Bulldogs Ignite in Third; Leenders Earns First Playoff Shutout
March 30, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. Carrying a 1-0 series lead into Sunday night, the Brantford Bulldogs hosted Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with the North Bay Battalion, coming off their 6-3 victory on Friday night that saw goals from six different Bulldogs on route to taking Game 1.
The opening frame was a quiet affair for the first 6-plus minutes until a high hit from Bronson Ride on Nick Lardis started the physicality that amped up with Thomas Budnick & Andrew LeBlanc squaring off after a Budnick hit on Ethan Procyszyn. The Bulldogs carried the majority of the play out-shooting the Battalion by a 9-2 margin in the opening frame, but Mike McIvor picked up where he left off in Game 1, turning aside all nine, including robbing Jake O'Brien at the short-side post to keep the game scoreless heading into the first intermission.
More of the same in the middle frame with Mike McIvor keeping the game scoreless, robbing Nick Lardis flying down the slot with a splitting glove save. Ryerson Leenders had a moment of his own in the middle frame, while much busier than the first, Leenders denied all 8 he faced while making a tremendous blocker stop, denying Andrew LeBlanc breaking through the slot. With 40-minutes in the books, the game hit the intermission still scoreless with McIvor & Leenders holding strong in their respective nets.
The Bulldogs opened the final frame on a 5-on-3 and the offense found its' spot. Late in the 5-on-4 Cole Brown exchanged the puck with Tomas Hamara on the left side before picking out Jake O'Brien in the slot who outwaited the Battalion defenders before rifling a shot past Mike McIvor to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead on his 2nd of the playoffs at 1:28. Leenders made it stand up the rest of the way stopping 11 third period shots from the Battalion and his offense responded again. Cole Brown and Patrick Thomas criss-crossed over the Battalion line exchanging the puck before Nick Lardis charing on late. Lardis' initial attempt was stopped but the Bulldogs trigger man grabbed the puck south of the goal line and banked it off McIvor and in for his 2nd of the post-season on the billiards shot to give the Bulldogs the 2-0 advantage at 14:45. With the North Bay net empty and just over three minutes to go, Ryerson Leenders slammed pad to post to deny Ethan Procyszyn with Thomas Budnick pulling it loose and playing into the middle of the Bulldogs zone for Nick Lardis to launch 160 feet straight into the Battalion net for his 2nd of the night and 3rd of the playoffs securing the 3-0 Brantford victory at 16:56. Ryerson Leenders ended the night with his 1st career playoff shutout, turning aside 21 Battalion shots in total to give the Bulldogs the 2-0 series lead.
The Brantford Bulldogs have the opportunity for a commanding 3-0 series lead when the series switches to the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens in North Bay with Game 3 taking place on Tuesday, April 1st, with a 7:00pm start time.
• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board...
Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 30, 2025
- Bulldogs Ignite in Third; Leenders Earns First Playoff Shutout - Brantford Bulldogs
- Generals Drop Game Two to Steelheads 3-1 - Oshawa Generals
- Frontenacs Come out on Top in 4-3, 2OT Thriller in Game Two - Kingston Frontenacs
- Firebirds Lose Game 2 in Kitchener, 6-1 - Flint Firebirds
- Kitchener Dominant in Game 2, Take 2-0 Series Lead to Flint - Kitchener Rangers
- Kingston Looks for More of the Same in Game Two - Kingston Frontenacs
- Round One, Game Two Preview: Kitchener Rangers vs. Flint Firebirds - Kitchener Rangers
- Game Day, Round 1, Game 2, Firebirds at Rangers - 2 p.m. - Flint Firebirds
- Gens Take on Steelheads Looking to Build on Game One Success - Oshawa Generals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
