Undermanned Bulldogs Fall 4-3 to Rangers in Season Opener
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Undermanned Bulldogs Fall 4-3 to Rangers in Season Opener

Published on September 19, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. Opening up the 2025-26 season with a visit to the legendary Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, the Brantford Bulldogs took to the ice for the first time missing 11 players to NHL camps or injury to open the campaign but featuring a lineup of young talent excited to make their first mark in the OHL.

It was four OHL debuts right off the start of the game with Caleb Malhotra centering the top line with Cooper Dennis to his right, joined by Vladimir Dravecky on the blueline and Maksim Corovic between the pipes in the Brantford end. It didn't take long fo r the young Bulldogs to jump on the opportunity for expanded roles with Cooper Dennis denying a Kitchener zone exit at the attacking blueline and freeing the puck to Caleb Malhotra.

Striding down the slot, Malhotra fired a shot that Jason Schaubel denied in the Rangers crease, but Aiden O'Donnell hammered in the rebound to give the Bulldogs a 1 -0 lead at 7:03, earning Malhotra & Dennis each their first OHL point. Just under 2 minutes later at 9:00, Josh Avery stole the puck in neutral ice and laid it forward on the left-wing side for Jeremy Freeman. Drawing two defenders, Freemen dropped the puck back for Avery who rifled a wrist shot off the back bar to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage with Freeman earning his 1st OHL point in the process. Maks Corovic was called upon sparingly in the Bulldogs crease in the opening frame, with the Dogs piling up a 17-3 shots on goal edge but his stop on a Cameron Arquette breakaway to keep the Bulldogs up a pair highlighted his work in the opening frame.

The Bulldogs extended their lead in the middle frame on their first power-play of the season with Luca Testa freeing the puck along the end wall for Josh Avery on the right half boards. Collecting the puck, Avery delivered it back to the middle of the blueline for Lucas Moore who took a stride and whipped a wrist shot through Schaubel for his 1st of the season and a 3-0 Bulldogs lead at 12:24. Maks Corovic made himself the story of the middle frame, after stopping 3 shots in the opening period, the Bulldogs debuting netminder denied 14 in the middle frame. Corovic's best work came during a delayed penalty with the Rangers skating 6-on-5, denying a Haeden Ellis doorstep tip on a net mouth pass with a scintillating split save before making a potential save of the year candidate to deny the rebound opportunity with a diving paddle save in front of an open goal to keep the Bulldogs up 3-0 through 40 minutes.

The Rangers flipped the script in the 3rd period with the experienced duo of Arquette & Lam taking over the final frame. Arquette opened the final frame with back-to-back goals at 4:20 & 7:53 cracking the rookie netminder's shutout and giving the Rangers life with lots of time to go. Tanner Lam recorded an outstanding goal on the power-play at 15:28, striding down the slot and pulling the puck between his legs to shelve a shot and tie the game 3-3 and force overtime. It was Lam again in the extra frame after a Cooper Dennis shot was block racing away on the left-wing side and cutting to the front of the net to record the overtime winner and give Kitchener the extra point.

The Brantford Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday, September 20th, hosting their home opener, presented by TD, against the Peterborough Petes at the TD Civic Centre with a 7:00pm start.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from September 19, 2025


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