Vanacker Gives Bulldogs 3-0 Series Lead with Overtime Winner
April 1, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. With their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal switching north on Tuesday night, the Brantford Bulldogs entered the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens in North Bay with a 2-0 series lead, looking to push the Battalion to the brink in Game 3.
The Bulldogs controlled the early part of the opening frame, with a pair of goal mouth scrambles nearly resulting in a Brantford ice breaker. Mike McIvor had a Marek Vanacker shot leak through him with Jake O'Brien battling for position in the crease but the Battalion netminder was able to reach back and steal it away before it could trickle over the line. Not to be outdone, Ryerson Leenders made a great stop, bolting out of his blue paint to cut down an Ihnat Pazii break chance to keep the game scoreless. Leenders would continue to lead in the first frame, wrapping a puck around the back of his own net that found its' way to Dylan Tsherna guiding through neutral ice. Drawing three defenders, Tsherna fed the puck off to the left for Noah Nelson streaking into the circle and ripping a drive over McIvor's shoulder to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead on his 1st of the playoffs at 7:35. The Bulldogs found themselves with a parade to the penalty box in the opening frame, with Jake O'Brien, Adam Jiricek & Cole Brown taking consecutive penalties. Leenders denied all 10 shots he faced in the opening frame with more than half coming shorthanded and though the Bulldogs went to the intermission with a minute left on Cole Brown's penalty, they carried the 1-0 lead to the locker room.
Mike McIvor started off the middle frame making a series of monster stops, a 2-on-1 with Jake O'Brien feeding Marek Vanacker from left to right was denied, followed by Nick Lardis on a breakaway being unable to tuck the puck through the North Bay netminder's pads. The Battalion, feeding off their goaltender, got the game back to level footing. With a broken change at the Bulldogs bench, the puck rolled through a pair of defenseman avoiding a Too Many Men call but laid on for Jacob Therrien to skate ahead on a break away. With all the time he could ask for, Therrien slowed to the front and turned across the goal, going from left to right, outwaiting Ryerson Leenders and rolled it past his glove to tie the game 1-1 at 4:36. The Bulldogs continued to bombard the Battalion goal while Leenders kept the hosts to just one with a tremendous in tight stop made late on Andrew LeBlanc and a high slot drive from Lirim Amidovski that the Bulldogs "Ironman" kicked aside. The Bulldogs pressure paid off late, Lucas Moore swung the puck ahead for Marek Vanacker, tipping it into the offensive zone for Patrick Thomas. Looking off Nick Lardis right, Thomas turned the puck back to Vanacker left. Cutting through the left circle and pulling up in the slot Vanacker darted his shot through McIvor for his 1st of the playoffs at 18:34 to send the Bulldogs down the tunnel with a 2-1 lead.
The Bulldogs got the start they wanted to the third period just 3:17 in with Owen Protz sending Jake O'Brien away on the right-wing side. Driving into the zone, O'Brien dropped the puck off for Luca Testa to carry through the circle and launch a shot past McIvor for his 1st of the playoffs, giving the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead. The Battalion flipped the script from there, playing with desperation in their game the hosts closed the lead at 4:34 on the power-play with Ethan Procyszyn deflecting a Shamar Moses right point drive for his 1st of the series make it 3-2. The Battalion evened the game just over 5-minutes later with Lirim Amidovski capturing a Bronson Ride right point shot and swinging it over Ryerson Leenders from the right circle for his 2nd of the post-season to knot the game 3-3 at 9:45. The Bulldogs went to the power-play with just over 3-minutes left in regulation but Mike McIvor continued to keep North Bay going, denying a sharp Nick Lardis opportunity and see the game off to overtime.
In the extra frame, Ryerson Leenders came up with a massive stop in the Bulldogs crease early with Lirim Amdiovski getting net front and it was the last stop the Bulldogs needed on the night. Owen Protz tossed the puck forward for Marek Vanacker, catching North Bay on a change, the puck got into Vanacker's skates but the follow up came from Nick Lardis who switched it around back of the net for Patrick Thomas. Collecting and setting below the goal line, Thomas delivered the puck back to Vanacker on the doorstep to slam past McIvor and send the Bulldogs to the 4-3 overtime win 5:29 in on his 2nd of the night & 2nd of the post-season, giving the Bulldogs a commanding 3-0 series lead.
The Brantford Bulldogs will look to close their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series on Thursday night, April 3rd when they meet the North Bay Battalion for Game 4 at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens with puck drop coming just after 7:00pm.
• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board...
Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 1, 2025
- Parekh Scores Twice Including OT Winner in Game 3 - Saginaw Spirit
- Zayne Parekh's Three-Point Night Carries Saginaw to OT Win in Erie - Erie Otters
- Day, Birds Blank Rangers in Game 3, 2-0 - Flint Firebirds
- Generals Take 2-1 Series Lead over Steelheads - Oshawa Generals
- Vanacker Gives Bulldogs 3-0 Series Lead with Overtime Winner - Brantford Bulldogs
- Frontenacs Control Game 3 in Sudbury - Kingston Frontenacs
- Rangers Direct 38 Shots on Goal, But Fall 2-0 in Game Three - Kitchener Rangers
- March Recap - Barrie Colts
- Frontenacs Looking to Take a 3-0 Stranglehold in Sudbury Tonight - Kingston Frontenacs
- Round One, Game Three Preview: Kitchener Rangers vs. Flint Firebirds - Kitchener Rangers
- Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit (4) vs Erie Otters (5) Game 3 - Saginaw Spirit
- Game Day, Round 1, Game 3, Firebirds vs Rangers - 7 p.m. - Flint Firebirds
- Generals Look to Bounce Back on the Road in Game Three - Oshawa Generals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
