Will Bitten scored two goals late in a four-goal third period as the Hamilton Bulldogs beat the London Knights 7-5 Sunday afternoon at Budweiser Gardens.
The loss keeps the Knights trenched in second place in the OHL Midwest Division with 23 points, four behind leader Erie. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are one point ahead of Oshawa in the lead for the East Division.
Trent Fox picked up three assists for the Bulldogs, the first of which came on the first goal of the game. Cole Candella got his first goal of the season at 4:13 in the first period. It did not take long for the Knights to pull even, though, with an Alex Formenton goal being scored just 18 seconds later.
Candella scored his second goal in the second period of the contest, this time on the power play at 3:27 in the period to make it 2-1 Hamilton. London would then scored three unanswered goals in the period. Cole Tymkin deposited the puck in the net at 4:02 to tie it up, and 20 seconds after that, the Knights took the lead on an Olli Juolevi goal. Later in the period, the Knights would extend their lead to 4-2 with a goal from Robert Thomas, though the second intermission score would be 4-3 London after Hamilton's Adam Laishram scored his second goal of the year, over a minute before the period's end.
Halfway through the third period the Bulldogs would knot the score at 4-4 with Matthew Strome's 11th goal of the season. Hamilton would regain the lead at 14:55 in the stanza with a Benjamin Gleason lamplighter. London would then go on the power-play and J.J. Piccinich scored on the man advantage. Unfortunately for London, that would be all the scoring for them as Hamilton's Bitten scored twice within the last two minutes of regulation.
London goalie Emanuel Vella stopped 22 of Hamilton's 28 shots in the loss.
The Knights' next opponent is the Kingston Frontenacs, who will visit Budweiser Gardens Friday in a Remembrance Day game. The Bulldogs host the Sarnia Sting that night as well.
