The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are hoping to see the fur fly tonight as they host the Coquitlam Express at 7:00 pm in the club’s annual Teddy Bear Toss.
The Bulldogs had an unexpected Friday Night off as their scheduled game with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks was postponed due to the highway conditions across the province. The express meanwhile kicked off their weekend with a 3-2 shootout loss in Nanaimo.
Tonight’s contest marks the return of former Associate head coach Brandon Shaw to the Multiplex. Shaw spent 2 years with the Bulldogs before taking over the reigns of the Express this summer.
The Bulldogs enter play with a record of 11-7-3-0 good for 4th in the Coastal Conference, while the Express are 8th with a record of 6-12-1-2.
Despite being just 4-4-2-0 in their past 10, the Bulldogs remain hot at the Dawg Pound with a record of 6-1-2-0 on home ice. Their one regulation loss on home ice is the fewest in the conference.
The Bulldogs power play will need to be on high alert as the Express penalty kill leads all BCHL teams with 6 short handed goals on the season.
There are some trends to watch for the Bulldogs as they look for their 12th win of the season. Hot starts usually equal a win for the Bulldogs who are a perfect 7-0-0-0 this year when scoring first. They are also undefeated at 5-0-0 when they lead after 20 minutes of play. Safe to say, a quick start to get the crowd into it could go a long way for for the Bulldogs tonight.
Game time is 7:00 pm at the Multiplex. It’s anticipated that tonight will be the highest attended game of the season so get your tickets early.
