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There isn’t a roller-coaster in the world that has more ups and downs than the Brantford Bulldogs
Published Feb 25, 2026 • 3 minute read
Charlie Paquette of the Brantford Bulldogs watches his shot ring off the iron against the Brampton Steelheads during OHL action at the TD Civic Centre on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Photo by Jacob RobinsonArticle content
There isn’t a roller-coaster in the world that has more ups and downs than the Brantford Bulldogs.
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Brantford’s latest game – a 5-4 win against the Brampton Steelheads (15-32-6-3) on Wednesday at the TD Civic Centre – was a microcosm of the issues surrounding the league’s pre-season favourite.
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To be fair, there’s no complaint with the team’s record – Brantford (40-9-7-2) remains in first place in the OHL and has only lost twice in regulation since the end of the World Junior Hockey Championship. It’s the way they’re playing that has baffled fans on social media.
“We’re not looking at (social) media too much,” Bulldogs defenceman Zack Sandhu said while shrugging off the buzz.
“Coach talks about not getting too high on the highs and too low on the lows. Ultimately we just have to play our game, stick to the structure and take things game by game.”
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For an example of what ails the Bulldogs, lets rewind to Brantford’s past two games against the team chasing them for an OHL championship – the Barrie Colts.
At home on Jan. 25 against the Colts, Brantford put together one of its best efforts in a 7-1 victory. Less than a month later, on the road on Feb. 21, the Bulldogs had one of their worst efforts in a 7-4 loss.
“We didn’t bring our best,” Sandhu admitted when talking about the loss.
“I thought we came out strong . . . but we were losing 50/50 puck battles that we shouldn’t. We had a really hard practice (Tuesday) and we were looking to turn the ship around.”
On Wednesday things got better, then worse, and on cue, better.
In an opening 20 minutes that saw the Bulldogs register a season-high first-period shot total of 20, Brantford went to the room leading 2-0 on goals from Sandhu, his first of the season and first as a Bulldog, and Adam Jiricek, on the power play.
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Things then fell apart in the second period as Brampton scored three times before adding one more early in the third to take a 4-2 lead. Faced with a two-goal deficit, the Bulldogs showed an urgency that has been evident but highly inconsistent.
This time around, the urgency led to power-play goals from Jake O’Brien, Marek Vanacker and Jiricek, whose 15th goal of the season tied Nathan Staios’ single-season goals record for a defenceman.
“We have to focus on having a full 60,” Sandhu said. “We did that in the first and kind of lost a bit of juice in the second.
“I believe we’re a great third-period team and we regrouped, talked in the room and came out strong in the third.”
Vanacker’s goal was his OHL-leading 41st goal of the season.
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O’Brien logged a pair of assists and Benak got three helpers. Caleb Malhotra registered two assists as Jett Luchanko and Gabriel Frasca picked up one each.
Ryerson Leenders earned the win in goal as Brantford outshot Brampton 43-36. The Bulldogs were 4-for-4 on the power play while the Steelheads were 1-for-5.
The Bulldogs have 10 games remaining to solve an identity crisis that seems to have plagued the OHL club since at least the start of the new year. Which Bulldogs team will be present when the playoffs start in late March?
If the fans are worried, the players certainly aren’t.
“We’re confident it’s only going to get better,” Sandhu said.
DOG BITES . . . Brantford, which leads Barrie by three points, finishes up its week on Friday with a 7 p.m. game at the TD Civic Centre against the Oshawa Generals . . . The Bulldogs were missing a handful of players on Wednesday. Luca Testa (ill), Vladimir Dravecky (maintenance), Parker Holmes (injured, day-to-day), Ryder Boulton (suspended, two more games) and Dylan Tsherna (injured, week-to-week) are all out of the lineup against the Steelheads . . . Friday’s game against the Generals will include a special ceremony where former owner Michael Andlauer will become the first person inducted into the Bulldogs Hall of Fame . . . Brantford is now fourth in the OHL Power Rankings and seventh – behind fifth-place Barrie and sixth-place Kitchener – in the CHL Top-10 Rankings.
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