The Alberni Valley Bulldogs (10-15-1-2) travel to Duncan to face the Cowichan Valley Capitals (6-20-1-1) as the BCHL schedule resumes after the Christmas break.
When we last saw the Bulldogs 13 days ago, they dropped a 3-2 OT decision to the Langley Rivermen. It was their 3rd straight loss on a 3 game road trip and things didn’t feel very festive as the players boarded planes to various destinations across North America. After some home cooking, and hopefully a cool gift or two, the Bulldogs return looking to reverse their fortunes of a forgettable 1st half.
As of today, the Bulldogs have as many regulation losses (15) as they did during the entire 21-22 season. It’s not where they expected to be.
With November additions like David Sacco and Dakota MacIntosh joined by Brandon Buhr and Dartmouth defenceman Owen Desilets just 3 games ago, the first half could be a summed up as a chemistry experiment. Gone are the Boilard brothers, Cole Melady, Ludovik Tardif & Matteo Sjoberg. The Bulldogs line-up tonight looks much different than the projected roster on October 1st. The challenge for Joe Martin is to now give this roster the confidence to live up to the expectations.
As some key games over the last little bit have indicated, this club can be very hard to play against when everyone is buying in. “We really do believe that the break came at a good time for our club” said club president David Michaud. “This is a good roster that hasn’t performed the way Joe or I have expected. There has been some good meetings and conversations with players and we’re excited to get things going again f.”
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. At least that’s the hope for the Bulldogs.
Tonight they face a Caps team that has lost 9 straight and enter tonight 7 points out of the Coastal Conference’s final playoff spot.
The one thing the Caps have going for them is a winning record over the Bulldogs this season, though the clubs haven’t faced each other since October 8th. The Caps earned back to back 3-1 wins over the Bulldogs in games 2 & 3 of the season. The Bulldogs earned their lone win back on October 8th in a 4-1 win at the Dawg Pound.
Unfortunately for the Caps, games aren’t the only thing they’ve lost of late. While the Bulldogs got a huge bonus in Brandon Buhr’s return, Cowichan was dealt a blow as the team’s 2nd leading scorer Massimo Lombardi left the club to start his NCAA career at Vermont over the Christmas break. Lombardi had 9 goals and 16 assists in 26 games this year. Tonight will also mark the 1st time the Bulldogs have faced their former teammate Cole Melady since he was dealt to Cowichan for future considerations. In 21 games with Cowichan, Melady has 7 goals and 7 assists.
The Bulldogs return to the Dawg Pound tomorrow to face the Powell River Kings in a special New Year’s Eve Prize Extravaganza at 7:00 pm. There are many great prizes to be handed out throughout the night including a 2-night stay at Black Rock Resort in Ucluelet. Tickets can be purchased by CLICKING HERE
