The Brantford Bulldogs closed out their Michigan road trip in dominant fashion, routing the Saginaw Spirit 11-3 at the Dow Event Centre.
Jake O’Brien returned from a one-game absence and quickly made an impact, scoring his 30th goal at 6:42. Just 25 seconds later, Marek Vanacker added another on a breakaway. The Spirit responded at 9:53, but Nick Lardis restored control with his 69th goal, marking Patrick Thomas as the Bulldogs’ all-time points leader.
Brantford dominated the second period, with O’Brien, Cole Brown, Lardis, and Nikolas Rossetto each scoring. Lardis’ 70th goal placed him among OHL greats. Despite a goal from Saginaw’s Dima Zhilkin, the Bulldogs piled on more, closing the period at 10-2.
In the third, Ryerson Leenders made key saves, stopping a 2-on-1 and denying Igor Chernyshov. Saginaw’s Liam Stortch scored, but O’Brien sealed his hat-trick late, securing the Bulldogs’ Michigan sweep.
The Bulldogs return to action on March 14th against North Bay.
