Egorov Sparks Bulldogs Comeback Victory in Game 1

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OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Egorov Sparks Bulldogs Comeback Victory in Game 1

April 11, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. Opening up the second round of the OHL Playoffs on home ice at the Brantford Civic Centre, the Bulldogs welcomed a familiar opponent in the Oshawa Generals. Though the teams have been frequent opponents in the regular season, and have met for some big moments, inaugural home openers in Hamilton & Brantford, Outdoor Showcase, Thursday night marked the open to the first playoff series between the two rivals.

The Generals playoff experience was at the forefront in the opening period of the series, controlling the pace and 19 total shots to Ryerson Leenders goal. The pressure paid off at 4:24 with a puck played out of the left-wing corner that wouldn't exit the Bulldogs zone and was handled by Luca Marrelli. Moving laterally across the blueline, Marrelli launched a wrist shot through a screen that came off the back bar for his 3rd of the playoffs to give the Generals a 1-0 lead. After a Bulldogs power-play produced a couple looks at Jacob Oster and a tremendous diving stop on a Noah Nelson right-wing drive, the Generals doubled their advantage. Callum Ritchie's initial shot was stopped by Ryerson Leenders with Owen Griffin jumping on the rebound to bat in his 7th of the post-season at 11:31. Griffin was high-sticked on the play, drawing a double minor the Bulldogs managed to kill off, and put a push on before the end of the period with Thomas Budnick just narrowly missing a late chance wide with the Bulldogs heading to the intermission down 2-0.

The night got tougher to open the middle frame with Ryerson Leenders being forced to leave the game after a brilliant 2-on-1 stop on Matthew Buckley, appearing to come up with a lower body injury and forcing David Egorov into his first OHL post-season action. The Bulldogs began to rally around their goaltenders and Thomas Budnick wouldn't be denied. With Cole Brown and Nick Lardis exchanging the puck low in the Oshawa slot, Budnick crashed down from the blueline, and with a defender draped on him, hammered a loose puck past Jacob Oster to give the Bulldogs life on his 3rd of the post-season at 5:39. Egorov was brilliant stopping 17 shots he faced in the middle frame including a 2-on-1 save of his own with Lauri Sinivuori setting Noah Powell across the front of the Bulldogs goal with Egorov making a brilliant sliding split stop to keep the Bulldogs within one. The Bulldogs knotted the game 2-2 at 13:42, with Thomas Budnick springing Nick Lardis through the middle of the ice and across the Oshawa blueline. Working left, Lardis flipped the puck to Cole Brown charging down the wing who rifled a shot over Oster's shoulder and under the bar for his 1st of the post-season. The hosts followed quickly on the momentum with Lucas Moore's initial play being collected off the right-wing side of the Generals goal by Jake O'Brien who made a spinning, behind the back pass to the front of the net for Luca Testa to tip into the open goal for his 2nd of the playoffs, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the night at 15:31 which they held into the locker room through 40 minutes.

The Bulldogs orchestrated a quiet open to the third period, keeping the possession for the Generals largely to the outside of the offensive zone. Getting on the power-play at 6:30, after a strong offensive zone shift forced a holding call on Luca D'Amato, the Bulldogs struck again. At 7:47, following some movement at the top of the umbrella formation, Tomas Hamara used Nick Lardis as a diversion and laid the puck left to Jake O'Brien at the top of the circle with space. Taking the space and striding through the circle, O'Brien sent the puck towards the Oshawa crease where it was tipped by Marek Vanacker past Jacob Oster for the Chicago prospect's 3rd of the playoffs giving the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead. Down the stretch, the Bulldogs were able to fend off the Generals pressure and David Egorov made 6 saves in the final frame while Jake O'Brien sent Nick Lardis away on the right-wing to hit the empty net for his 8th of the playoffs at 19:56 to seal the Game 1 comeback victory for the Bulldogs by a 5-2 final.

The Brantford Bulldogs take their 1-0 series lead into play for Game 2 on Sunday, April 13th at the Brantford Civic Centre with puck drop coming just after 2:00pm.

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