The Road Ahead: Cornucopia of Thanksgiving Hockey
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

The Road Ahead: Cornucopia of Thanksgiving Hockey

Published on October 9, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


The Brantford Bulldogs embark on their first three game weekend of the new season beginning Thursday night with a trip to St. Catharines to meet the Niagara IceDogs for the first time. The quick road trip will be followed on Friday night by the second and final visit of the season of the Sudbury Wolves and a special 1:00pm matinee on Sunday as the Bulldogs host the Ottawa 67's for the first time on the season.

Renewing the regional rivalry at Meridian Centre on Thursday night, the Bulldogs took the season series against the IceDogs for the 5th straight season in 2024-25, going 4-2-0-0 on the season, outscoring Niagara 34-20 over the course of the six games. Patrick Thomas led the way for the Bulldogs scoring points in all six games, recording a pair of goals and 16 assists for 18 points. Nick Lardis led Bulldogs goal scorers with 10 goals & 5 assists for 15 total points recording a pair of hat-tricks. Among Bulldogs returning players, Jake O'Brien collected 13 points in 6 games on 4 goals & 9 assists while Marek Vanacker collecting 3 goals & 3 assists, playing in 4 of the 6 games.

Like the Bulldogs, the IceDogs have gotten off to a strong start in the 2025-26 season, registering a 4-2-0-1 record over 7 games with their 9 points being good for an early season Central Division lead. The Bulldogs have played just 5 games to open up the season, collecting a 3-0-1-1 record and join the Ottawa 67's entering the weekend as the only two teams in the OHL to not have lost in regulation.

The Bulldogs return home on Friday night to host the Sudbury Wolves in their 2nd and final visit of the season (TICKETS AVAILABLE). The first matchup between the teams came on September 27th with the Bulldogs exploding for four third period goals on route to a 7-2 win. Caleb Malhotra stole the headlines on the night with his performance powering his OHL Rookie of the Week selection, scoring a pair of goals and piling up 3 assists for 5 points in the win, Malhotra became the first Bulldog on the season to record points at even strength, on the power-play and on the penalty kill in the same game. Adam Benak made his debut for the Bulldogs against the Wolves collecting three assists in the game and scoring an early goal of the year contender, with his between the legs finish on a shorthanded breakaway to salt the game away for the Bulldogs. Cooper Dennis scored twice and added an assist for three points in the win while Edison Engle & Aiden O'Donnell each recorded a pair of assists.

Wrapping up the Thanksgiving weekend on Sunday, the Bulldogs play host to the long time rival, Ottawa 67's (TICKETS AVAILABLE). The Bulldogs swept the season series in the 2024-25 season with a 4-0-0-0 record against Ottawa, outscoring the 67's by a combined 22-9 over the four meetings. The 67's have only played 4 games to begin the 2025-26 season but have started strong with a 4-0-0-0 record while outscoring the opposition 20-7. Seven 67's are operating a point-per-game or better to start the year led by 2025 5th round selection Thomas Vandenberg who has 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points in 4 games to open his OHL career. The Bulldogs counter with 7 players of their own operating at a point-per-game or better but feature 3 players who have recorded as many or more points than Vandenberg with Caleb Malhotra leading the team with 9, followed by Cooper Dennis' 7 and Adam Benak's 6. If both teams enter Sunday's on their current pace, it has the potential to be a meeting of the last two teams without a regulation loss to open the 2025-26 season.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 9, 2025


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