The Brantford Bulldogs extended their strong run of form with a 4–2 home victory over the visiting Kingston Frontenacs on Wednesday night at TD Civic Centre.
In front of 3,004 fans, Brantford overcame an early deficit to secure two points in Ontario Hockey League (OHL) action.
The Frontenacs struck early, with Tyler Hopkins scoring just 28 seconds into the first period, assisted by Landon Wright and captain Jacob Battaglia.
However, Kingston failed to build on the early momentum, managing only one additional goal for the remainder of the game.
Brantford responded with a dominant second period.
Marek Vanacker tied the game at 1:44, assisted by Adam Jiricek.
Later in the frame, Bulldogs captain Jake O’Brien converted on the power play at 11:59, with assists from Jiricek and Caleb Malhotra, putting Brantford ahead 2–1 entering the third.
Malhotra added to his performance in the final period, scoring at 5:15 with assists from Vanacker and Cooper Dennis.
Although Kingston narrowed the deficit to 3–2 at 9:49 through a goal by Aleks Kulemin, assisted by Vann Williamson and Niko Krmpotic, Brantford secured the win with an empty-net goal by Dennis at 19:07, assisted by Jett Luchanko and Ben Danford.
Goaltender Ryerson Leenders earned the win, stopping 19 of 21 shots over 60 minutes. Kingston’s Matthew Minchak made 43 saves on 47 shots, facing sustained offensive pressure.
Brantford capitalized on one of four power play opportunities, while Kingston went 0-for-1.
The Bulldogs were assessed only one minor penalty, while the Frontenacs were penalized four times.
Caleb Malhotra (1G, 1A), Adam Jiricek (2A), and Matthew Minchak (42 saves) were named the game’s three stars.
With the win, Brantford improves to 20–2–4–1 on the season, maintaining first place in the Eastern Conference with 45 points and a league-leading .833 points percentage.
The Bulldogs have now won seven of their last ten games and continue to lead the OHL in power play efficiency at 40.7%.
The loss extends Kingston’s winless streak to nine games (0–5–2–0). The Frontenacs fall to 10–14–2–2, sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference with 24 points and a .429 points percentage.
Brantford will look to build on their conference-leading form when they return to action on Saturday, December 6, hosting the North Bay Battalion at the TD Civic Centre.
The game is slated to start at 4:00 p.m.
