[{"id":38289,"date":"2026-04-22T22:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T02:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/?p=38289"},"modified":"2026-04-22T22:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T02:45:10","slug":"obrien-strikes-late-bulldogs-take-game-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/article\/obrien-strikes-late-bulldogs-take-game-1","title":{"rendered":"O\u2019BRIEN STRIKES LATE, BULLDOGS TAKE GAME 1 \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO.<\/strong> The Eastern Conference Finals stage is set as the Bulldogs take on the Barrie Colts. With the Bobby Orr Trophy on the line, the Bulldogs enter the series looking to continue their dominant playoff run and punch their ticket to the OHL Championship Series.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs entered the Eastern Conference Finals with plenty of momentum following a picture-perfect start to the postseason, as they are undefeated with an 8-0 record sweeping both the Sudbury Wolves and the North Bay Battalion. The physicality ramped up early, highlighted by Ryder Bolton delivering a heavy hit in the Colts\u2019 zone. Moments later, Luca Testa led a breakout rush, but his chance was turned aside by Ben Hrebik, who turned aside the rebound. Barrie pushed back the other way, as Mason Zebeski unleashed a shot from the faceoff dot, only to be denied by Ryerson Leenders. The Colts continued to match the Bulldogs\u2019 intensity, with Emil Hemming laying out Zack Sandhu along the boards. Parker von Richter then walked in with speed and attempted to slip one five-hole, but Leenders came up with a key stop. Back at the other end, Caleb Malhotra connected with Cooper Dennis in front, who tried to lift the puck over Hrebik\u2019s shoulder, but the Colts netminder stood tall once again. Barrie came inches away from opening the scoring late in the sequence, as Joe Salandra rang a shot off the goal post. The Colts were awarded the game\u2019s first power play, where Cole Beaudoin found space in the slot, but his shot was blocked before reaching the net. Moments later, a broken stick from Zack Sandhu led to a quick passing sequence, as Kashawn Aitcheson set up Carter Lowe on the doorstep, but Ryerson Leenders stood tall to make the stop. After the opening frame, both teams head to the locker room deadlocked at 0-0, with the Colts holding a 13-7 edge in shots on goal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs opened the middle frame on the man advantage and capitalized early, striking at 1:35 to take a 1-0 lead. With Ben Hrebik down in his crease, Marek Vanacker found Jake O\u2019Brien, who slipped it past the netminder for his 4th of the postseason. The Colts responded quickly, evening the score at 1-1 just under two minutes later. Justin Handsor connected with Carter Lowe, who fired a shot five-hole past Ryerson Leenders for his 4th of the playoffs at 3:32. Brantford answered right back, restoring their lead at 3:59 to make it 2-1. Edison Engle carried the puck across the blue line and moved it to Vladimir Dravecky, who set up Caleb Malhotra for a quick shot that beat Hrebik for his 9th of the postseason. The Bulldogs continued to press, with Adam Jiricek unleashing a blast that Hrebik turned aside. Moments later, Brantford broke out on a 2-on-1, as Adam Benak found Cooper Dennis, but Hrebik came across with a strong blocker save. On another power play opportunity, Caleb Malhotra hovered at the doorstep, and with Hrebik knocked down in the crease, the Colts netminder managed to reach out and glove the puck to keep it out. After 40 minutes of play, the Bulldogs headed down the tunnel holding a 2-1 lead, while also carrying a 28-19 advantage in shots on goal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs opened the final frame on the man advantage and capitalized once again, striking at 1:15 to extend their lead to 3-1. Jake O\u2019Brien found Caleb Malhotra, who buried the chance past the Colts netminder for his second of the game and 10th of the postseason. Brantford continued to generate chances on another power play opportunity, with Cooper Dennis firing a one-timer, but it was turned aside by Hrebik. The Colts pushed back in an effort to cut into the deficit, as Mason Zebeski attempted a backdoor finish over the pads of Ryerson Leenders, but the Bulldogs goaltender came up with a key stop. The Colts were awarded a power play midway through the period, where Kashawn Aitcheson fired a shot on goal, but Ryerson Leenders gloved it down. Barrie would break through at 12:59 to cut the deficit to 3-2, as Cole Emerton set up Cole Beaudoin, who slipped a shot past Leenders for his 8th of the postseason. The momentum continued to swing in the Colts\u2019 favour, as they found the equalizer at 15:18. Mason Zebeski connected with Kashawn Aitcheson, who wired a shot over the shoulder of Leenders to tie the game at 3-3. Barrie pushed for the go-ahead goal shortly after, with Zebeski getting an initial shot through and Aitcheson jumping on the rebound, but Leenders came up with a crucial stop to keep the game level. With overtime looming, the Bulldogs found their answer late in regulation. At 18:25, Adam Jiricek set up Jake O\u2019Brien, who fired home his second of the game and 5th of the postseason to restore the lead. The Bulldogs would close it out from there, securing a 4-3 victory in Game 1 and taking a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Brantford Bulldogs will return to action in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Barrie Colts at the TD Civic Centre on Friday, April 24. Puck drop set for 7 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. The Eastern Conference Finals stage is set as the Bulldogs take on the Barrie Colts. With the Bobby Orr Trophy on the line, the Bulldogs enter the series looking to continue their dominant playoff run and punch their ticket to the OHL Championship Series.   The Bulldogs entered the Eastern Conference Finals with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":38290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1233],"tags":[{"term_id":2071,"name":"Kashawan Aitcheson","slug":"kashawan-aitcheson","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2071,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":2072,"name":"Carter Lowe","slug":"carter-lowe","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2072,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2"},{"term_id":1992,"name":"Adam 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ROAD AHEAD: BATTLING BARRIE FOR BOBBY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two opponents faced, two opponents defeated. Eight games played, eight games won. Two series down, two more to go.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a picture-perfect start to the 2026 OHL Playoffs for the Brantford Bulldogs, as they find themselves undefeated with an 8-0 record to kick off the postseason.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2022, but their path to the championship will only get tougher from here on out, with the Central Division winners Barrie Colts now their last opponent before the OHL Championship Series.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see how these two Eastern Conference titans face-off in what\u2019s sure to be a classic series.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Storylines to watch:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

These two teams split their season series at two wins apiece. The scores from these games were as follows:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 29 – Barrie 5 at Brantford 4 (OT)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 25 – Barrie 1 at Brantford 7<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 21 – Brantford 4 at Barrie 7<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 5 – Brantford 5 at Barrie 3<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This barn burner of a season series from these two squads saw the Bulldogs outscore the Colts 20-16, as well as both teams stealing a win on the road over the course of the season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jake O\u2019Brien led the way for Brantford with 12 points during the season series, with Emil Hemming leading Barrie with eight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien has also paced the Bulldogs in playoff scoring, registering 15 points through eight games thus far. Barrie forward Cole Beaudoin has put up 23 points in 10 playoff games, leading not just the Colts, but also the entire OHL.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The stage is set for a thrilling series between two of the OHL\u2019s best, with Game 1 taking place this Wednesday, April 22nd in Brantford.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The winner of this best-of-seven will take on either the Kitchener Rangers or Windsor Spitfires from the west.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Eastern Conference Finals schedule is as follows. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 1 \u2013 Wednesday, April 22nd at Brantford 7:00pm<\/p>\n

Game 2 \u2013 Friday, April 24th at Brantford 7:00pm<\/p>\n

Game 3 \u2013 Sunday, April 26th at Barrie 6:00pm<\/p>\n

Game 4 \u2013 Tuesday, April 28th at Barrie 7:00pm<\/p>\n

Game 5 \u2013 Thursday, April 30th at Brantford 7:00pm (if needed)<\/p>\n

Game 6 \u2013 Saturday, May 2nd at Barrie 7:30pm (if needed)<\/p>\n

Game 7 \u2013 Monday, May 4th at Brantford 7:00pm (if needed)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two opponents faced, two opponents defeated. Eight games played, eight games won. Two series down, two more to go.   It\u2019s been a picture-perfect start to the 2026 OHL Playoffs for the Brantford Bulldogs, as they find themselves undefeated with an 8-0 record to kick off the postseason.   The Bulldogs have advanced to the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":37836,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1233],"tags":[{"term_id":1489,"name":"BAR","slug":"bar","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1489,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw","term_order":"561"},{"term_id":1354,"name":"BFDvsBAR","slug":"bfdvsbar","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1354,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":19,"filter":"raw","term_order":"681"},{"term_id":1302,"name":"BFD","slug":"bfd","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1302,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":366,"filter":"raw","term_order":"734"},{"term_id":320,"name":"Barrie Colts","slug":"barrie-colts","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":351,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":23,"filter":"raw","term_order":"892"},{"term_id":379,"name":"Bobby Orr Trophy","slug":"bobby-orr-trophy","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":410,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"915"},{"term_id":1163,"name":"Brantford Bulldogs","slug":"brantford-bulldogs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1219,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":290,"filter":"raw","term_order":"926"},{"term_id":78,"name":"bulldogs","slug":"bulldogs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":78,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":671,"filter":"raw","term_order":"945"},{"term_id":215,"name":"Colts","slug":"colts","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":242,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":29,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1047"},{"term_id":371,"name":"Eastern Conference Final","slug":"eastern-conference-final","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":402,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1130"},{"term_id":79,"name":"ohl","slug":"ohl","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":80,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":642,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1575"},{"term_id":646,"name":"The Road Ahead","slug":"the-road-ahead","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":693,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":47,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1837"}],"class_list":["post-38279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-bar","tag-bfdvsbar","tag-bfd","tag-barrie-colts","tag-bobby-orr-trophy","tag-brantford-bulldogs","tag-bulldogs","tag-colts","tag-eastern-conference-final","tag-ohl","tag-the-road-ahead","category-1233","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2025\/11\/20102334\/The-Road-Ahead-2025.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":38273,"date":"2026-04-15T20:59:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T00:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/?p=38273"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:16:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:16:46","slug":"obrien-send-bulldogs-to-eastern-finals-with-series-clincher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/article\/obrien-send-bulldogs-to-eastern-finals-with-series-clincher","title":{"rendered":"O\u2019BRIEN SENDS BULLDOGS TO EASTERN FINALS WITH SERIES CLINCHER \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

NORTH BAY, ONTARIO.<\/strong> The Brantford Bulldogs entered a delayed Game 4 at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens in North Bay on Wednesday evening with an opportunity to record their second straight sweep of the 2026 OHL Playoffs, holding a commanding 3-0 series following Ben Danford\u2019s double overtime heroics in Game 3.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs received the services of defenseman Vladimir Dravecky back into the lineup while David Egorov made his first start of the 2026 OHL post-season in the potential eliminator. Egorov was good early for the Bulldogs stopping a pair of from Parker Vaughan & Ryder Carey at close range to give the Bulldogs a boost. The Bulldogs responded at 7:11 with Luca Testa off the right-wing wall feeding on for Adam Benak who sent Gabriel Frasca down the middle of the ice to notch his 2nd<\/sup> of the post-season and give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Just 20-seconds later, Owen Protz tossed the puck low for Jake O\u2019Brien curling around the back of the North Bay net and with a quick glance over his shoulder fed a perfect pass to the top of the slot for Adam Jiricek to gather and rocket in his 5th<\/sup> of the post season at 7:31 for a 2-0 lead. Continuing on the front foot the Bulldogs tripled the lead at 13:44 with a great fourth line possession shift that led to Adam Jiricek feeding Parker Holmes who hammer a shot off the underside of the front crossbar that bounced in the crease, off Mike McIvor and over the goal line for his 1st<\/sup> OHL playoff goal and a 3-0 Bulldogs lead. Before the frame was out the Battalion pulled one back with Owen Protz throwing a green light hit on Evgeny Dubrovtsev but the puck rolled onto Ryder Carey who beat Egorov glove side from the outside of the left circle for his 2nd<\/sup> of the playoffs cutting the lead to 3-1 at 17:08.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Battalion picked up where they left off, striking just 1:17 into the second period as a puck off a Bulldogs faceoff win died out at the top of the right circle where Shamar Moses let loose a bullet over David Egorov for his 1st<\/sup> of the post-season, cutting the lead to 3-2. With the Bulldogs on the power-play at 9:39, disaster struck with David Egorov looking to make a long out from his own zone but the puck flubbed off his forehand and landed for Parker Vaughan who beat the Bulldogs netminder back to the cage for his 5th<\/sup> of the playoffs tying the game 3-3. The Bulldogs had the majority of control from there in the middle frame, including Jake O\u2019Brien scoring what appeared to be the go-ahead goal off a Marek Vanacker right-wing net drive but was waved off for goaltender interference. Caleb Malhotra sent Cooper Dennis away off a perfect area pass but Mike McIvor was able to deny that opportunity as he was a Charlie Paquette drive from the right circle to keep the game knotted 3-3 heading to the third period.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The third period was a very tight affair that saw the Bulldogs battle their way to a lead before the halfway point. Jett Luchanko flew in on the left-wing side, wrapping around the back of the Battalion goal and exiting on the right. Taking the space available, Luchanko strode to the middle of the blueline and fired a shot to the front of the Battalion net that was tipped by Jake O\u2019Brien to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead at 8:14. The Bulldogs appeared to double the lead moments later when a bouncing rebound off Mike McIvor landed to the skates of Jett Luchanko, bouncing off the Bulldogs forward and in but was ruled no-goal for a kick, a ruling which puzzled the Bulldogs bench, and kept the game a one goal affair. David Egorov was stellar down the stretch, including a tremendous stop off the left side on Nolan Laird to keep the Bulldogs ahead followed by a late sprawling stop to keep the Bulldogs in command. At 19:43, the Bulldogs salted the game away with Charlie Paquette floating the puck onto Marek Vanacker for the empty net on his 6th<\/sup> of the playoffs to send the Bulldogs to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in franchise history.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Brantford Bulldogs will host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on home ice with date and opponent yet to be determined.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NORTH BAY, ONTARIO. The Brantford Bulldogs entered a delayed Game 4 at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens in North Bay on Wednesday evening with an opportunity to record their second straight sweep of the 2026 OHL Playoffs, holding a commanding 3-0 series following Ben Danford\u2019s double overtime heroics in Game 3.   The Bulldogs received…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":38274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1233],"tags":[{"term_id":1755,"name":"Charlie Paquette","slug":"charlie-paquette","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1755,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":29,"filter":"raw","term_order":"308"},{"term_id":1660,"name":"Parker Holmes","slug":"parker-holmes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1660,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw","term_order":"391"},{"term_id":1535,"name":"Jett 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THE HERO IN OVERTIME MARATHON TO TAKE SERIES COMMAND \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

NORTH BAY, ONTARIO.<\/strong> The Brantford Bulldogs Eastern Conference Semi-Final series with the North Bay Battalion turned north on Sunday afternoon for Game 3 at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens. Entering Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead, the Bulldogs were looking to take a stranglehold on the series.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ryan Chamberlain made his OHL Playoffs debut on Sunday afternoon with Dylan Tsherna listed as day-to-day after exiting Game 2. The Battalion got exactly the start they were looking for on home ice as just 34-seconds into the game, Cam Warren found himself skating down the middle of the ice alone after Owen Protz had lost his helmet and needed to make a change on the Bulldogs bench. Warren\u2019s shot got into the pads of Ryerson Leenders but just squeezed through for Warren\u2019s 4th<\/sup> of the playoffs and the Battalion\u2019s first lead of the series. Leenders was solid following the early marker, denying Battalion captain Ethan Procyszyn on a one-timer from the left-circle and making a nice blocker stop on a Lirim Amidovski drive from above the left circle. The Bulldogs killed off a delay of game penalty around the mid-point of the period and turned the momentum of the frame from there. Mike McIvor, making his first start of the series, had to be sharp in guiding 10 shots aside through the period. Marek Vanacker poured three on the North Bay goal through the first 20 minutes, while McIvor robbed Zachary Sandhu on a clear breakaway out of the penalty box, to keep the Battalion lead intact to the locker room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The middle frame was controlled by the Bulldogs, outshooting the Battalion by a 15-2 margin over the period. Mike McIvor was forced to be brilliant under consistent pressure and responded after the Bulldogs knotted the game. Charlie Paquette drew the early period power-play with a power move off the right-wing, dropping his shoulder and driving the front of the North Bay net, forcing Adrian Manzo into a holding penalty. It was Paquette who notched the goal on the man advantage as well. Edison Engle laid the puck low on the right side for Jett Luchanko who sent a cross seem pass through four players to the right circle where Paquette was able to step into a one-timer and drill the shot past McIvor for his 1st<\/sup> of the post-season, and seventh point in seven games, tying the game 1-1 at 2:28. It was McIvor\u2019s show from there, denying another Paquette rocket on an ensuing Bulldogs power-play while holding off another three attempts from Marek Vanacker in the frame as well as a pair of door-step opportunities from Gabriel Frasca to keep the game 1-1 to the second intermission.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The third was as dominant territorially for the Bulldogs as the second with Mike McIvor playing hero for the hosts. The Bulldogs outshot the Battalion by a 15-2 margin for the second straight period but found themselves trailing late after Ethan Procyszyn was able to fly away on a 2-on-1 and mark 4th<\/sup> of the post-season to give the Battalion a 2-1 edge on just their 2nd<\/sup> shot of the period at 9:26. With time running thin and Ryerson Leenders on the Bulldogs bench, Jake O\u2019Brien pulled the puck from traffic on the left-wing side and sent it to the blueline for Adam Jiricek who quickly found Adam Benak in the right circle for a one-time shot that beat McIvor back to his post for Benak\u2019s 2nd<\/sup> of the playoffs and forcing the Bulldogs 2nd<\/sup> overtime of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Battalion raced out for the first overtime session showing desperation to keep from falling behind 3-0 in the series. Ryerson Leenders had to be outstanding early in the frame denying a tremendous Nolan Laird chance off a great North Bay offensive rotation. Laird took a pass from the right corner flying through the slot and Leenders, through a screen, kicked the puck aside to continue the contest as part of 9 overtime stops. McIvor was equally as brilliant at the other end, fighting off goal mouth scramble chances from O\u2019Brien, Vanacker and Frasca as well as a short side corner attempt from Caleb Malhotra to keep his side alive and force a second overtime period.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ryerson Leenders was brilliant to open the second overtime, making a split save at the side of the Bulldogs goal to assure the game would continue and it paid off. At 14:33 of the 5th<\/sup> period, Marek Vanacker sent Jake O\u2019Brien away on the left-wing side before picking out Ben Danford on the right point who whistled a drive past Mike McIvor on his 1st<\/sup> of the playoffs to give the Bulldogs the 3-2 overtime victory and a commanding 3-0 series lead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Brantford Bulldogs will return to action in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the North Bay Battalion, with a chance for their second straight sweep, on Tuesday night, April 14th<\/sup> with a 7:00pm start at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NORTH BAY, ONTARIO. The Brantford Bulldogs Eastern Conference Semi-Final series with the North Bay Battalion turned north on Sunday afternoon for Game 3 at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens. Entering Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead, the Bulldogs were looking to take a stranglehold on the series.   Ryan Chamberlain made his OHL Playoffs…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":38271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1233],"tags":[{"term_id":2031,"name":"Ben Danford","slug":"ben-danford","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2031,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw","term_order":"40"},{"term_id":1992,"name":"Adam Benak","slug":"adam-benak","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1992,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":54,"filter":"raw","term_order":"73"},{"term_id":1981,"name":"Edison Engle","slug":"edison-engle","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1981,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":30,"filter":"raw","term_order":"87"},{"term_id":1755,"name":"Charlie 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BRANTFORD, ONTARIO.<\/strong> The Bulldogs hosted Game 2 of their second-round series on Friday night at the TD Civic Centre, aiming to hold home ice following an 8-1 victory in Game 1.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs aimed to carry over their strong start from Game 1, but the Battalion came out with a solid defensive effort. Just like in the opener, Jack Lisson got the start for North Bay, while Ryerson Leenders took the crease for Brantford. Camron Hankai generated an early opportunity, walking in and releasing a shot from the left circle, but Lisson made the stop. Moments later, Gabriel Frasca, stationed behind the net, attempted to set up Charlie Paquette in the slot, but his shot was turned aside. The momentum continued to build for the Bulldogs as Caleb Malhotra blew past the North Bay defence and attempted a backhand move to open the scoring, but he was denied by Jack Lisson. Brantford then headed to their first power play of the game, where Marek Vanacker found a backdoor opportunity, but he too was turned aside by the Battalion goaltender. Shamar Moses fired a shot from the slot, but Ryerson Leenders came up with the save. Moments later, a bad bounce off a North Bay defender landed right on Caleb Malhotra\u2019s stick, and he made no mistake, hammering home his 8th of the playoffs. After 20 minutes of play, the Bulldogs head to the intermission holding a 1-0 lead over the Battalion, with Malhotra\u2019s buzzer-beater giving Brantford the edge, along with an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs doubled their lead early in the middle frame at 1:16. Adam Jiricek fired a shot that deflected off Jake O\u2019Brien, with Marek Vanacker jumping on the loose puck and burying his 4th of the postseason. Lirim Amidovski looked to respond, driving the net, but Ryerson Leenders turned it aside with the blocker. Moments later, Cooper Dennis tried to set up Caleb Malhotra on a rush, but Jack Lisson came across with a split save. Back the other way, Adrian Manzo unleashed a drive, but Leenders stood tall, using his shoulder to make the stop. Brantford extended their lead to 3-0 at 9:45. Owen Protz fired a shot from the point, and with Vanacker parked at the side of the net, he tipped it home for his second of the game and 5th of the playoffs. The Bulldogs struck again at 12:43 to make it 4-0. Charlie Paquette moved the puck over to Adam Jiricek, who blasted a shot past Lisson for his 4th of the postseason. Ryder Cali generated a chance from in front, but Leenders made the stop. The Battalion would finally break through at 16:51, as Shamar Moses set up Adrian Manzo, who teed up a shot from the blue line and beat Leenders for his 1st of the playoffs. North Bay headed to the power play late in the frame, where Cam Warren had a look, but Leenders came up with another big stop. After 40 minutes of play, the Bulldogs head to the dressing room holding a 4-1 lead over the Battalion.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The final frame saw both teams trade chances early. Adam Jiricek unloaded a drive, but Jack Lisson came up with a glove save to keep it out. North Bay looked to cut into the deficit as Adrian Manzo generated another opportunity, but Ryerson Leenders turned him aside. Jett Luchanko tried to connect with Marek Vanacker on a rush, but the chance was denied. Moments later, Lirim Amidovski looked to bring the Battalion closer, but Leenders shut the door once again. The Bulldogs continued to press, as Vanacker attempted to set up Jake O\u2019Brien at the top of the crease, but Lisson slid across to make a strong stop. In the final minute, Brantford looked to add one more, with Cooper Dennis finding Adam Benak, but Lisson made a sliding save to deny the wraparound attempt. The Bulldogs would close it out from there, securing a 4-1 victory and taking a 2-0 series lead over the North Bay Battalion.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The series will shift to North Bay on Sunday, April 12, as the Bulldogs and Battalion meet for Game 3 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. The Bulldogs hosted Game 2 of their second-round series on Friday night at the TD Civic Centre, aiming to hold home ice following an 8-1 victory in Game 1.   The Bulldogs aimed to carry over their strong start from Game 1, but the Battalion came out with a solid defensive effort. 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BOMBARD BATTALION 8-1 IN GAME 1 VICTORY \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO.<\/strong> The Bulldogs embarked on the second round of the OHL Playoffs on home ice at the TD Civic Centre, squaring off against the North Bay Battalion on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs entered the matchup with plenty of momentum following a first-round sweep of the eighth-seeded Sudbury Wolves. They also received a boost to their lineup with the return of Dylan Tsherna and Parker Holmes, while a late adjustment saw Camron Hankai draw in for Vladimir Dravecky. The Bulldogs thought they had opened the scoring early, as Jett Luchanko dropped a pass back to Marek Vanacker, who fired a shot over the shoulder of Jack Lisson. However, North Bay challenged the play, and the goal was overturned due to offside. Brantford didn\u2019t waste any time responding. On the power play at 2:09, Adam Jiricek set up Jake O\u2019Brien for a one-timer that was initially stopped, but Caleb Malhotra pounced on the rebound, burying his 6th of the playoffs to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. The Battalion looked to answer with a man advantage of their own, but the Bulldogs’ penalty kill held strong. Ben Danford disrupted the play, while moments later, Ryerson Leenders turned aside a slot chance from Shamar Moses with a solid blocker save. Back the other way, Cooper Dennis found space in the slot and fired a quick shot, but Lisson came up with the stop. Moments later, the Bulldogs doubled their lead at 9:08. Marek Vanacker connected with Jett Luchanko, who drove the net and jammed the puck under the pads of Lisson for his first of the playoffs. Brantford continued to pour on the pressure, striking again at 12:51. Off a turnover, Caleb Malhotra and Cooper Dennis broke out on an odd-man rush, where Malhotra elected to pass, setting up Dennis for a blast that made it 3-0. The Bulldogs kept rolling at 16:51, as Malhotra followed up his own initial shot and snapped home the rebound for his second of the game and 7th of the postseason. Brantford capped off a dominant opening frame at 18:37. Jake O\u2019Brien led the rush and found Marek Vanacker, who quickly returned the puck across to O\u2019Brien, and he finished the play to make it 5-0. After 20 minutes of play, the Bulldogs headed to the intermission with a commanding 5-0 lead, outshooting the Battalion 19-5.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Battalion turned to Mike McIvor in goal to start the middle frame, looking to spark a response. The Bulldogs, however, showed no signs of slowing down, as Adam Jiricek tried to set up Jake O\u2019Brien early, but his drive went just wide of the net. The Bulldogs added to their lead at 4:35, making it 6-0. Dylan Tsherna found Adam Jiricek, who slipped around a North Bay defender and wired a shot past Mike McIvor for his 3rd of the playoffs. Bronson Ride teed up a shot from the blue line, but Ryerson Leenders made the glove save. The Battalion then headed to the power play, where Nick Wellenreiter generated a chance, but was turned aside. Coming out of the penalty box, Adam Benak looked to spring Cooper Dennis on a rush, but Mike McIvor came up with the stop to keep it out. The Bulldogs struck again at 14:00 to extend the lead to 7-0. Adam Benak set up Luca Testa in front, where he tipped the puck over the pads of Mike McIvor for his 4th of the postseason. Moments later, Cooper Dennis looked to add another, walking in on goal, but McIvor flashed the glove to make the stop. After 40 minutes of play, the Bulldogs head down the tunnel carrying a 7-0 lead, outshooting the Battalion 34-20.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs kept the pressure on early in the third, striking at 1:46. Adam Jiricek found Marek Vanacker, who quickly set up Jake O\u2019Brien on the doorstep, and he buried his second of the game and of the playoffs. The Battalion responded at 5:28 to get on the scoreboard. With traffic in front of the net, Carter Kunopaski found a lane and fired a long shot past Ryerson Leenders for his first of the postseason. The Battalion headed to the power play looking to add another, as Ryder Cali found himself on the doorstep with the puck sitting on the goal line, but Ryerson Leenders came up with a key stop to keep it out. The Bulldogs would close out a dominant performance, skating to an 8-1 victory over the North Bay Battalion, while holding a 41-32 edge in shots on goal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Brantford Bulldogs take their 1-0 series lead into play for Game 2 on Friday, April 10th at the TD Civic Centre. Puck drop set for 7:00 pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. The Bulldogs embarked on the second round of the OHL Playoffs on home ice at the TD Civic Centre, squaring off against the North Bay Battalion on Wednesday night.   The Bulldogs entered the matchup with plenty of momentum following a first-round sweep of the eighth-seeded Sudbury Wolves. They also received a boost…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":38260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1233],"tags":[{"term_id":1992,"name":"Adam Benak","slug":"adam-benak","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1992,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":54,"filter":"raw","term_order":"73"},{"term_id":1963,"name":"Cooper Dennis","slug":"cooper-dennis","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1963,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":53,"filter":"raw","term_order":"105"},{"term_id":1664,"name":"Caleb Malhotra","slug":"caleb-malhotra","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1664,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":73,"filter":"raw","term_order":"387"},{"term_id":1535,"name":"Jett 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ROAD AHEAD: THE TROOPS COME MARCHING IN"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Brantford Bulldogs are coming off a first-round, four-game sweep of the OHL\u2019s 8th-seeded Sudbury Wolves, their first playoff sweep since 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They enter round two of the OHL playoffs for the second straight year, where the Dogs look to get redemption after last year\u2019s six-game loss to the Oshawa Generals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Their opponents this time around, the 5th-seeded North Bay Battalion, Brantford\u2019s first-round matchup from a year ago. The Battalion are coming off an electrifying game six-clincher, and both teams look to carry their built momentum into the second round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Storylines to watch:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The two teams split their regular season series 2-2, with the home team winning all four matchups. The scores from the season series were as follows:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 6 \u2013 North Bay 2 at Brantford 7<\/p>\n

January 22 \u2013 Brantford 4 at North Bay 5 (OT)<\/p>\n

March 12 \u2013 Brantford 2 at North Bay 3 (OT)<\/p>\n

March 20 \u2013 North Bay 5 at Brantford 6<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brantford was able to outscore the Battalion 19-15 in this tightly-contested regular season series, despite the last three outcomes only being decided by a single goal each.<\/p>\n

Caleb Malhotra led the Bulldogs with nine points during the season series, with Adam Benak and Jake O\u2019Brien following close behind with eight each. Kaden Pitre led the way for the Battalion, scoring six points.<\/p>\n

Malhotra also leads Brantford in playoff scoring, again putting up nine points in round one vs Sudbury. Camryn Warren leads North Bay with his five points.<\/p>\n

The stage is set for a thrilling second round series, and if the Bulldogs learned anything from the first round, it\u2019s that the wins won\u2019t come easy, and the Battalion will be hungry to keep the ball rolling after a thrilling series victory of their own.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The series schedule is as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Game 1 \u2013 Wednesday, April 8th at Brantford 7:00pm<\/p>\n

Game 2 \u2013 Friday, April 10th at Brantford 7:00pm<\/p>\n

Game 3 \u2013 Sunday, April 12th at North Bay 2:00pm<\/p>\n

Game 4 \u2013 Tuesday, April 14th at North Bay 7:00pm<\/p>\n

Game 5 \u2013 Thursday, April 16th at Brantford 7:00pm (if needed)<\/p>\n

Game 6 \u2013 Saturday, April 18th at North Bay 7:00pm (if needed)<\/p>\n

Game 7 \u2013 Monday, April 20th at Brantford 7:00pm (if needed)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The series kicks off this Wednesday as the Bulldogs look to continue their trek to the OHL Championship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Brantford Bulldogs are coming off a first-round, four-game sweep of the OHL\u2019s 8th-seeded Sudbury Wolves, their first playoff sweep since 2022.   They enter round two of the OHL playoffs for the second straight year, where the Dogs look to get redemption after last year\u2019s six-game loss to the Oshawa Generals.   Their opponents…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":37836,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1233],"tags":[{"term_id":1450,"name":"NB","slug":"nb","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1450,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","term_order":"588"},{"term_id":1352,"name":"BFDvsNB","slug":"bfdvsnb","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1352,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":25,"filter":"raw","term_order":"685"},{"term_id":875,"name":"Battalion","slug":"battalion","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":926,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":26,"filter":"raw","term_order":"893"},{"term_id":1163,"name":"Brantford Bulldogs","slug":"brantford-bulldogs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1219,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":290,"filter":"raw","term_order":"926"},{"term_id":78,"name":"bulldogs","slug":"bulldogs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":78,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":671,"filter":"raw","term_order":"945"},{"term_id":276,"name":"North Bay Battalion","slug":"north-bay-battalion","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":304,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":30,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1561"},{"term_id":79,"name":"ohl","slug":"ohl","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":80,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":642,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1575"},{"term_id":565,"name":"OHL Playoffs","slug":"ohl-playoffs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":604,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":27,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1589"},{"term_id":646,"name":"The Road Ahead","slug":"the-road-ahead","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":693,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":47,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1837"}],"class_list":["post-38254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-nb","tag-bfdvsnb","tag-battalion","tag-brantford-bulldogs","tag-bulldogs","tag-north-bay-battalion","tag-ohl","tag-ohl-playoffs","tag-the-road-ahead","category-1233","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2025\/11\/20102334\/The-Road-Ahead-2025.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-bulldogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]