Friday the 13th the Powell River Kings visited the Pound for the second time this season. It looked to be a bad luck night early for the Dogs as the Kings took a 1-0 lead before the game was five minutes old as Steve Axford picked off a poor pass right up the middle in the Dogs end and walked in alone on Frank Slubowski where he went high glove side. The score stayed 1-0 Kings all the way until the second half of the second when Jordan Grant picked up a rebound in front on the power play and backhanded it into the open side with 6:54 to play in the second period. Chad Niddery and Darcy Huisman picked up the assists. The Bulldogs would get on the board just four minutes later as Curtis Tonello got a shot from the line away at the net that Mitch MacMillan tipped home past Josh Watson to make it 2-1 with 2:11 left in the period. The goal would energize the Dog Pound, and the Bulldogs, as they went to the power play just a minute later as Mark MacMillan was tripped up driving the net down the left wing. Right off the faceoff the game would be tied, as Josh Mitchell went across the blue line to Kevin Ross at the right point as he blew a slap shot past Watson that again appeared to change direction for a 2-2 tie with 17 ticks on the clock left in the second period. There would be no scoring throughout the third period, and the first overtime as both goalies were good when they had to be. The Bulldogs would have the best chance to win it in double OT when Kevin Ross was awarded a penalty shot as Mitch Labreche was called for hooking. Josh Watson would come up with the stop on the poke check to keep the game going. On the ensuing faceoff, Mark MacMillan would win the draw back but break his stick in the process. He would run to the bench for a replacement as Luke Fenske fed the puck behind the net for Mitch MacMillan. Mitch would find a way to beat two Kings in a battle behind the net before putting a pass out front onto the tape of Mark, who was given a replacement stick on the bench by an aware Josh Mitchell. Watson would come up with a great stop on Mark, but he was down and out after it, as Mitch found the puck and put it underneath him and into the back of the net as the Pound went crazy and the Dogs mobbed him in celebration. Mark would get the only assist on the play, 2:41 into double overtime.
Final shots favoured the Dogs 37-31 with Frank Slubowski picking up the win and first star honours in net. Josh Watson was outstanding getting second star honours with the loss. The Dogs went 1 for 5 on the power play while the Kings went 1 for 7.
Sunday afternoon saw the Burnaby Express make their first trip of the season to the Dog Pound. Offense was hard to find for both teams early in this one, as the Express outshot the Dogs 8-5 in a scoreless first period. Action would pick up in the second, but neither team could break the scoreless deadlock until the second half of the game when the Dogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a hardworking effort where Johnny Rogic roofed a loose puck in the crease after a first chance had hit the post and bounced out past a fallen Harrison May. Matt Hatch would get the only assist with 14:42 gone in the second. The Express would come back and tie it up just 30 seconds later on a pretty goal where Jimmy Geerin drove the net and tipped it home from Brad Reid and Colby Kulhanek at the 15:12 mark. The Dogs would take a 2-1 lead to the dressing room when the Express got caught up ice and Mark MacMillan chipped the puck up the left wing to an open David Dziurzynski who put a perfect breakaway pass on the tape of a streaking Kevin Ross who would beat Harrison May with a beauty deke to the backhand with 1:50 left in the second. The Dogs would throw everything but the kitchen sink at Harrison May trying to get the insurance marker in the third, but they couldn?t find any luck around the net. Some breathing room finally came when Jesse Halikas found Matt Hatch going to the net with a pretty pass. Hatch would then put an equally perfect feed on the tape of Johnny Rogic driving down the far side where he ripped one high past May to make it 3-1 with 5:39 to play in regulation. The game?s scoring would be completed with Mark MacMillan going upstairs from in tight on the backhand on the power play, with David Dziurzynski and Mitch picking up the assists with 2:22 to play.
Shots favoured the Dogs 46-23 with Frank Slubowski picking up the win, and former Dog Harrison May getting tagged with the loss but picking up third star honours. The Dogs were 1 for 5 on the power play while the Express were 0 for 2.
With the win the Dogs have now won five in a row for the first time this season. The two points also put them alone in second place in the Coastal Conference. A big week awaits the Dogs as they have road games Wednesday in Victoria and Saturday in Cowichan and home games Friday against Nanaimo and Sunday against Merritt.
Bulldogs in 2nd place With 5th Straight Win
