Brantford Bulldogs lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series 2-0 after a 3-0 win over the North Bay Batallion on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
The first period was a stalemate between the two sides, but the Bulldogs controlled the pace for most of it. Despite the pace, the Bulldogs recorded their first shot on goal only seven minutes into the game.
The game was conservative for the first six-plus minutes until the high level of physicality resumed from game one. It started when North Bay D Bronson Ride delivered a high hit on Bulldogs RW Nick Lardis. Brantford D Thomas Budnick responded with a hit on Battalion C Ethan Procyszyn. Procyszyn checked Bulldogs D Lucas Moore to the head on the backboards with 7:02 to go and only received the two-minute minor. Five penalties were called in the period, four within 48 seconds apart.
Despite the best efforts by the Bulldogs, Battalion G Mike McIvor kept the game scoreless as he stopped all nine shots through the first twenty minutes. The biggest save by the North Bay netminder came with 9:42 left in the period as he robbed Bulldogs C Jake O’Brien near the post. The Bulldogs outshot the Battalion 9-2 through twenty minutes, but the game remained scoreless.
In the second period, both McIvor and Bulldogs G Ryerson Leenders went toe-to-toe in a goaltending duel as they preserved the shutout through forty minutes. The biggest save of the period by the Brantford netminder came late in the middle frame. Battalion LW Andrew LeBlanc shot the puck from the slot, but Leenders robbed him with the blocker.
Before the period concluded, the game reached its turning point when the Battalion was penalized for delay of the game, thus setting the Bulldogs on a modified five-on-three for over ninety seconds to begin the third period.
After forty-one minutes, the Bulldogs finally broke the deadlock.
Ninety seconds into the period and on the powerplay, C Jake O’Brien received the pass from D Tomas Hamara near the blue line in their attacking zone. With possession of the puck in the centre area, O’Brien ripped the shot past the stick side of McIvor for his second of the playoffs.
As done throughout the contest, the Bulldogs proceeded to lockdown the Battalion offensive attack.
With 5:15 to go, the nation’s leading goal scorer provided the insurance for the home side. LW Cole Brown passed the puck to Lardis, who then found space and shot the puck from behind McIvor and back of the net for his second of the playoffs. Brown, who recorded an assist on the O’Brien goal, registered his second helper of the contest.
After the Bulldogs called timeout with 3:35 left, the Battalion pulled McIvor to the bench for an extra attacker. But with 3:04 to go in the game, the gamble backfired, and the Bulldogs sealed the win. Leenders robbed Battalion’s Procyszyn with a great pad save. Budnick retrieved the puck and passed it to Lardis, who fired it from 160 feet to the empty net. From there, the Bulldogs’ defence closed the game and gave Leenders his first career OHL playoff shutout.
With the shutout, Leenders joined former Bulldogs netminders Dawson Carty (2017) and Marco Costantini (twice in 2022) to record this feat.
