Vanacker Nets Game Winner to Complete Third Period Comeback
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Vanacker Nets Game Winner to Complete Third Period Comeback

Published on February 26, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. The Brantford Bulldogs returned to the TD Civic Centre on Wednesday night for a matchup against the Brampton Steelheads.

The Steelheads generated an early opportunity as Julian DeMiglio tried to walk in, but Ryerson Leenders flashed the glove to make the save. Brantford answered quickly, with Cooper Dennis pushing the pace the other way in search of the game's opening goal, only to be denied by Steelheads netminder Luke Johnson. Brantford's persistence paid off at 7:28 when they opened the scoring. Jett Luchanko connected with Zackary Sandhu down low, and Sandhu hammered home his first goal of the season, and first as a Bulldog, to give the home side a 1-0 lead. Brampton earned the game's first power -play opportunity and looked to respond. Kieran Witkowski attempted to cut in on Leenders, but the Bulldogs goaltender kicked out the blocker to keep the Steelheads off the board. The man advantage was cut short, leading to 4-on-4 action, and Brantford capitalized. At 14:37, Caleb Malhotra found Adam Jiricek on the doorstep, and the defenceman jammed home his 14th of the season to double the Bulldogs' lead to 2 -0, which they took down the tunnel after 20.

The Brantford Bulldogs continued to apply pressure early in the middle frame, looking to extend their lead. Gabriel Frasca tried to sneak one five-hole on Luke Johnson, but the Steelheads netminder shut the door. The physicality ramped up when Owen Protz delivered a heavy hit on MacGregor Richmond before dropping the gloves with Julian DeMiglio. Protz was assessed a five- minute major and a game misconduct, resulting in 4-on-4 play. The momentum shifted shortly after, as the Brampton Steelheads capitalized at 2:09. Carter Hicks broke in alone and picked the corner perfectly for his fifth of the season, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 2 -1. With the Steelheads pressing, a turnover led to Keaton Ardagh racing in on goal, but Zack Sandhu laid out and spectacularly swept the puck from Ardagh's stick.

The sequence quickly turned the other direction, with Cooper Dennis and Adam Benak breaking out on a 2-on-0, though Johnson came up with the stop to keep it a one- goal game. Brampton evened the score at 9:11. Justin Bottineau found Nathan Amidovski out front, and the forward buried his 10th of the season. In the final minute of the middle frame, the Steelheads struck again to take their first lead of the night. Off a faceoff win, Reed Gee moved the puck down low to Manuel Amado, who fed Keaton Ardagh in the slot for his 12th of the season, giving Brampton a 3-2 advantage they took to the locker room after 40 minutes

The Steelheads wasted little time adding to their lead, striking just 35 seconds into the final frame.

Manuel Amado fed Keaton Ardagh, who hammered home his second of the game and 13th of the season. Brantford's push back paid off when they earned a power play and capitalized at 3:47. Off a faceoff win, Adam Jiricek moved the puck to Adam Benak, who found Jake O'Brien in open space. O'Brien made no mistake, wiring home his 24th of the season to pull the Bulldogs within one. The momentum continued to swing i n Brantford's favour. Just under two minutes later, the Bulldogs struck again on the man advantage at 5:42 to even the score 4-4. Caleb Malhotra found Jiricek at the top of the crease, and the defenceman buried his second of the game and 15th of the season. The power play stayed red-hot. At 6:20, Brantford completed the comeback and grabbed the lead. O'Brien worked the puck back to Benak at the blue line, who spotted Marek Vanacker at the doorstep. Vanacker tipped it home for his 41st of the season, giving the Bulldogs a 5-4 advantage. In the final minutes, the Steelheads pushed for the equalizer, with Julian DeMiglio firing a late drive on goal, but Ryerson Leenders stood tall to make the stop and seal a 5-4 victory for the Bulldogs.

Brantford returns to action on Friday, February 27, when they host the Oshawa Generals for a standalone matchup at the TD Civic Centre. The game will also mark Brantford's first -ever Hall of Fame Game. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Check out the Brantford Bulldogs Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 26, 2026


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