Vanacker Hits 100 Goals; Malhotra Breaks Rookie Record in 5-1 Win
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Vanacker Hits 100 Goals; Malhotra Breaks Rookie Record in 5-1 Win

Published on February 13, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BRANTFORD, ONTARIO - The Brantford Bulldogs opened their Valentine's Weekend back-to-back at home on Friday night, welcoming the Erie Otters to the TD Civic Centre.

The Bulldogs remained without Adam Benak and Edison Engle but received a boost as Luca Testa and Ryder Boulton returned to the lineup. Erie opened the scoring early, taking a 1-0 lead at 2:50.

With Owen Protz attempting to clear the puck out of the Bulldog s' zone, an odd bounce landed directly on the stick of Evan Headrick, who capitalized and buried his 4th of the season past the Brantford netminder. The Bulldogs looked to respond moments later, as Luca Testa found himself at the doorstep, but was turned a side by Otter's goaltender Noah Erliden. Erie nearly doubled their lead soon after when Michael Dec broke in alone, though Protz recovered with a key defensive play to shut the chance down. Brantford answered with pressure at the other end, with Charlie Paquette ringing a shot off the post. Tensions escalated later in the opening frame when Caleb Malhotra was taken down by a hit from behind from Julius Saari, prompting an immediate response from Charlie Paquette. Paquette was assessed a five-minute major along with a game misconduct while Saari received a two-minute minor for boarding. On the Otters power play, Michael Dec looked to jam the puck under the pads of David Egorov, but the Bulldogs netminder stayed strong to make the stop.

After 20 minutes of play, Erie headed to the locker room holding a 1-0 lead, despite Brantford owning an 8-6 edge in shots.

The Bulldogs flipped the script early in the second period, striking just 24 seconds in to tie the game at one. Jake O'Brien led the rush and found Jett Luchanko, who fired the initial shot on goal. Marek Vanacker jumped on the rebound and hammered it home for his 36th of the season. The goal marked a major milestone for Vanacker, becoming his 100th career OHL goal and 200th OHL point. Erie looked to respond quickly, with Tyler Cooper generating a quality chance, but David Egorov came up with a glove save to keep the game even. With two Otters pressuring Ben Danford, he managed to connect with Philip Govedaris, sending him in alone on a break. However, with Noah Erliden challenging far out of his crease, the Erie netminder made the stop to deny the chance. With Lucas Ambrosio heading to the box for tripping Marek Vanacker, the Bulldogs went to the man advantage and capitalized to take the lead. At 8:34, Adam Jiricek found Jake O'Brien, who worked the puck down low before threading a pass to Caleb Malhotra at the doorstep. Malhotra made no mistake, burying his 24th of the season to give Brantford a 2-1 advantage. The goal also marked Malhotra's 65th point as a Bulldog, breaking the franchise rookie scoring record previously held by captain Jake O'Brien. Brantfo rd continued to keep pushing offensively and extended their lead at 10:46. Jett Luchanko connected with Malhotra, who fired the initial shot on goal. Marek Vanacker was once again in the right place at the right time, jamming home the rebound for his second of the night and 37th of the season, giving the Bulldogs a two-goal cushion over the Otters through 40 minutes.

The Bulldogs continued to push, as Luca Testa walked in with a quality opportunity and fired a drive on goal, but Noah Erliden raised his shoulder to make the stop. The Otters looked to respond on the power play, as Evan Headrick tried to walk in and cut i nto the Bulldogs' lead, but David Egorov turned him aside with a blocker save. Brantford then generated a shorthanded chance of their own when Jett Luchanko broke in alone, though Noah Erliden made the save. Brantford continued to apply pressure and struck again at 8:27 to extend their lead to 4-1. Jeremy Freeman found Nikolas Rossetto alone in the slot, and Rossetto made no mistake, snapping home his fourth of the season.

The Bulldogs added one more at 14:11, as Freeman connected with Gabriel Frasca at the top of the crease. Frasca jammed it under the pads for his 20th of the season, a goal that also marked his 150th career OHL point, sealing a 5-1 Bulldogs' victory over the Otters.

Brantford returns to action tomorrow, February 14, when they host the Guelph Storm at the TD Civic Centre. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m.

Recap Written By: Mikayla Grimes

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 13, 2026


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