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OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Vanacker Scintillates Brantford Crowd with OT Winner

October 27, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


BRANTFORD, ONTARIO. The Brantford Bulldogs hosted the first of four meetings on the season with the North Bay Battalion at the Civic Centre on Friday night. The evening marked a momentous occasion as Bulldogs captain Lawson Sherk suited up to play his 200th OHL career game all coming as a member of the Bulldogs.

The opening frame was all Battalion, drawing the first goal at just 0:34 seconds with Dalyn Wakely collecting his own rebound off a David Egorov breakaway stop to record his 5th goal of the season giving the visitiors a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs managed to outshoot the Battalion in the frame by a 14-10 margin but North Bay netminder Charlie Robertson managed to turn all 14 he faced aside. Jacob Therrien extended the visitors lead with a shot from the top of the slot to make it 2-0 with 1:44 left in the period, giving the Battalion a 2-0 lead to carry into the locker room after the opening 20 minutes.

In the middle frame, the Bulldogs looked a different team, amping up the pressure and funneling shot opportunities on Charlie Robertson's net. Luca Testa hit the scoresheet at 3:22 with his 4th of the season as Jake O'Brien carried the puck through the left wing corner, he found Testa in space at the top of the left circle with Testa cannonading a shot to cut the Battalion lead in half. The Bulldogs continued the pressure and brought the physicality. Continuing the pressure at 4:27, Florian Xhekaj managed to bat a Lucas Moore left point drive past a sprawled Robertson to tie the game on the power-forward's 4th of the season. Nick Lardis continued the offensive take over for the Bulldogs scoring his 7th goal of the season with Patrick Thomas delivering a backhand feed off the end boards for Lardis' one-timer at the bottom of the left circle, giving the Dogs their first lead of the game at 12:54. With the offense chugging along, David Egorov did his part at the other end, denying all 12 North Bay opportunities he faced in the second to send the Bulldogs to the break holding their 3-2 lead.

The last 20 minutes played host to an incredible back and forth, opened by a bar down power-play goal scored by Patrick Thomas, his 2nd of the season. Jake O'Brien & Florian Xhekaj combined in neutral ice to get the puck to the centerman down the left side and Thomas lifted it over Roberston with a defender on his back giving the Bulldogs the 4-2 lead just 0:47 seconds in. Owen Van Steensel assured the Battalion wouldn't go away quietly, collecting a rebound on his own initial shot, cutting into the Bulldogs lead to make it 4-3 at 5:16. Rookie netminder David Egorov showed his acrobatics in the third period making a series of sliding saves to hold the Bulldogs a goal ahead. Despite Egorov's heroics the Battalion found a way to tie the game late, just 4:16 to go, through a goal scored by Ethan Procyszyn at the side of the Bulldogs net, his 2nd of the year.

With sixty minutes not enough to solve the contest, the Bulldogs went to overtime for the 2nd time on the young season. With Jorian Donovan twisting over the offensive blueline and dropping the puck to Marek Vanacker, the hometown kid went to work. Vanacker drew Ty Nelson to a knee, cutting past the defenseman and making a series of moves to draw Charlie Robertson out of his goal, sliding the puck into the back of the net for the scintillating overtime winner at 2:29, giving the Bulldogs their 3rd straight victory.

The Brantford Bulldogs return to action tomorrow night on the road against the Barrie Colts with puck drop at 7:30PM at Sadlon Arena in Barrie.

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