The Bulldogs closed out their weekend slate on Sunday afternoon, welcoming the Soo Greyhounds to the TD Civic Centre for their Next Gen Game.
With the Greyhounds wrapping up their weekend road trip and still without Brady Martin, the Bulldogs wasted little time opening the scoring on the power play. At 3:21, Caleb Malhotra fired the initial shot and Adam Benak was waiting at the doorstep to jam home the rebound for his 22nd of the season. Soo quickly pushed back with pressure of its own. Marco Mignosa found Chase Reid out front, but Ryerson Leenders stayed strong to turn it aside. Another chance followed as Blake Arrowsmith led the rush and connected with Carson Andrew, who redirected the puck wide of the net. The Greyhounds tied the game at 11:43, as Mignosa connected with Jeremy Martin, who snapped a shot past Leenders for his 18th of the season. With momentum on their side, Soo looked to grab the lead when Martin generated another chance, but Leenders answered with a glove save. In the final moments of the opening frame, Reid unloaded a blast from the blue line with Martin jamming at the loose puck in front, but Leenders held firm, sending both teams to the intermission tied 1–1, with Soo holding a 9–6 edge in shots.
Brantford opened the second period on the power play but was unable to convert. Adam Jiricek looked to set up Marek Vanacker, whose redirection slid just wide as the Greyhounds’ penalty kill stood tall. The Bulldogs continued to generate pressure as Jeremy Freeman walked in with a quality look, but Carter George kicked out the blocker to make the save. Soo answered back with a chance from Jordan Charron, though Leenders stayed square to the shot. Brantford earned another power play when Arrowsmith was sent off for tripping, and moments later a bench minor for too many men gave the Bulldogs a 5-on-3 advantage. Jake O’Brien looked to snap Brantford into the lead from the slot, but George stood tall to deny the opportunity. Nikolas Rossetto followed with a backhand chance before a point shot forced another glove save from George. Soo then went to the man advantage, but Malhotra and Cooper Dennis broke in shorthanded and were denied once again. As Owen Protz was sent off, the Greyhounds earned a 5-on-3 of their own, but it turned in Brantford’s favour when Parker Holmes generated a shorthanded chance that was turned aside. The Bulldogs killed off the penalty, ending the period tied 1–1, with shots even at 20.
Both teams pushed early in the third period searching for the go-ahead goal. Soo applied the initial pressure as Brodie McConnell-Barker fired the opening shot and Travis Hayes jumped on the rebound with a backhand attempt that Leenders denied. McConnell-Barker followed with a blast from the left circle, but Leenders flashed the glove to make the save.
Brantford answered with chances of its own as Edison Engle fired a shot and Gabriel Frasca attempted to jam home the rebound under the pads of George, but the goaltender held firm. Ben Danford later stepped into the play with a quality look, though George stood tall again. The Bulldogs broke through at 9:00 as Vladimir Dravecky set up Charlie Paquette, who walked in alone and wrapped the puck around the pads of George for his 24th of the season to give Brantford a 2–1 lead. Soo responded at 11:52 when Brady Smith connected with Colin Fitzgerald, who found Lukas Fischer in the slot. Fischer snapped the puck bar down for his fifth of the season to tie the game. Brantford earned a late power play where Benak generated a chance but was denied. In the final minute of regulation, O’Brien looked for the buzzer-beater with a one-timer, but George made the stop, sending the game to overtime. Benak nearly ended it early in the extra frame with a breakaway chance, but George stood tall. Vanacker later set up Danford for a drive that was turned aside, while at the other end Hayes generated a chance that Leenders stopped. After five minutes of overtime solved nothing, the game went to a shootout. Adam Benak converted the lone goal, sealing a 3–2 shootout victory for the Bulldogs.
Story submitted by Mikayla Grimes
