The Alberni Valley Bulldogs defeated the Powell River Kings 3-2 in Overtime on Saturday night at the Dawg Pound on Billet Appreciation night.
Jacob Terpstra electrified the crowd with a tremendous solo rush with just 13 seconds left in the 10 minute OT session. The game winner was Terpstra’s 13th of the season.
Powell River entered action fighting for their playoff lives and were full marks for a solid effort.
After Powell River opened the scoring on the games first shot just 1:07 in, the Bulldogs got goals from Phil Lalonde (7th) and Braden Blace (7th) to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Powell River found the equalizer just over 5 minutes into the 3rd when Wyatt Davis tapped home his own rebound after a pretty rush.
It was an overtime largely controlled by the Bulldogs as they outshot Powell River 7-4 in the extra session. Bulldogs starter Vladislav Bryzgalov and Kings starter Justin Katz went toe-to-toe, each making a couple of big saves to preserve the tie game.
Katz finished the game with 46 saves, while Bryzgalov stopped 28 of 30 on the night.
The win improved the Bulldogs record to 31-20-1-0 as they now head into the season final week. The 31 victories matches the total from last season.
Earlier in the night when the Clippers dropped a 4-2 decision to Langley, the Bulldogs clinched home ice advantage in the opening round of the BCHL playoffs that will get under way the 1st week of April.
The Bulldogs remained 2 points behind Chilliwack for 2nd spot after the Chiefs picked up a shootout win in Victoria. That result means the Bulldogs will finish no worse than 3rd in the Conference and will face either the Langley Rivermen or the Coquitlam Express.
Tickets for the opening round go on sale Tuesday afternoon, online or at the Bulldogs box office.
