Marek Vanacker notched his 100th career OHL point as the Brantford Bulldogs defeated the Peterborough Petes 4-3 on Friday, December 6, 2024.
The Bulldogs spent the first six-plus minutes of the game in their attacking zone, generating five shots.
But the Petes struck first at 9:52 as former Bulldog LW Jonathan Melee scored on a rebound past Brantford G David Egorov.
Brantford went to work on the powerplay with less than eight minutes left in the period but generated only two shots on goal.
Early in the second period, the Petes looked to extend their lead. C Gavin Bryant intercepted the puck from Bulldogs D Noah Roberts and made the breakaway, but Egorov made the keypad save.
Another individual milestone moment for the Bulldogs franchise came at the 7:13 mark. Vanacker notched his 100th career OHL point as he sniped the shot up close and past Johnston to get the home side on the board.
Brantford took the lead for the first time midway through the period. C Jake O’Brien scored on a goal-of-the-year candidate as he circled the Peterborough defender and tucked the puck through the pads of Johnston for his 12th of the season.
The Petes tied the game again less than two minutes later when Melee scored a miraculous goal, beating the sprawling Egorov.
But the Bulldogs regained their lead late in the period as D Owen Protz received the pass from C Joshua Avery and sniped the puck past Johnston for his third goal of the season.
The score remained 3-2 for the home side until midway through the third period, as the Petes responded with a game-tying goal from LW Cayden Taylor.
Less than ninety seconds later, the Bulldogs regained the lead for good as Protz scored his second goal on a one-timer above and past Johnston glove side. Egorov and the Bulldogs defence held on in the closing minutes to secure the win.
