(image: Kyle Robinson)
A sharp start and solid penalty killing were critical as the Bulldogs earned a 4-0 win in Victoria on Friday night.
The Bulldogs looked good early, and parlayed an edge in the play into a 1-0 lead before the game was six minutes old as Eric Lund went to the net and tipped in a Brendan DeFeo shot five hole. Just a minute and change later it was 2-0, as Samuel Leonard found Kai Matthew on the rush, and he went upstairs on Carter Capton at 7:46 of the first for his fourth goal in four games to start his BCHL career.
The Grizzlies earned a power play mere seconds into period two, but the Bulldogs killed it off. They spent the following few minutes on their heels, but it stayed 2-0 through the middle of the period, with Mitchell Kathler coming up with a big in-alone save to preserve the lead. The Bulldogs would be penalized three more times through the back half of the period, but their kill – and Kathler, were solid to kill them all off as they went to the room up 2-0, and without a power play for the last five periods of hockey.
The Bulldogs began the third on the power play, but in a matter of seconds were taken off of it. They would find the net in the ensuing four-aside scenario, as Jacob Terpstra screamed down the wing and picked the top corner, short-side on Capton with Kai Matthew and Caden Tremblay drawing the assists. The scoring was completed five minutes into the frame, as Brendan DeFeo blocked a shot, then stole the puck in the Grizzlies zone before Charlie Vincent skated onto it and beat Capton with a quick release, glove side for his first career goal to make it 4-0.
Shots were 35-25 Bulldogs, with Mitchell Kathler earning the win, the shut out and second star honours in his first career start in net. The Bulldogs went 0 for 3 on the power play and 5 for 5 on the penalty kill.
