The Bulldogs improved their preseason record to three wins and one loss with a 5-2 comeback victory at home Saturday night over the Nanaimo Clippers.
The Bulldogs got off to a great start and ran up an early edge in shots, but found themselves in a 2-0 hole just five minutes into the game. The Clippers struck first while shorthanded as Ethan Mistry was credited with the goal after throwing a rink-wide pass that went off a Bulldog and in. Just a minute later it was 2-0 as Jack O’Brien tapped in a loose puck on the goal line after a Hobie Hedquist breakaway save. The Bulldogs pushed back to make it a one-goal game on the power play later in the period when Brandon Buhr went high short-side from in tight to make it 2-1 Clippers after 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs carried the play in the second and finally were rewarded for it when Mirko Buttazzoni deflected a Caden Tremblay point shot from a Josh Zary faceoff win to tie it at 2-2 six minutes into the second. A handful of seconds later the Bulldogs had their first lead of the game when Buttazzoni scored a highlight-reel marker on the rush to make it 3-2. The Bulldogs built their lead to 4-2 heading into period three when Brandon Buhr potted his second of the game from the paint off a Josh Van Unen set up. The only goal of the third was a solo effort by Josh Zary, who scored five-hole on a shorthanded breakaway early in the period to complete the scoring.
Shots were 50-13 Bulldogs, with Hobie Hedquist earning the win while Peyton Ttzsaka took the loss. The Bulldogs went 1 for 10 on the power play and the Clippers went 0 for 3. Each team scored once while shorthanded.
The Bulldogs next see action Friday in Duncan, before returning home Saturday to conclude the preseason by hosting the Capitals.
