In a battle between the two top teams in the OHL, the Brantford Bulldogs lost a tough 5-0 to the London Knights on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Ranked ninth overall in the latest CHL Top Ten rankings, the Brantford Bulldogs faced a significant test against the second-ranked team in the nation, the London Knights. Early in the first period, the Knights showed why they’re the top team in the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty-three seconds into the powerplay, the shot by RW Easton Cowan got past the stick side of G Ryerson Leenders for a 1-0 London lead.
The Knights thought they doubled their lead 44 seconds later on a goal from D Andoni Fimis, but the officials overturned the goal due to an offside. London produced quality scoring opportunities down the stretch in the opening frame, but Leenders made twelve straight saves and kept the Bulldogs in the game. London continued their dominant performance in the second period.
71 seconds into the period, LW Landon Sim received a cross-ice breakaway pass from C Jacob Julien, and his shot got past Leenders on the left side, further solidifying the Knights lead. At 6:19, Knights D Sam Dickerson entered the scoring charts with a highlight-reel backhand goal and gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. Just over a minute later, while on the penalty kill, London took a commanding 4-0 lead. RW Jesse Numi outmuscled Brantford C Patrick Thomas and buried the puck past Leenders.
After the Knights goal, Leenders was pulled out of the game for David Egorov in goal. Leenders stopped 24 of 28 shots but ran into challenging situations by the potent Knights offence throughout the game. This was Egorov’s first appearance in the crease since January 31, 2025, against the Soo Greyhounds. Egorov stopped all six London shots in the period.
The Bulldogs’ powerplay unit, ranked number one in the OHL, continued to be stymied by the Knights’ penalty kill, eventually going 0-for-4 with the man advantage in the period. Despite the lack of scoring chances in the middle frame, the nation’s top goal scorer, Bulldogs RW Nick Lardis, generated the best scoring chance for the black and gold.
At 3:42, Lardis received the feed near the London goal, unloaded his shot, and was denied by London G Austin Elliott. In the third period, the Knights added one more goal. The goal came, once again, while shorthanded, as Bulldogs C Jake O’Brien coughed up the puck in the own zone by D Jared Woolley. Woolley then passed the puck to Cowan for his second goal of the game.
The rest of the final frame went unscathed, and the home crowd of 3,207 left the Civic Centre dismayed with the home team’s performance. In an unlucky outing in the Bulldogs net, Leenders suffered his first defeat in four starts.
Looking ahead, Brantford is set to travel to Michigan this weekend for two crucial games against the Flint Firebirds and the Saginaw Spirit. With three weeks left until the end of the regular season, every result is crucial for the Bulldogs to get the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
