The Bulldogs carried a 1-0 series lead into Sunday afternoon as they hosted Game 2 of their first-round matchup with the Sudbury Wolves.
The Bulldogs looked to carry over the momentum from their 6-2 win in Game 1 and wasted no time doing just that. Brantford got on the board early, striking first on the man advantage to take a 1-0 lead at 4:46. Jake O’Brien set up Marek Vanacker, who quickly found Caleb Malhotra sneaking in backdoor, burying his 3rd of the playoffs past Wolves netminder Paolo Frasca. The Wolves looked to respond on the power play, but Ryerson Leenders shut the door, denying Jan Chovan to keep the Bulldogs in front. Brantford kept rolling and doubled their lead at 7:30, as a turnover sparked a rush the other way. Gabriel Frasca pushed up ice with Charlie Paquette, who fired the initial shot before the rebound kicked right out to Frasca, and he hammered home his 1st of the playoffs to make it 2-0. The Wolves looked to cut the lead in half as Hudson Martin fired a shot on goal, with Jan Chovan knocking it down to his forehand, but Ryerson Leenders came up with the stop. Sudbury would find their breakthrough late in the frame at 18:54 to cut the deficit to one. Artem Gonchar blasted a drive from the blue line, with Leenders kicking out the blocker to make the initial save, but the rebound found Jean-Cristoph Lemieux, who buried his 1st of the playoffs. The physicality carried over from Game 1, as Adam Jiricek laid a heavy hit on Rowan Henderson, sparking a sequence that saw Chase Coughlan take down Marek Vanacker, with Jake O’Brien stepping in to defend his teammate, resulting in a Wolves power play to start the middle frame. The Bulldogs head to the intermission holding a 2-1 lead, while the Wolves hold a slight 11-10 edge in shots.
For the rest of the full game recap, check out the Bulldogs Web site.
Story by Mikayla Grimes
