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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\tSports reporter at The Brantford Expositor starting in 1999, sports editor since 2004, multiple Ontario Newspaper Awards winner and 2025 Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition inductee\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Forget about a monkey, Brantford Bulldogs forward Adam Nemec got a gorilla off his back on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Playing in his 14th OHL game, the highly touted Czech import was finally able to score his first goal in a 4-2 loss against the Brampton Steelheads.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was so happy, it was kind of a relief,\u201d said Nemec, who was visibly excited and relieved after scoring but disappointed the team didn\u2019t win.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love backhands and I have good chemistry with (Xavier) Lieb. He got me the puck and I wanted to score and I scored so I was happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope I\u2019m going to score some more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brantford selected Nemec in the first round (13th overall) of the 2026 Canadian Hockey League import draft. Hailing from Vsetin, Czechia, he followed in the skate strides of former successful Czechia born Bulldogs Adam Jiricek, Tomas Hamara, Adam Benak and Vladimir Dravecky.<\/p>\n
The six-foot-one, 175-pound winger had talked to those former players so he knew what he was getting into.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey told me it\u2019s an unbelievable place to play hockey,\u201d Nemec said of playing at the Madhouse on Market.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the best organization in the OHL. I\u2019m happy with the stuff the guys told me. It\u2019s an unbelievable organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not as if Nemec hasn\u2019t had his chances \u2013 or a goal. With five assists in 13 games, Nemec did score a huge goal when he was the only player to put the puck in the net in a 5-4 shootout win against Brampton on Oct. 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boys call me the \u2018Shootout Demon\u2019,\u201d he said of the nickname he\u2019s been given.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love shootouts, it\u2019s my game. I have some moves that I\u2019m doing and it\u2019s working out. I\u2019m glad I can help the team in those moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prior to his Brantford drought, Nemec had scored everywhere he\u2019d played in his homeland.<\/p>\n
During two seasons at U15, Nemec scored 46 goals in 43 games. Then at U17, he tallied 50 goals in 68 games.<\/p>\n
Playing internationally, Nemec has scored 27 times while playing in 45 contests.<\/p>\n
\u201cI scored a lot in my childhood and my career,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019m a fast shooter, a fast wing. I see the game well and I can score and put pucks in the net.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that one goal has found the back of the net, is he confident more will come?<\/p>\n
\u201cOne guy said after I score my first goal, it\u2019s going to be like a domino,\u201d Nemec said.<\/p>\n
The game was scoreless through one period before Brampton\u2019s Lucas DeMiglio and Nathan Amidovski scored for the Steelheads in the second. Nemec replied in the middle period for the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
Lieb, from Jack Good and Camden McCuaig, then scored early in the third to tie things up but shortly after that, on the power play, Stepan Kuryachenkov put Brampton back out front 3-2.<\/p>\n
Kieran Witkowski sealed the game with an empty-net goal.<\/p>\n
Brantford falls to 10-3-0-1 while Brampton improves to 2-8-1-1.<\/p>\n
The Battalion were outshot 31-26 as Oskari Ahmajarvi earned the win and Vilmer Salen-Forsberg took the loss.<\/p>\n
After a home-heavy start to the season, the Bulldogs will embark on a stretch that sees them play six straight games on the road.<\/p>\n
Brantford is in Peterborough on Thursday at 7:05 p.m., in Ottawa on Friday at 7 p.m. and in Kingston on Sunday at 2:05 p.m.<\/p>\n
DOG BITES . . . A little more perspective from Brantford\u2019s 8-2 win on Friday against Brampton and the performances of Kaden McGregor and Jason Musa. McGregor scored four goals in the game, all on the power play, becoming the first player in franchise history with four power-play goals in a game. He also became just the third OHL player since 2000 to score four goals in a game on the man advantage, joining Christian Dvorak (London Knights, 2015) and Jonathan Cheechoo (Belleville Bulls, 2000). As well, McGregor tied the franchise record for overall goals in a single game with four. McGregor and Musa became the sixth and seventh players in franchise history to record four points in a game against the Steelheads . . . Abe Barnett and Owen DeGraff also scored Friday marking the first OHL goal for each . . . Aiden Kelly returned after missing Friday\u2019s game due to illness while Jet Kwajah remained out due to illness. Musa took a heavy hit in Brampton and did not play Saturday. Brampton\u2019s Troy Patton was given a five-minute major for a check to the head along with a game misconduct. On Saturday it was announced that he had been suspended two games . . . Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre took in the game with local Conservative candidate and soon-to-be former Brantford mayor, Kevin Davis. With the resignation of current MP Larry Brock, the area will see a by-election take place in the near future.<\/p>\n