Bulldogs stay hot in frigid North Bay

Hamilton’s hot, North Bay’s not.

Ben Gleason had a goal and an assist Thursday as the Bulldogs burned the Battalion 5-2 on a frigid night on the shores of Lake Nipissing. By the time the game started, the temperature had actually risen to minus-22.

“It’s very cold out,” Gleason said.

“We even said in our group chat beforehand to have hats and gloves because there is like seven feet of snow out here.”

The chill didn’t affect the Bulldogs, who arrived in North Bay with a four-point cushion atop the Eastern Conference.

They even managed to keep 23goal scorer and reigning player of the week Justin Brazeau off the score sheet with five defencemen in the lineup and backup goalkeeper Nick Donofrio between the pipes.

On top of Gleason, Mackenzie Entwistle, Matt Strome, Marian Studenic and Arthur Kaliyev all scored in Hamilton’s third straight win, while Donofrio turned aside 24 shots. Cam Dineen and Riley Bruce had the Battalion markers.

The Bulldogs continue their northern swing in Sudbury Friday against the struggling Wolves. Game time is 7:05 p.m. NOTES: The Barrie Colts are buying. On Thursday, the club sent massive centre Curtis Douglas and three future high-round picks to the Windsor Spitfires for overage captain Aaron Luchuk. The Kingston native, who notched the game-winning goal in last year’s Memorial Cup final, leads the OHL with 28 goals and his 51 points are second most in the league. The Colts went into the weekend five points back of the Bulldogs in second place in the Eastern Conference.