Vanacker Calls Game in Overtime; Bulldogs Take 3-0 Series Lead
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Vanacker Calls Game in Overtime; Bulldogs Take 3-0 Series Lead

Published on April 1, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


SUDBURY, ONTARIO. After taking both games on home ice to open their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with a 2-0 lead, the Brantford Bulldogs took to the road for the first time in the post-season with Game 3 taking place on Tuesday night from the Sudbury Community Arena and a chance to take a stranglehold on the series on the line.

The lineup news was mixed entering the night with star defenseman & Toronto Maple Leafs 1st round pick, Ben Danford serving the first of a two-game suspension, but the Bulldogs did receive back the services of both Vladimir Dravecky, who missed Game 2 with illness, and Luca Testa who was forced to leave Game 2 following a mid-ice collision. The opening frame of Game 3 gave the Bulldogs exactly what they wanted to open the road slate of the series. At 4:31, Jake O'Brien stole the puck from a Sudbury defender in the left circle and dealt the puck back to the blueline for an on-rushing Adam Jiricek who collected the puck just above the top of the right circle and rifled a shot over Paolo Frasca for his 1st of the playoffs and a 1-0 Bulldogs lead. Ryerson Leenders only faced a pair of shots in the opening period but made a brilliant save on the first one. With Jean-Cristoph Lemieux feeding across the Bulldogs crease to Adam Nemec, Ryerson Leenders went right to left to make a brilliant sliding glove save, taking away an open goal from Nemec for the second time in the last two-games. Nemec was taken off for his 2nd penalty of the opening frame at 18:29 after lifting the puck up and out of play. The Bulldogs cashed in on the man-advantage at 19:29 with Jake O'Brien knocking down a clearing attempt and sending it to the left circle for Adam Jiricek who hit Caleb Malhotra with a cross- crease dart to record the rookie's 4th in 3 playoff games and a 2-0 lead going down the tunnel through 20-minutes.

The middle frame snowballed against the Bulldogs after Paolo Frasca denied an early Cooper Dennis look that appeared would fly into an open goal with his stick, the Wolves went on the front foot. Blake Clayton opened the scoring for the Wolves at 3:08 with a shot out of the left circle, that hit the top corner to pull the Wolves within a goal. The defecit was entirely erased at 10:31 on a near identical goal with Chase Coughlan firing a shot out of the left circle that Leenders got a piece of but not enough to guide aside tying the game 2- 2. The Wolves tooko their first lead of the series at 13:39 when a Genc Ula point shot was deflected in front of Leenders by Chase Coughlan for his 2nd of the game to make it a 3-2 Wolves lead. The Bulldogs looked to fire back late in the frame with a series of chances in tight to Frasca's goal but weren't able to find the handle and hit the intermission in the unfamiliar position of trailing to the final 20.

The third period got worse for the Bulldogs before it got better, 4:41 into the period Artem Gonchar sent the puck off the left point towards the Bulldogs goal where it landed for Jean-Cristoph Lemieux to notch his 2nd of the post-season, giving the Wolves a 4-2 lead. Cue the comeback; on the power-play at 7:04, Caleb Malhotra switched off with Marek Vanacker on the right side, with Vanacker moving to the bottom of the circle and opening the lane for a crashing Adam Jiricek to fire in his 2nd of the game and pull the Bulldogs to within a goal at 4-3. Brantford went to a 5-on-3 late after Daniel Berehowsky tripped down Charlie Paquette on the rush and Genc Ula tossed the puck over the glass for a delay of game. With the two man-advantage, Adam Benak & Adam Jiricek combined on the left to feed Caleb Malhotra in the middle of the formation to rifle a shot past Paolo Frasca for his 2nd of the game & 5th of the playoffs knotting the game 4-4 at 15:15. The power- play wasn't done and struck in the following 5 -on-4 at 16:38. Adam Jiricek fed Caleb Malhotra at the top of the left-circle for a drive that was stopped but the rebound fell for Marek Vanacker to bang in his 2nd of the playoffs and give the Bulldogs a late 5-4 lead. The advantage wouldn't hold, as at 19:10 with the puck bouncing through skates at the front of the Bulldogs net, Jan Chovan was able to get just enough to shovel over Ryerson Leenders for his 2nd of the playoffs tying the game 5-5 and forcing the game to overtime for the first time in the series.

In overtime, the Bulldogs took control from the opening drop and forced the pressure on Paolo Frasca's goal, with an offensive zone cycle on, Marek Vanacker took a punch to the face from Gavin Ewles leading to a Bulldogs power-play. It was Vanacker himself to call game, the play began with Jake O'Brien sending Caleb Malhotra forward on the left, dropping for Marek Vanacker. Flying through the circle, Vanacker's first shot was stopped but the OHL's leading goal scorer scooped his own rebound and tossed it in to the Sudbury goal for his 2nd of the game and a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory

The Brantford Bulldogs will return to action on Thursday night, April 2nd for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with a chance to complete the sweep at the Sudbury Community Arena with a 7:05pm puck drop.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 1, 2026


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