The Dogs week of action began Tuesday night as they hosted the red hot Victoria Grizzlies, winners of 8 in a row. This game was played with playoff like intensity, with the goalies stealing the show through the first forty minutes as the game was at a 0-0 deadlock heading into period three.
The Dogs would finally break the goose egg just over five minutes into the final frame when a neutral zone turnover saw a 2 on 1 chance where David Dziurzynski carried the puck up the left wing and elected to shoot. It would be a good decision, and an even better shot, as he went high short-side on Ryan Holfeld to finally pot the first goal of the game. Ryan Renz and Kevin Ross picked up the assists, 5:11 into the third. The Dogs would have several great chances around the net to build their lead, but Holfeld was sharp, coming up with several big saves. The score stayed 1-0 until the final minutes of regulation when the Grizzlies broke Frank Slubowski?s shutout bid as Dylan Nowakowski put a shot on net from the top of the point through traffic that had eyes, as it found the top corner glove side to knot it at 1-1. Derek Bacon and Brett Kolins picked up the assists with 3:41 to play in the third, sending the game to overtime. The first overtime settled nothing, but action picked up in a hurry in double OT as Mitch MacMillan had a great first chance to win it as he stripped Jordan Heywood of the puck as the Victoria line and cut down the left wing in alone on Holfeld, who came up with a big save to keep the game going. The puck would then go up ice into the Bulldogs zone, before it turned back the other way and a footrace developed between Kevin Ross and Jordan Heywood down the right wing for a loose puck into the Victoria zone. Ross would appear to pull ahead as he poked the puck forward, resulting in Heywood diving to try and knock the puck away. As he did so, he took Ross down, resulting in a penalty call and the automatic penalty shot. Ross would make good on the chance to score his second career OT penalty shot winner, going to the backhand and lifting one high over Holfeld to send the Pound into a frenzy and the Dogs off the bench to mob the hero.
Final shots favoured the Dogs 38-22. Frank Slubowski picked up second star honours with the win, while Ryan Holfeld picked up well deserved first star honours with the loss. The Grizzlies were 0 for 2 on the power play, while the Dogs were 0 for 6.
Friday night the Dogs hosted the Nanaimo Clippers for the final time this season, and the Clippers appeared to be the more ready team from the get go as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead just past the two minute mark on a wrist shot from Brayden Jaw off the left wing wall that appeared to go through the legs of Scott Lewan. Mike Domsodi picked up the only assist 2:01 into the game. The Dogs would tie it at 1-1 on one of the prettiest goals of the season on a great individual effort by Mark MacMillan as he picked the puck up at centre, carried it over the Nanaimo line, dangled the Nanaimo defender 1 on 1 and then put the shot through Rhys Hadfield while falling down to tie the game at 1-1. Mitch MacMillan and Jeff Reppucci picked up the assists 11:49 in for a 1-1 tie after one. The Clippers took their second lead of the game early in the second on a comedy of errors as both Bulldogs defenceman fell down at centre, resulting in a 2 on 0 breakaway for the Clippers where Kyle Kramer kept and scored on the backhand for the un-assisted marker 5:30 into the second. Three minutes later the Dogs evened it up again, as Mark MacMillan picked up his second of the game one-timing an end-board bounce off an Adam Hout point shot from in tight through the legs of Hadfield for a 2-2 tie 8:03 into the second. Adam Hout and Mitch MacMillan picked up the assists as it was tied 2-2 after two. The Clippers took their third lead of the game just short of eight minutes into the third as Cody Bremner picked the puck up in front of the Dogs net and battled hard to get a low wrap around past Lewan far side to make it 3-2 Shipmen. Tyler Mah and Teal Burns picked up the assists 7:39 into the third. As they did all night, the Dogs answered back as just four minutes later it was Mitch MacMillan picking up a pass against the end boards from David Dziurzynski and then walking out front where he put a backhand far side past Hadfield to make it 3-3 with 8:32 to play in the third. Mark MacMillan and David Dziurzynski picked up the assists. The Dogs first lead of the game came five minutes later, on another Dziurzynski and Mark MacMillan set up, as they worked the puck low before Mark found Mitch walking into the deep slot where he one-timed one blocker side to beat Hadfield to make it 4-3 with 3:42 to play in the third. That would hold up to be the winner as the Dogs sealed the deal into an empty net as Sam Mitchell and Trent Dorais battled to win a loose puck in the slot of their own zone. Dorais would carry the puck out to centre and then dish off to Warren Muir who snapped one into the open cage for the 5-3 final with 47 seconds to play.
The Dogs outshot the Clippers 43-28 with Scott Lewan and Rhys Hadfield being the goalies of record. Both teams went 0 for 2 on the power play.
Saturday night marked the end of a five game home stand for the Dogs as the Prince George Spruce Kings made their only visit of the season over the hump. The start to this game was the polar opposite of the night before, as the Dogs came out with considerable jump early. An early goal surely didn?t hurt their start either, as Mitch MacMillan potted his 55th of the season on a snap shot from the top of the left circle that just squeezed through the legs of Kyle Nielsen and over the line for a 1-0 Dogs lead 1:38 into the game. Mark MacMillan picked up the only assist. It would be 2-0 Dogs less than a minute later, as Pearce Eviston and Casey Bailey did a good job of battling down low to get the puck to the top of the point to Kevin Ross, who wristed one through traffic past Nielsen at the 2:34 mark. The onslaught continued as just over a minute later it was 3-0 Dogs as Tye Lewis made a great stretch pass from blue line to blue line to a flying Matt Hatch. Hatch would drive the net down the right wing and as he got in tight he then threw a perfect cross ice pass to Johnny Rogic driving the net who one-timed it high blocker side on Nielsen to make it 3-0 just 3:48 in. That would do it for Nielsen as he was pulled in favour of Andrew Walsh. The scoring would slow down for a couple minutes, but the Dogs built their lead to 4-0 just past the halfway mark of the first on a shorthanded goal that was very similar to the goal before it as Matt Hatch blew down the right wing where he fed another perfect cross-crease feed to Johnny Rogic who was flying to the net again, where Rogic again put it away high blocker side to make it 4-0 on the shorthanded marker 10:51 into the first. You wouldn?t have believed it at the time but there would only be one more goal the rest of the way. It came from Warren Muir when went short side high on Walsh just short of five minutes into the second period when he picked up a Johnny Rogic pass at the left side of the net that he settled down and then snapped home. Jeff Reppucci also picked up an assist 4:35 into period two. The Dogs would have plenty of chances to build their lead the rest of the way through the second and third, but Walsh was nothing short of sensational turning the Dogs away time and again to keep it a 5-0 final. Mitch MacMillan appeared to have his 56th of the season in the third period as he made an incredible play, spinning around with his back to the net and one-timing a loose puck that seemed to be chest high past Walsh.
