Brantford Bulldogs open OHL season with 5–1 win over Peterborough Petes

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The Brantford Bulldogs kicked off their 2025-26 season with a bang, defeating the Peterborough Petes 5-1 in front of a packed home crowd at the TD Civic Centre on Saturday night.

Tommy Karmiris scored just over two minutes in on a pass from Cooper Dennis, giving the Bulldogs an early lead. Rookie Caleb Malhotra added his first OHL goal midway through the opening period, also assisted by Dennis, making it 2-0.

Peterborough cut the lead in half on a redirected shot by Yanis Lutz but Brantford regained momentum as Vladimir Dravecky scored his first OHL goal, fed from Malhotra, who scored just seconds after, sending the Bulldogs into the first intermission with a 4-1 advantage

Saturday’s matchup featured plenty of physical play, including a fight between Ryder Bolton and Thanasi Marentette just minutes into the game.

The second period saw fewer goals. Brantford opened with a 5-on-3 power play, while Egorov made several saves to preserve the lead.

“Brantford’s penalty kill stood tall and [David] Egorov continued to turn aside everything directed his way,” a media release read.

In the third period, the Bulldogs extended their advantage 5-1 when Aiden O’Donnell capitalized on a rebound off a Cooper Dennis shot. Egorov finished the night with 34 saves, helping secure Brantford’s decisive home-opening win.

Brantford now holds three of a possible four points on opening weekend. The Bulldogs return to action on Sept. 27 when they host the Sudbury Wolves at 7 p.m. at the TD Civic Centre.