PROTZ PAIR POWER BULLDOGS PAST PESKY PETES IN 4-3 WIN
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. Returning home for a Friday night clash with the Peterborough Petes, the Brantford Bulldogs welcomed Marek Vanacker back on home ice to a raucous cheer from the Civic Centre crowd when he was announced.
The opening period was one of the Bulldogs most dominant of the season, registering five of the first six shots over the opening minutes and outshooting the Petes by a 16-8 margin throughout the frame. Petes’ netminder Masen Johnston was the difference maker in the first period, denying all 16 shots he faced, turning aside multiple “grade A” opportunities. The Petes built off their goaltender’s strong first period with Aiden Young stealing the puck in the right-wing corner of the Brantford zone, centering the puck to a waiting captain Jonathan Melee who was robbed by David Egorov on the first attempt but slid it through Egorov’s legs on the second taking the 1-0 lead Melee’s 7th at 9:52, carrying the visitors to the locker room up a goal after twenty minutes.
The Bulldogs tilted the middle frame on the scoreboard in their favour. Starting at 7:13, Calvin Crombie threw a heavy hit in behind the Peterborough net, freeing the puck up for Josh Avery in the right circle, quickly feeding Marek Vanacker in the slot. Vanacker ripped a wrist shot over Johnston’s shoulder for his 2nd of the season, igniting the home crowd, tying the game 1-1. Just under three minutes later, Vanacker caught up to a Noah Roberts offensive zone wrap, freeing the puck up as he was felled to the ice for Zakary Lavoie on the left half boards. Lavoie tucked it along quickly to a streaking Jake O’Brien. With a change of speeds through the left circle, O’Brien pulled the puck behind him, sliding it through his skates and kicking it to his stick to elude a pair of defenders in spectacular fashion before beating Johnston for an incredible goal, earning his 13th of the season at 10:07 and giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. The pesky Petes countered with a brilliant goal of their own with captain Jonathan Melee dancing through the left circle at speed, freezing David Egorov and being able to turn to his backhand and tucking it around the Bulldogs netminder to knot the game 2-2 at 11:57. Before the frame was out, at 17:36, Nikolas Rossetto fed the puck to the bottom of the right circle for Josh Avery who fit a beautiful pass into a tight window for Owen Protz crashing down from the right point. Protz rifled a shot past Johnston to collect his 3rd of the season, giving the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead that held into the final frame.
The Petes refused to go quietly in the final frame, after David Egorov denied a Grayden Strohack drive, the rebound fell for Caeden Taylor in the slot where his quick release bested the Bulldogs netminder to knot the game 3-3 at 7:34. The Bulldogs just wouldn’t be denied on Friday night, with an offensive zone cycle on at 8:56, Lucas Moore wrapped the puck around the boards where Zakary Lavoie collected it on the right half wall. Lavoie fed Owen Protz, again crashing down from the blueline to the top of the slot, firing a wrister that deflected off a sprawling Ryder McIntyre and through Masen Johnston to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead on Protz’s 2nd of the game & 4th of the season. With David Egorov stopping 27 of 30, the Bulldogs skated away with the pair of points in the 4-3 victory.
The Brantford Bulldogs return to action on Sunday, December 8th, travelling to St. Catharines to mee the Niagara IceDogs for a 2:00pm puck drop.
