The Brantford Bulldogs continued their dominant run through the Ontario Hockey League on Friday night, defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4–1 at the TD Civic Centre.
With the win, Brantford improved to 33-7-6-1 on the season, maintaining a share of first place in the Eastern Conference alongside the Ottawa 67’s.
The Bulldogs’ victory was powered by an efficient special teams performance, converting three of four power play opportunities and successfully killing off all three of Owen Sound’s chances with the man advantage.
Captain Jake O’Brien led the charge for Brantford, registering two goals and an assist in a game where the Bulldogs dictated the pace from the second period onward.
The Attack opened the scoring at 5:03 of the first period, as forward Tristan Delisle finished a play set up by defenceman Elliot Arnett and Cole Zurawski.
Despite falling behind early, Brantford showed composure, drawing penalties and capitalizing late in the frame.
With just over two minutes remaining in the period, Marek Vanacker scored on the power play, assisted by O’Brien and Adam Benak, to tie the game at one.
From there, Brantford took control.
Midway through the second period, the Bulldogs scored twice in just 32 seconds.
O’Brien notched his second point of the night with a power-play goal at 14:59, with assists from Adam Jiricek and Benak. Moments later, Nikolas Rossetto beat Owen Sound goaltender Trenten Bennett to extend the lead to 3–1.
O’Brien capped off the scoring in the third, converting another power play opportunity at 5:52, assisted by Jiricek and Vanacker.
Brantford’s special teams continue to rank among the league’s best.
The power play, now operating at a league-leading 34.7%, proved lethal once again, while the penalty kill unit held firm. Owen Sound finished 0-for-3 with the extra skater.
Goaltender Ryerson Leenders turned aside 19 of 20 shots for the Bulldogs, while Bennett faced a heavier workload for the Attack, stopping 37 of 41 shots in the loss.
Despite a physical first period that featured several penalties — including a pair of fights and a 10-minute misconduct assessed to Brantford’s Owen Protz — the Bulldogs stayed disciplined in the later stages, allowing their skill and structure to take over the game.
Brantford returns to action on Sunday, February 1, when they host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at 2:00 PM.
With the regular season entering its final stretch, the Bulldogs will look to maintain their momentum and continue their push for playoff positioning atop the Eastern Conference.
