It was the most wonderful time of the year at the TD Civic Centre, as the Bulldogs hosted their annual Teddy Toss game presented by Rexall, welcoming the North Bay Battalion for the first meeting of the season.
The Bulldogs came out hungry to open the scoring, and it didn’t take long for them to strike and send the teddy bears flying. Adam Jiříček generated the first quality look with a heavy point shot through traffic, but Mike McIvor turned it aside. At 6:10, Brantford broke through.
After Jett Luchanko’s initial shot sat on the goal line, he drove the puck across and buried his first as a Bulldog to make it 1–0. The play went to review for potential goaltender interference but was ultimately upheld. Brantford kept the pressure on as Jake O’Brien created a strong chance that was turned aside, and just as Caleb Malhotra exited the penalty box, he nearly connected with Luca Testa on a quick rush. The Bulldogs doubled their lead at 13:30 when Malhotra fired the initial shot and Vladimir Dravecky jumped on the rebound, snapping it home from the slot for his fifth of the year. North Bay pushed back with a dangerous chance from Parker Vaughan, but Leenders kicked it away with the blocker. Brantford added one more at 17:10, as Ben Danford fed Zackary Sandhu on the right side, and Sandhu ripped home his first of the season — and first as a Bulldog — to stretch the lead to 3–0. The Battalion tried to answer late, with Ethan Procyszyn getting set up in the slot, but Leenders turned him aside as the Bulldogs carried a commanding lead into the first intermission.
Brantford opened the middle frame with speed, generating a scramble in front that led to a penalty shot. McIvor leapt across the crease to cover the loose puck, and Luchanko was awarded the opportunity. He made no mistake, snapping a perfect shot into the corner at 2:32 for his second of the night, making it 4–0. North Bay responded at 6:30 after Ryder Carey and Jax Pereira combined to set up Procyszyn, who buried his seventh of the season to make it 4–1. The Bulldogs answered quickly. At 7:07, Cooper Dennis stepped into the zone and blasted home his 15th of the year to restore the four-goal lead. Moments later, O’Brien nearly made it six, ringing a shot off the post on a 2-on-1. The Battalion struck again at 15:30 when Kaden Pitre set up Lirim Amidovski for the initial attempt, and Nolan Laird banged in the rebound for his fifth of the season to cut the lead to 7–2. O’Brien generated a shorthanded look late in the frame, but McIvor turned him away as the Bulldogs skated into the second intermission firmly in control.
The final frame stayed scoreless, though North Bay pressed with several quality chances. Procyszyn tested Leenders early, Vaughan rang one off the post, and on the power play Shamar Moses and Pitre combined for another dangerous look. But Leenders stood tall throughout the period. At the other end, Testa broke in for a late chance, but McIvor denied him. In the final moments, Evgeny Dubrovtsev earned one last opportunity for the Battalion, but Leenders gloved it cleanly, sealing a 7–2 Bulldogs win.
Story submitted by Mikayla Grimes
