(image: Chaisson Creative)
A three goal hole in the third period was too deep to climb out of, as the Chiefs held on for a 5-3 win Wednesday night at the Dawg Pound
The start was a slow one, but things picked up quickly as the Chiefs took a 1-0 lead on a shot and a rebound on the power play after the Bulldogs were caught with too many men on the ice. Olivier Beaulieu put a low point shot on net that Ryder Shea kicked out, but Nico Grabas buried the rebound high glove side from the slot before the game was four minutes old. Chilliwack took a 2-0 lead directly from and offensive zone faceoff with seven minutes to play in the period, as Dustin Renas walked the top of the circle and found the top corner, blocker side on Shea. The Bulldogs got a critical goal to get back in it with a minute to play in the first, as Brendan DeFeo found Patrick Vogl in the corner, and he made a defender miss before firing a quick release on net that was deflected home five hole on Ben Laurette by Eric Lund to make it 2-1 Chiefs after one.
The Chiefs went to an early second period power play, and came close to going up 3-1 as Ryder Shea made a highlight reel diving save on Reese Shaw to rob him of what looked like a sure goal on a wide open net. The Chiefs had another fantastic chance to take a two-goal lead, as A.J. Schaff raced in on a shorthanded breakaway with under four minutes to play in the period, but Shea made a right toe save to keep it 2-1 after 40 minutes.
The Bulldogs failed on the power play to end the second, and open the third, and that loomed large seconds later as they went to sleep on the backcheck and the Chiefs attacked on an odd-man rush that they connected on to go up 3-1 as Jack Plandowski buried a cross-ice one timer on a Reese Shaw pass. Just over five minutes in, it was 4-1 as Connor Dick beat everyone to the net and cut across the crease and tucked it in past Shea. The Bulldogs got back in the game with just under 10 minutes to play, as Jacob Terpstra took a Wyatt Blace drop pass on the rush and just simply shot it – the quick release beat Laurette five-hole as it was 4-2. Two minutes later, Kai Benoche won a faceoff in the attacking zone onto the stick of Wyatt Davis, who blew a one-timer past Laurette to make it 4-3 with just under seven minutes to play. It would be too little too late, as the Chiefs held on to the final seconds before Reese Shaw hit an empty net at 19:58 to make it a 5-3 final.
Shots were 39-37 Bulldogs, with Ryder Shea taking the loss and Ben Laurette earning the win. The Bulldogs went 0 for 4 on the power play while the Chiefs went 1 for 3.
The Bulldogs next see action Saturday night when they host the Vernon Vipers.
