Jiricek Returns With A Bang; O'brien & Vanacker Lead 6-3 Dogs' Win
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Jiricek Returns With A Bang; O'brien & Vanacker Lead 6-3 Dogs' Win

Published on October 3, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. The Brantford Bulldogs kicked off Country Weekend at the TD Civic Centre on Friday night, hosting the Peterborough Petes in the second of six meetings between the division rivals this season.

The opening frame started quietly, but Brantford quickly went to work on the power play. Caleb Malhotra attempted to jam home an Adam Jiricek rebound, but Masen Johnston turned him aside. Peterborough's Brayden McCallum broke past the Bulldogs' defense for a dangerous look on the backhand, only to be denied by David Egorov. At the other end, Sam McCue tried to redirect a puck past Johnston but was turned away with a nifty glove stop. The Bulldogs broke through at 15:11 on the man advantage. Off a clean faceoff win, Jiricek sent the puck to Jake O'Brien and received a quick return pass in the left circle before stepping into a blast that beat Johnston clean for his 1st of the season in his return from NHL camp. Brantford carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, outshooting the Petes 13-8.

The Bulldogs dominated the second period, scoring four times to seize control of the game. Early on, Edison Engle had a quality chance from the slot, but Johnston made another sharp glove stop. David Egorov was challenged in the middle frame with Colin Fitzgerald racing in down the right wing, but Egorov again held his ground holding the Bulldogs in front. At 10:38, Luca Testa doubled the lead, creating a 2-on-1 rush, off a turnover high in the Bulldogs zone, and electing to shoot, burying the puck to make it 2-0 on his 2nd of the season. Just two minutes later, at 12:28, Engle fired a shot on net that Johnston couldn't control, and Ryder Bolton pounced on the rebound for his 1st of the season to make it 3-0. Brantford kept pressing, and at 14:41, with Johnston out of position, Jake O'Brien's wraparound attempt leaked back into the slot where Marek Vanacker fired it through a thicket of bodies to extend the lead to 4-0 on his 2nd of the season.

The Bulldogs offensive outburst continued into the final frame. While shorthanded at 7:41, O'Brien broke loose on a 2-on-1 with Layne Gallachher and finished the play himself, dancing through a pair of Petes defenders before beating Johnston with a slick backhand that rolled across the line to make it 5-0 on the captain's 1st of the season. The Petes answered at 9:43, skating 4-on-4, when Genc Ula buried a rebound off an Adam Novotný shot to cut the deficit to 5-1. Brantford responded less than a minute later, restoring the five-goal cushion. At 10:51, Edison Engle scored his first OHL goal on a brilliant tic-tac-goal to make it 6-1. With Cooper Dennis cutting across the blueline and sending the puck cross-ice to Caleb Malhotra who turned it into the slot for Engle, the defenceman baited Johnston down and tucked it under the back bar for his 1st in the OHL. Peterborough made a late push on a four-minute power play, with Kolarik scoring from the right circle at 16:17 to make it 6-2, and Yanis Lutz adding his second of the season at 17:46 to bring the score to 6-3. Despite the late surge, the Bulldogs held firm to close out a 6-3 victory, improving to 3-1-0-1 on the season.

Brantford returns to action Saturday afternoon, wrapping up Country Weekend at the TD Civic Centre with a 4 p.m. puck drop against the early season best in the west, Windsor Spitfires.

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