Played on Mar 13, 2025
Ontario Hockey League
Game Played in Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens
General Game Notes: The Bulldogs were able to produce a little bit of a comeback given they were down a goal heading into the third period and scored two unanswered to win the game. This was a game of mistakes and who was going to make the first one, unfortunately, the Battalion blinked late in the third.
Ryerson Leenders (G, L, 6’1″, 180, Brantford Bulldogs, 06/01/2006)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Leenders played an exceptional gmae tonight was showed that he has the size for a goalie that you simply cannot teach. Not overly big by any means but big enough where he can cut angles and space down for shooters. Leenders was able to show that he was at his best tonight when he was challenging pucks. One aspect about his game that stood out was how quick his recovery was. To find a loose puck or react to a rebound, he was able to find position quickly.
Lucas Moore (D, R, 5’10”, 195, Brantford Bulldogs, 06/07/2005)
Game Rating
B-
1 Viewing
Comments: Moore was able to show tonght that he is a natural skater and uses his effortless stride and good vision to play a puck moving style, and be an asset in transition. That being said, Moore does not have the raw offensive upside to be a massive point producer every night. His offense is usually held to being able to get the puck in the hands of his forwards, which he was able to do effectively tonight. His defensive zone positioning is fine, and he’s smart enough to be in the right place at the right time but he needs to add more to his game than just being ok at everything.
Tomas Hamara (D, L, 6’0″, 194, Brantford Bulldogs, 03/09/2004)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Hamara has excellent skating ability for a defenseman and is a major asset in the transition game. His aggressive puck moving style sometimes causes him to have defensive lapses, but overall he was able to show that he is a strong enough skater and a smart enough defender to overcome some higher risk lapses. His offensive skills are his calling card, though, and as his playmaking abilities improve and his judgement for when to join the rush show that he can be a threat whenever the puck is in transition.
Noah Nelson (C, L, 6’1″, 190, Brantford Bulldogs, 03/28/2005)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Nelson was able to show tonight that he is a smart player and shows ability on both ends of the ice: able to use his grit and positioning skills to kill penalties, as well as he is able to use his shot and decent offensive instincts to create scoring chances. He is not an elite skater and will not wow you with the puck, but he knows where to be and what to do whenever he is on the ice, and that type of value to a hockey team is important.
Nick Lardis (LW, L, 6’0″, 180, Brantford Bulldogs, 07/08/2005)
Game Rating
A
1 Viewing
Comments: Lardis scored a nice goal following up a play and finding a loose puck at the net front ready to be buried. This goal was a great representation of how he has been able to score seventy one goals this season. He understands where the play is going and controls his skating so he can be on time, and in a great position for good bounces. Not all goals are going to be snipes from spots with time and space, he has the IQ to read the flow of plays. His flashes of skill combined with his net-front abilities and willingness to go to the dirty areas is why he is able to create the scoring chances that he does.
Marek Vanacker (LW, L, 6’1″, 175, Brantford Bulldogs, 04/12/2006)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Vanacker scored a nice goal on a two on one, looking off his teammate, toe dragging around the sliding defenseman, only to shoot low side, beating the goalie clean. This goal was nice in the sense that he had the skill to pull the puck around a sliding defenseman and still have the positioning to get a powerful shot off. He has good size, and while he is not overly physical he knows how and when to use his body effectively. Multiple times tonight, he would be protecting the puck along the wall and would get his body around the play to shield off space. This would not only guard the puck, it would allow him to absorb contact use it as momentum.
Cole Brown (RW, L, 6’3″, 190, Brantford Bulldogs, 04/27/2005, Notre Dame)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Brown was able to show tonight that a unique trait for his game, given how big he is, is his skating ability. He has above average speed and fantastic edge work. His speed is what allows him to be an immediate offensive contributor most the time he has time and space in the offensive zone. His defense is quite strong, and despite oversized and harder to connect on the smaller players, Brown is tremendously smart and can capably handle very tough defensive assignments.
Aaron Enright (D, L, 6’0″, 215, North Bay Battalion, 03/28/2007)
Game Rating
B-
1 Viewing
Comments: Enright was able to show tonight that he is a natural defensive defenseman, with little offensive skill but high end physical ability and a proven track record of defensive success by shutting down multiple plays in his own end. Enright is strong enough and big enough to win battles for pucks decently consistently, and he also has the defensive awareness and stick work ability to play in a shut down role. When he was at his best tonight, he was getting first on pucks and looking to make plays. The best plays he was able to make was when the puck was on and off his stick quickly.
Ihnat Pazii (C, L, 5’9″, 161, North Bay Battalion, 12/04/2006)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Pazii scored a nice goal tonight outmuscling a defender on a fast break to the net. He is a smaller forward in stature but this goal showed that he can win those 50/50 battles that it takes to get to the net. Pazii was able to show tonight that he can be a two way player but his defense is still a work in progress and he sometimes looks lost in his own end, whereas other times he will demonstrate exceptional stick skills and positioning. For him, his game needs to add more consistency, as well as learning to be more explosive in small areas.
Jacob Leblanc (D, R, 6’1″, 190, North Bay Battalion, 06/03/2004, Princeton)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Leblanc has great size and strength for a defenseman, and he is not one to shy away from throwing the body around to win battles for pucks. That being said, his aggressive physical play style has meant that he struggles to hold on to the puck for extended periods of time. His game is risky given that he wants to create offense, and with that means making plays that sometimes looked forced. He has it in his game to make great plays with baby sauces and seam passes, but when they do not connect, the puck had a habit of going the other way, and with that, him chasing to get back in his own end.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images