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When you win 16 of 18 games, people tend to take notice.  

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In the case of the Brantford Bulldogs, the entire Canadian Hockey League is impressed. Thanks to their recent surge to the top of the OHL’s Eastern Conference, the Bulldogs claimed the 10th spot in the latest edition of the CHL Top 10 Rankings released Wednesday.  

It’s the first time the Dogs have been in the Top 10 since Oct. 1, thanks in large part to a recent stretch in which the team has secured a point in all but one of their last 18 outings and league-best nine straight.  

Brantford’s only loss in regulation came against the Barrie Colts. The other defeat came in overtime at the hands of the sixth-ranked Windsor Spitfires with the Bulldogs on a back-to-back and decimated by injuries.  

The team isn’t simply winning games but doing so in style. On Valentine’s Day, the trio of Cole Brown, Marek Vanacker and Nick Lardis each registered hat tricks against Kingston, the first OHL team to do so since 1981. Brown (29G-30A in 54 GP) notched another three goals against Sault Ste. Marie on Monday, earning him OHL Player of the Week honours.   

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Lardis also found the back of the net Monday against the Soo (while adding four assists) and currently leads all CHL players with 57 goals. In fact, going into this weekend’s action, Lardis and OHL point leader Michael Misa of Mississauga are the only snipers in the country to have hit the half-century mark. The Aurora native has registered at least one goal in 16 straight games dating back to January 8 (25G over that stretch), which is the longest goal-scoring streak of any player in the CHL this season. A Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, Lardis sits second in OHL scoring with 96 points.  

Brantford captain Patrick Thomas has 14 points in his last five games and is fourth in scoring with 97 points (22 goals, 65 assists) and top prospect Jake O’Brien is tied for seventh with 80 points (29 goals, 51 assists).  

Nanticoke native Ryerson Leenders has led the way between the pipes for Brantford. The Buffalo Sabres prospect has 13 wins in his last 15 starts and sits sixth in OHL save percentage with .905. Leenders has a mark of 22-11-3-0 on the year.   

The Bulldogs (35-16-5) are on the road for three straight contests this weekend vs. Peterborough (16-32-2-5) Thursday, Kingston (32-14-5-3) Friday and Ottawa (18-29-3-5) Sunday before returning home Feb. 28 vs. Oshawa (34-17-3-2) at 7 p.m. 

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