The Brantford Bulldogs kicked off their playoff run with a 6-3 victory over the North Bay Battalion Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd at the Civic Centre. It was the first playoff meeting between the teams since Brantford’s 2022 sweep in the Eastern Conference Final.
Rookie Nikolas Rossetto opened the scoring early, followed by goals from Lucas Moore and Calvin Crombie to give Brantford a 3-0 lead after the first period. North Bay responded in the second, but Brantford’s Patrick Thomas and Jake O’Brien answered back to make it 5-2 heading into the third.
North Bay added one late, but Nick Lardis sealed the win with an empty-netter. Goalie Ryerson Leenders made several key stops to preserve the lead.
Game 2 is set for Sunday, March 30, at 7:00 p.m. in Brantford.
