The Brantford Bulldogs continued their three-game weekend on Friday night, hosting the Sudbury Wolves in their second and final regular-season visit to the TD Civic Centre. Coming off a 7–4 win over the Niagara IceDogs the previous night, the Bulldogs carried their momentum into a dominant performance at home.
Brantford opened the scoring early in the first period at 3:06. Dylan Tsherna dropped a pass to Parker Holmes in the slot, where the towering Chicago Blackhawks draft pick buried his 1st of the season to make it 1–0. The intensity ramped up moments later when Sam McCue dropped the gloves with Brady Smith, leading to a Bulldogs power play. Sudbury’s penalty kill held firm, keeping the deficit to one. The Wolves had a chance to respond when Vladimir Dravecky was called for high-sticking. Cooper Dennis nearly doubled the Bulldogs’ lead shorthanded with a strong move into the left circle, but Finn Marshall made the save. At the other end, Artem Gonchar fired from the high slot, but David Egorov turned the shot aside. Brantford extended its lead before the intermission when Adam Benak found the back of the net after being sprung down the right-wing side by Edison Engle & Jake O’Brien, recording his 3rd of the season and sending the Bulldogs into the dressing room with a 2–0 lead after 20 minutes.
The second period belonged entirely to Brantford, who scored three times to take complete control. Just eight seconds into the frame, Jake O’Brien capitalized on a Wolves turnover after Adam Benak batted down an attempted clear and beat Marshall to make it 3–0 for the captain’s 2nd of the season. At 6:08, Caleb Malhotra buried his 4th of the season following Lucas Moore delivering the puck ahead to Cooper Dennis who found Malhotra down the slot to extend the lead to 4–0. With the Wolves on the power-play Nathan Villeneuve fed Keiron Walton but David Egorov flashed his glove to keep the Bulldogs up a pair. Once back at even strength, Rowan Henderson set up Chase Coughlan for a chance on the right wing, but Egorov stood tall once more. At 14:11, Layne Gallacher extended the lead to 5– 0, tapping home a Parker Holmes rebound for his 2nd goal in consecutive nights. In the final moments of the period, Alex Pharand fired a shot with Villeneuve crashing for the rebound, but Egorov made a spectacular diving save, reaching back with his blocker hand along the goal line and using the shaft of his goal stick to keep the puck north of the Bulldogs goal line. He stopped all 20 shots he faced through two periods as the Bulldogs carried a commanding lead into the third.
The Wolves pressed early in the third, with Coughlan breaking in alone, but Egorov turned him aside once again. At 4:20, Brantford struck once more as O’Brien found Vladimir Dravecky at the middle of the blue line, and the Trinec product launched a rocket from the point past Marshall to make it 6–0. In the final seconds, Villeneuve set up Walton for one last attempt out of the right circle, but Egorov made the stop to seal the win — and with it, his first career OHL shutout, a 31-save masterpiece.
The Brantford Bulldogs carried their Thanksgiving weekend momentum into Sunday’s matchup, taking down the previously unbeaten Ottawa 67’s with an 8–5 victory at the TD Civic Centre.
The Bulldogs pushed early to open the scoring, with Caleb Malhotra firing a shot from the point as Aiden O’Donnell provided a net front presence but Ryder Fetterolf was equal to it. Moments later, Layne Gallacher was robbed with a split toe stop from Fetterolf. Ottawa struck first at 12:49 when Ryan White’s initial shot from the slot was stopped, but Thomas Vandenberg buried the rebound past David Egorov to make it 1–0. Brantford responded quickly. Adam Benak dealt a beautiful cross-seam pass low on the left side to Jake O’Brien who turned the puck to Marek Vanacker for the tic-tac-goal, burying his 6th goal of the season to tie the game 1–1 at 17:43. Ottawa regained the lead on a late power-play. Working the puck down low, Vandenberg found Nic Whitehead, who fed Jasper Kuhta at the top of the right circle, and Kuhta ripped it past Egorov to restore the 67’s advantage. Ottawa carried a 2–1 lead into the first intermission.
The second period delivered plenty of fireworks, with five goals split between the two teams. Brantford wasted no time pulling even, tying the game just 52 seconds in. Vladimir Dravecky found Malhotra, who set up O’Brien on a cross-seam pass from the low right side to the top of the left circle, for a one-timer and his 3rd goal of the season. A double-minor high-sticking penalty to Adam Benak gave the 67’s a four-minute power play, and they capitalized at 4:53 when Ondrej Ruml set up Vandenberg down low, and Cooper Foster buried the chance to put Ottawa back in front 3–2. The Bulldogs pushed for another equalizer, with Luca Testa’s shot creating a rebound chance for Sam McCue, but Ryder Fetterolf made the save. At 11:09, Dravecky’s point shot created a scramble in front, and Dylan Tsherna pounced on the loose puck driving it off the back bar for his 1st of the season to tie the game 3–3. Ottawa answered quickly off a Bulldogs turnover, with Zach Houben scoring his first of the season at to restore the lead on a solo effort up the right-wing. The physicality ramped up as Adam Jiricek delivered a big open-ice hit, and Cooper Foster drew a tripping penalty on O’Brien, sending Brantford to the power play. The Bulldogs took advantage, using a similar play to the one that tied the game earlier. O’Brien found Vanacker again with a cross-crease feed for the one-time blast, and he buried his 2nd of the game & 7th of the season to tie it 4–4 heading into the second intermission.
Brantford seized control in the third period. At 6:16, Lucas Moore connected with O’Donnell, who found Sam McCue at the side of the 67’s goal to hammer in his 2nd of the season for a 5-4 lead. Ottawa responded just over two minutes later at 8:35, with Shaan Kingwell perfectly positioned in the slot to beat Egorov and tie the game 5–5. The Bulldogs wasted little time regaining momentum. At 9:35, Edison Engle fed Vladimir Dravecky in the middle of the blueline with his point blast clattering off the end boards and deflecting back out front of the net for Jake O’Brien to pounce on to record his 2nd of the game & 4th of the season for a 6-5 lead. The Bulldogs wouldn’t look back, with the Ottawa net empty at 18:08 Owen Protz launched the puck forward for Adam Benak who laid it on for Marek Vanacker to record his hat-trick goal & 8th of the season. With the Ottawa net empty again at 18:43, Vanacker made the play up and out of the zone for Benak who again showed his unselfishness with the puck and fed Jake O’Brien who knocked in his hat-trick goal & 5th of the season to conclude the Bulldogs 8-5 victory.
Stories by Mikayla Grimes
