The Brantford Bulldogs wrapped up their Shoot to Win Weekend presented by Brantford Hyundai with a thrilling 5–4 win over the Brampton Steelheads on Saturday night at the TD Civic Centre.
The Bulldogs came out strong in the opening frame, pressing early to open the scoring. Parker Holmes found space in the slot for a quality chance, but Brampton goaltender Zach Bowen turned him aside. Moments later, Jake O’Brien was called for hooking, giving the Steelheads their first power play of the night. The visitors made the most of their opportunity at 5:30 when Matej Stankoven won a clean faceoff back to Kieran Witkowski, who fed David Green for his second goal of the season to make it 1–0. The Bulldogs wasted little time responding, tying the game just 25 seconds later. Working the puck behind the net, Holmes found Ryder Boulton alone in front, and Bulton buried his second of the season to even the score 1–1. Brantford then took the lead at 15:09 as O’Brien sprung Adam Benak on a breakaway. Benak made no mistake, slipping the puck past Bowen for his tenth of the season. The assist marked O’Brien’s 200th career OHL point, making him the fastest player in Bulldogs history to reach the milestone. Brantford extended the lead to 3–1 at 17:30 on the power play. The Bulldogs displayed sharp puck movement as Adam Jiricek connected with Benak, who found Marek Vanacker in front. Vanacker redirected the pass into the net for his 18th of the season. The Bulldogs carried their 3–1 advantage into the intermission despite being outshot 12–9.
The Bulldogs came out with purpose to start the second period, looking to build on their lead. Sam McCue had a strong chance early, but Bowen held his ground. The Steelheads countered with pressure of their own, as Joshua Avery’s shot created a rebound for Julian Demiglio, but Egorov kept it out. At 7:00, Brampton capitalized on a turnover to cut the deficit to 3–2. William Eggleton set up Manuel Amado for a shot, and Gabriel Chiarot buried the rebound for his ninth of the season. Brantford restored its two-goal cushion at 10:32 on another power play. Benak spotted Jiricek open in the slot, and the defenseman ripped a shot past Bowen for his second of the night and seventh of the season. The Bulldogs continued to press as Vanacker battled past a Steelheads defender to create a 2-on-1, dropping the puck for Benak, whose shot was stopped. O’Brien jumped on the rebound but was denied again by Bowen. Late in the period, Luca Testa set up Vladimir Dravecky to spring McCue on the wing, but his shot was also turned aside. After 40 minutes, the Bulldogs maintained a 4–2 lead while being outshot 24–22.
The Steelheads pulled closer early in the third period, scoring just 2:48 in to make it 4–3. A stretch pass sent Eggleton in on the rush, and he fired a shot from the slot past Egorov. The Bulldogs regained control at 7:20 when Boulton and Testa combined to feed Jiricek, who lifted a backhander home for his second of the night to restore the two-goal lead. Brampton made one last push late in regulation. With 18 seconds remaining, Troy Patton found Demiglio on the wing, and he buried his fifth of the season to cut the deficit to 5–4. Despite the late surge, the Bulldogs held firm to secure the win. Jake O’Brien led the way with a milestone performance, recording his 200th OHL point in the victory. Egorov earned the win in goal, backstopping Brantford to another strong effort on home ice.
Story by Reed Duthie
