The Dogs have two games on their schedule this weekend, starting with a huge tilt Friday when the Powell River Kings visit the Pound for the second time this season with second place in the Coastal Conference on the line.
The Kings have beat the Dogs in both meetings between the teams this season, starting with the 9-1 drubbing on the season?s opening night on September 11th. The Kings then visited the Dog Pound and snapped the Dogs four game winning streak with a 2-1 win on October 2nd.
The Kings enter play Friday with a record of 13-9-1 and 3, good for 30 points and second in the Coastal Conference. The Bulldogs are right behind them with a record of 13-7-1- and 1 good for 28 points (while playing four less games) so this game will have some early season implications on the Coastal Conference standings.
The Kings have struggled lately, losing three in a row and winning just two out of their last ten games. They were last in action Saturday night at the Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria where they ended up on the wrong side of a 4-3 double overtime score. The Kings actually had a 3-1 second period lead in this one, on two goals by Andrew Pettitt (the first coming before the game was 30 seconds old) and Robbie Bailey. The Grizzlies would fight back though scoring two power play goals to tie the game up and force OT where they got the winner in the second overtime.
Final shots favoured the Grizzlies 37-32 with Michael Garteig taking the loss in net. The Kings were 0 for 3 on the power play while the Grizzlies were 2 for 5.
The Broadcast begins with the pregame show on 93.3 The Peak FM at 6:45 with the puck dropping at 7:00pm. Listen live on 93.3 The Peak or www.933thepeak.com and watch live through the Pay Per View Broadcast through BCHL Web TV.
The Dogs have Saturday night off before finishing their weekend with a Sunday afternoon date with the Burnaby Express. It will be the second meeting of the season between the clubs after the Bulldogs beat the Express 4-2 on Halloween night at the Bill Copeland Arena. The Dogs built up a 3-0 lead in this one on goals from Mitch MacMillan, David Dziurzynski, and Warren Muir before the Express fought back and made a game of it with a shorthanded goal, and a 5 on 3 power play goal to make it 3-2 Bulldogs after two. The Dogs would batten down the hatches and protect the lead through the third before Trent Dorais iced it into an empty net.
The Express embark on their three game Island road swing on Friday night with a meeting in Nanaimo against the Clippers. Saturday they are in Duncan to take on the Capitals. Entering play Friday, the Express have lost four in a row. While they have lost two in a row to start November, they were probably just happy to get out of October where they struggled mightily after a great September, winning just two out of fourteen games.
The Dogs will be the rested team, while the Express will be playing their third game in two and a half days, so here?s hoping that the Dogs can use the day off to their advantage Sunday.
Sunday?s pregame show kicks off at 1:45 with the puck dropping at 2:00 on 93.3 The Peak FM and online at www.933thepeak.com
