Series HQ: Brantford vs. Barrie
Game 7 – Barrie Colts 5 – Brantford Bulldogs 0
BAR Wins 4-3
Colts Dominate Decisive Game 7 to Complete Series Comeback
The Barrie Colts left no doubt in Game 7, delivering a commanding 5-0 shutout victory over the Brantford Bulldogs at the TD Civic Centre to complete the series comeback and advance.
After back-to-back overtime wins to stay alive, Barrie carried that momentum into the deciding game and set the tone early. Kashawn Aitcheson opened the scoring late in the first period, scoring in the last two minutes to give the Colts a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
Brantford pushed back in the second, generating chances and finishing the night with a 40-30 edge in shots, but Barrie held firm to maintain the lead.
Emil Hemming doubled the advantage just 38 seconds into the frame on the power play, before Carter Lowe extended the lead to 3-0 minutes later. With Brantford pressing and eventually pulling the goaltender with five minutes to go, it was who Barrie capitalized.
Parker von Richter added an empty-net goal midway through the period, and Hemming sealed the win with his second of the night into the empty cage shortly after.
Ben Hrebik was outstanding once again, stopping all 40 shots he faced to record the shutout.
Brantford head coach Jay McKee credited Barrie’s goaltending while also reflecting on his team’s effort post-game.
“It’s probably the first time I’ve been incredibly proud and incredibly disappointed at the same time,” said Bulldogs Head Coach Jay McKee. “Our guys threw the kitchen sink at it, had an amazing season, bonded as a team, became a family in there, a group that loves each other, and obviously a very talented group, so the potential for this team was extremely high, but really proud of the effort that these guys put forth.”
“We obviously ran into a bit of a brick wall – their goalie was spectacular in the last couple games, but I felt our guys every shift gave everything they had and we came up short.”
With the win, the Colts complete the comeback in convincing fashion, punching their ticket to the OHL Finals, where they will face the Kitchener Rangers.
Game 6 – Brantford Bulldogs 3 – Barrie Colts 4 (OT)
Series Tied 3-3
Colts Score in Overtime, Force Winner-Take-All Game 7
For the second consecutive game, the Barrie Colts found a way in overtime, defeating the Brantford Bulldogs 4-3 at Sadlon Arena in Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7.
Brantford opened the scoring in the first period, as Cooper Dennis notched his fifth of the postseason off a feed from Caleb Malhotra, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. Despite being heavily outshot, Barrie stayed within striking distance heading into the intermission.
The Colts answered early in the second, with Jaiden Newton tying the game, but Brantford responded just over two minutes later. Ryder Boulton restored the Bulldogs’ lead before Jake O’Brien extended it to 3-1 later in the frame, putting Barrie on the brink.
Needing a push, the Colts delivered. Carter Lowe brought Barrie back within one before the end of the second period, shifting momentum heading into the third.
Barrie carried that momentum into the final frame, where Newton struck again for his second of the night, capitalizing on sustained offensive pressure to tie the game at 3-3. Brantford continued to press, finishing with a commanding 57-28 advantage in shots, but Colts netminder Ben Hrebik stood tall to keep the game even.
Overtime once again belonged to Barrie.
Hometown hero Mason Zebeski buried the game-winner at 9:38 of overtime, completing the comeback and keeping the Colts’ season alive.
With back-to-back overtime victories, Barrie forces a winner-take-all Game 7.
Game 5 – Barrie Colts 4 – Brantford Bulldogs 3 (OT)
BFD Leads 3-2
Colts Stay Alive with Overtime Win in Game 5
Facing elimination, the Barrie Colts delivered when it mattered most, earning a 4-3 overtime victory over the Brantford Bulldogs at the TD Civic Centre to keep their season alive.
Brantford opened the scoring in the first period, as Caleb Malhotra struck midway through the frame to give the Bulldogs the early edge. Barrie answered in the second, with Emil Hemming capitalizing on the power play to tie the game at one. The Bulldogs regained the lead later in the period, as Marek Vanacker converted with the man advantage to send Brantford into the intermission up 2-1.
The Colts, however, came out flying in the third, scoring twice in quick succession. William Schneid evened the score early in the period before Jaiden Newton gave Barrie its first lead of the night just minutes later. Brantford responded once again, though, with Malhotra netting his second of the game to tie things at three and force overtime.
Special teams played a key role throughout, with Barrie going 1-for-8 on the power play, while Brantford capitalized once on three opportunities.
In the extra frame, Barrie found its moment. Brad Gardiner stepped up as the hero, burying the game-winning goal to extend the series and send it back to the Sadlon Arena for Game 6.
With Cole Beaudoin missing the entirety of overtime, the overtime hero Brad Gardiner spoke about the team’s depth, “It’s huge. Contributions from everyone up and down the lineup, whether it’s goals, blocked shots, or guys winning big faceoffs.” He went on to describe that mentality as contributing to them being a hard team to beat because of it.
When discussing game five Bulldogs Head Coach described the game as “We certainly had our opportunities. We missed the net on a couple of chances and their goalie came up with some big saves. He went on to speak about their team discipline, “Have to be more disciplined. Taking eight penalties in a conference final when I don’t think we took eight penalties in a game all season.”
Game 4 – Brantford Bulldogs 6 – Barrie Colts 1
BFD Leads 3-1
Bulldogs Dominate on the Road to Take Commanding Series Lead
The Brantford Bulldogs delivered a statement performance on Tuesday night, erupting for six goals in a decisive 6-1 victory over the Barrie Colts at Sadlon Arena to take a 3-1 series lead, completing a perfect two-game road swing in Barrie.
Brantford wasted no time asserting control, striking three times in the opening period. Cooper Dennis opened the scoring just 4:41 into the game, before Adam Benak capitalized on the power play midway through the frame. Charlie Paquette added a late insurance marker to give the Bulldogs a commanding 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.
“Cooper has been strong for us with the whole playoffs. The numbers have shown he’s probably generated more chances than most of our guys and he’s had a lot of good looks at the net… he’s been playing fantastic, and to see him get rewarded tonight was nice,” said Bulldogs head coach Jay McKee.
Dennis echoed that sentiment after breaking through early. “I just needed one, and I got it there early and just kind of ran with it, so it was nice to get that one.”
Barrie responded in the second period with a 5-on-3 power play goal from Emil Hemming, cutting into the deficit. The Colts nearly struck again moments later on a breakaway, but Ryerson Leenders came up with a key stop to preserve the Bulldogs’ momentum.
“The bench has always been great, you know, the enthusiasm, the positivity, but Ryerson made a huge save on that breakaway to prevent them from going down just one goal, and those are saves that give our bench life, momentum, and excitement,” said McKee. “I was proud of the group for just digging in when it got tight there. They stuck with it, stayed patient, and were rewarded eventually.”
Brantford answered shortly after, as Dennis restored the three-goal cushion with his second of the night, and Paquette followed up with another to make it 5-1 heading into the third.
McKee also pointed to lineup adjustments paying dividends. “When you try different things over the course of the season, you build an understanding of where the chemistry is. I believe line chemistry is a real thing… we tried some different things last series as well when we were on the road, and we liked the look, so we went back to that here. We obviously like the results and the way the lines are clicking right now.”
The Bulldogs continued to pour it on in the final frame, as Caleb Malhotra buried a power-play goal to cap off the scoring and seal the dominant win.
“Our power play has been strong all year. Barrie’s got a great PK… so we have to give them some different looks. It was nice to get the first one, and then we kind of carried it away from there,” McKee added. “It’s a combination really of all three areas of the game, goaltending, defence, and the way forwards are committed to defending as well.”
Despite the lopsided score, Barrie remained upbeat postgame.
“Not the best start, obviously, you go down 3-0… but I’ll give these guys credit,” said Colts head coach Dylan Smoskowitz. “Walking into that room, before I even said anything, everyone was saying, ‘we got this guys.’ That positivity is what really drives a team… they are so excited for Wednesday night. That gives me a lot of hope.”
“If you were to walk in the room right now, it doesn’t seem like a room that won, but it doesn’t seem like a room that lost either,” he added. “I’m just very proud of the guys for having each other’s backs and keeping that positive attitude.”
Forward Brad Gardiner echoed that confidence heading into the next game. “Yeah, it’s a loud barn, but I think we’ve always fed off that… not a single one of us is ready for the season to be over yet. We’ve still got a lot of hockey left here and our best hockey ahead of us.”
Brantford’s offence was firing on all cylinders, outshooting Barrie 40-26 while converting twice on the power play. Malhotra registered four points (1G, 3A), while Dennis (2G, 1A) and Paquette (2G, 1A) recorded three.
With the win, the Bulldogs now sit one victory away from advancing, heading back home with a chance to close out the series in Game 5.
Game 3 – Brantford Bulldogs 2 at Barrie Colts 0
BFD Leads 2-1
The series shifted back to Barrie for a Sunday showdown at Sadlon Arena as the Bulldogs barked back in the series.
Game 3 opened with immediate pressure from Brantford, finding the back of the net just 15 seconds in. The goal was overturned following an offside review on the zone entry. Despite outshooting the Colts 21–11, the Bulldogs were held off the scoresheet in the first.
The breakthrough came in the second period, with Bulldogs captain Jake O’Brien capitalizing on a Colts turnover in their own zone. O’Brien would force the play back up ice, spotting an open Jett Luchanko alone in front. Luchanko made no mistake, scoring into an open net for his second goal of the postseason.
The Colts struggled to generate offence in the middle frame, recording just three shots. While they pushed in the third, they couldn’t solve Ryerson Leenders, as the Buffalo Sabres prospect turned aside every attempt to secure his second career playoff shutout.
Bulldogs Head Coach Jay McKee spoke on Leenders’ performance following the game
“He’s been a huge part of our team all season long, not just tonight.” He would go on to describe his game as helping keep the momentum off the Barrie bench with his flurry of saves that would rally the team to the win.
On the other side, Colts bench boss Dylan Smoskowitz spoke following the game.
“I didn’t think we played to our capability tonight and I don’t think our identity showed.” He would go on to say “I truly believe that our group plays that Barrie Colts style, we’re a hard out every night.”
Game 2 – Barrie Colts 5 – Brantford Bulldogs 3
Series Tied 1-1
The Brantford Bulldogs opened the scoring in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Championship Series, but the Barrie Colts responded with a push to even the series.
In front of another sold-out crowd at the TD Civic Centre, captain Marek Vanacker got the home side going midway through the first period. Barrie answered back before the break, as Ben Wilmott returned to the lineup and scored his ninth of the playoffs.
The Colts carried momentum into the second. Brad Gardiner capitalized on a rebound to give Barrie the lead, before Kashawn Aitcheson continued his standout postseason with a power-play one-timer, setting a new franchise record for goals by a defenceman in the playoffs, passing Aaron Ekblad. Adam Jiricek responded for Brantford with a point shot to cut the deficit to one heading into the third.
Cole Beaudoin took over early in the final frame, scoring twice in quick succession, including the game-winner on his 20th birthday. Jiricek added a late goal, but the Bulldogs were unable to complete the comeback, suffering their first loss of the playoffs as the series shifts to Barrie.
With the Bulldogs dropping their first game of the postseason, Jay McKee spoke to the media postgame.
“The message is it’s not supposed to be easy. At this point in the playoffs, every team is up against strong opponents. We knew that coming into this.
Colts forward Cole Beaudoin spoke on the group’s mentality following a key road win.
“It’s the energy that we bring on the bench, during the intermission and talking over things. We’re trying to learn and get better every single period and day.”
Game 1 – Barrie Colts 3 – Brantford Bulldogs 4
BFD Leads 1-0
O’Brien Scores Late to Surge Past Colts
The Brantford Bulldogs drew first blood in the Eastern Conference Final, edging the Barrie Colts in a wild third period Tuesday night at the TD Civic Centre.
After a scoreless opening frame, the middle period delivered a flurry of goals in under four minutes. Captain Jake O’Brien got things started on the power play just 1:35 in, only for Barrie’s Carter Lowe to answer back less than two minutes later. The lead didn’t stay gone for long, though as rookie sensation Caleb Malhotra restored it a mere 27 seconds after that.
Early in the third, Malhotra struck again on the power play, burying his 10th of the postseason to tie him for the OHL playoff lead and push Brantford’s cushion to two. From there, it looked like the Bulldogs might coast, but the Colts had other ideas. Cole Beaudoin cashed in on the man advantage at 12:59 to halve the deficit, and Kashawn Aitcheson tied it at three with 4:42 to play, stunning the Bulldogs and setting the tone for what felt like a certain overtime.
“Third period especially, I thought we started out okay, and then there was some momentum swing when they scored their power play goal, and we were on our heels a little bit,” McKee admitted. “So to pull it off late, obviously a good feeling. I think there’s a lot we can take positive from the game and then some stuff we can learn from.”
However, with just 1:35 left in regulation, O’Brien found the puck on his stick in the circle and made no mistake. The Seattle Kraken prospect buried the game-winner from Adam Jiricek and Owen Protz to cap a two-goal, one-assist first-star performance and steal the win back for the Bulldogs, who have won nine straight this postseason.
For the captain, the response after Aitcheson’s late equalizer was simple. “Obviously they had momentum after that second goal, so I just said to my linemates, just try to get an ozone shift and kind of turn it around there,” O’Brien said. “I got in the ozone and then luckily it went in there. It feels good. Obviously, I want to be a big player in this series, and I want to lead the right way, so tonight that feels good for me.”
McKee wasn’t surprised to see his captain deliver the moment. “I’ve seen him for three years now. He’s a special player. There’s a reason he’s our captain,” he said. “There’s a lot of things off the ice that help lead to success for this hockey club, and that moment there was another example. We’re fortunate enough to have a player like him, and that was obviously a big goal for the series.”
Across the hall, Barrie head coach Dylan Smoskowitz took pride in the fight his team showed in clawing back from a two-goal third-period deficit. “It’s a telltale sign of what this group’s been about all season long. It’s a no-quit mentality,” Smoskowitz said. “There have been numerous games this year where I’ve been standing on the bench, and even myself, I think that we’re done for. But the guys have been positive on the bench all year, and they keep each other going. They’re vocal. They’re physically engaged. They’re cheering each other on. No different tonight. I thought the guys did a great job there in that third period. I thought the ice was tilted in our favour in the third, and looking forward to many more games this series like that.”
Series Preview
(1) Brantford Bulldogs (48-10-8-2) vs. (2) Barrie Colts (45-14-5-4)
The Eastern Conference Final brings together two of the best teams in the OHL this season, as the East Division-winning Brantford Bulldogs host the Central Division-winning Barrie Colts in what promises to be a compelling clash of contrasting styles. Both clubs have been dominant throughout the postseason, setting the stage for what could be a classic conference final.
The season series between these two offers little clarity, ending deadlocked at 2-2, with the results swinging wildly from a 7-1 blowout to a 7-4 affair, suggesting that when these two meet, anything can happen. One thing that is certain, however, is the physicality this matchup brings, as the teams combined for 181 penalty minutes over those four games. It also marks just the second playoff meeting in franchise history, adding another layer of intrigue to an already compelling series.
Brantford comes in as the top seed and has looked every bit the part throughout the playoffs. The Bulldogs have swept both of their series and have not scored fewer than three goals in any game this postseason, a testament to the depth of an offence that generates contributions from up and down the lineup night after night. Captain Jake O’Brien leads the team with 15 points and set the tone ahead of the series when speaking to the media.
“I’m very confident in our group right now,” O’Brien said. “This is the best we’ve played all year, especially throughout the playoffs. Barrie is a really strong team, so it’s going to be a tough challenge, but we’re excited for it.”
Up front, Emms Family Award finalist Caleb Malhotra paces the club in goals with eight, five of which have come on the power play, making Brantford’s man advantage one of the most dangerous in the league. In goal, Ryerson Leenders leads the entire league with a 1.84 goals-against average and has been calm and composed throughout. Coach Jay McKee touched on his group’s character ahead of the series.
“Every player should be able to look in the mirror after a game and know they gave everything they had. That’s all we ask. It’s a high-character team that competes hard and executes at a high level, and that gives us confidence.”
Barrie arrives in the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive season, but this year’s group is hungry to go further after being swept by the Oshawa Generals a year ago. Coach Dylan Smoskowitz addressed that disappointment head-on ahead of the series.
“We were disappointed with how things ended last year, but we’ve talked a lot about growth. We believe there’s no such thing as losing if you learn from it. The players who were here last season have shared those lessons with the group, and that’s been part of our mindset since day one.”
The Colts are led offensively by Cole Beaudoin, who tops the entire league in playoff scoring with 23 points and has registered a point in every single game of this postseason. Beaudoin spoke about what it will take to get past Brantford.
“I think it comes down to our depth throughout the lineup. Every night, we’ll need someone to step up. It’s going to take a full team effort to get past Brantford.”
Emil Hemming is not far behind at 17 points, giving Barrie a potent one-two punch at the top of the lineup. Goaltender Ben Hrebik enters with a .923 save percentage and will need to be at his best against a Brantford offence that has shown no signs of slowing down.
One area that will bear watching is discipline. Barrie has more than doubled Brantford’s penalty minute total in the postseason, 141 to 59, and Kashawn Aitcheson was candid about the challenge that presents against a Brantford power play as dangerous as this one.
“We take pride in playing a certain way, getting under opponents’ skin, bringing energy, and playing with edge. But in this series, it’ll be important to stay disciplined. Their power play is very strong and can make you pay if you give them too many opportunities.”
McKee, for his part, made clear that the respect runs both ways. “Like us, they have their strengths and weaknesses. They’re built a bit differently, so we’ll need to manage their power forwards, and they also have a strong power play. Discipline will be important. Both teams are very strong, and we’re expecting a great series.”
Both coaches have spoken about respecting the other team while trusting their own identity, and that mutual respect feels genuinely earned. Brantford’s depth and goaltending give them the edge, but Barrie’s offensive firepower, battle-tested resilience, physicality, and burning desire to go one step further than last year make them a genuine threat. With Beaudoin on a career-high run and Leenders standing tall at the other end, this Eastern Conference Final has all the ingredients for something special.
Series Schedule:
* if needed
Game 1 – Wed., April 22 at Brantford, 7:00pm
Game 2 – Fri., April 24 at Brantford, 7:00pm
Game 3 – Sun., April 26 at Barrie, 6:00pm
Game 4 – Tues., April 28 at Barrie, 7:00pm
Game 5 – Thurs., April 30 at Brantford, 7:00pm*
Game 6 – Sat., May 2 at Barrie, 7:30pm*
Game 7 – Mon., May 4 at Brantford, 7:00pm*
Season Series:
Series tied 2-2
Oct. 29 – BAR 5 at BFD 4
Jan. 25 – BAR 1 at BFD 7
Feb. 21 – BFD 4 at BAR 7
Mar. 5 – BFD 5 at BAR 3
Playoff History:
This marks the first playoff meeting between Brantford and Barrie since the Bulldogs’ relocation, and just the second in franchise history.
2023 BAR def. HAM 4-2 – First Round
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