and Chicago Blackhawks prospect, Nick Lardis, and an in-depth breakdown of his elite goal-scoring ability. A trio of Bulldogs' players recorded hat tricks in the 10-1 win over Niagara on Friday night. The players who recorded hat tricks include CHL leading goal scorer Nick Lardis, Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/]' prospect Marek Vanacker and New Jersey Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/]' prospect Cole Brown. This was the first hat trick of the year for Vanacker while Brown recorded his only other three-goal game at the end of November in a game against Oshawa. Shockingly, this is the fifth hat trick of the season for Lardis who brought his goal total up to 55. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5osD-QQejwo[/embed] With 15 games remaining in the season, Lardis is on pace to finish the year with a stunning 71 goals. To put this into perspective, in the last 10 years, only Alex Debrincat and Justin Brazeau scored more than 60 goals in a single season. During that time no player scored more than 65. While Brown and Vanacker finished the night with a total of four points each, Lardis managed to get five points. The trio were aided in their efforts by a scorching hot powerplay that was responsible for more than half of the teams' goals. Their powerplay is now the best in the league operating at a 29% success rate. It was also a good night for Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/]' prospect Ryerson Leenders who made 43 saves on 44 shots. Niagara outshot Brantford in all three periods and ended up outshooting Brantford 44-30. Jack Brauti picked up Niagara's only goal in the contest. Kevin He and Blake Arrowsmith were given assists on the powerplay goal. The Bulldogs have found their stride in the second half of the season. They boast an impressive 15-5 record since Dec. 28 that has shot them up to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. It's difficult to look at the way Brantford plays now and reconcile it with the fact that they were a bottom-half team early in the year. They now sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, just two points out of first place. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
