Everything the Bulldogs had Saturday to start the game in Vernon was missing in West Kelowna Sunday and it hurt them badly, as the Warriors looked everything like a team that had Saturday night off and was hungry and ready to play, while the Dogs looked everything like a team at the end of a roadie that wasn’t ready to play. Or at the very least they weren’t ready to play to the level of their opposition, as the Warriors were flying and the Dogs looked flat. Just 2:33 in it as 1-0 Warriors when Jetlan Houcher beat Brad Rebagliati blocker side from the right faceoff dot. Reid Simmonds picked up the only assist. The Dogs were penalized immediately following the goal, but they killed it off. Shortly afterwards it was 2-0 when Seb Lloyd walked alone to the slot and beat Rebagliati through the pads, with assists to Adam Plant and Josh Monk at 5:59. Brad Rebagliati would come up with a big save to keep it 2-0 with 9:24 left in the period, with the shots 18-2 West Kelowna. The Dogs were better in the back half of the period and managed to put some pressure on the Warriors and looked like they might get out of the period only down by two but the Warriors added a late one when Ben Tegtmeyer scored from the right circle far side on Rebagliati off the crossbar and in to make it 3-0 at the 17:52 mark from Shawn Hochhausen and Dustin Cave.
The Dogs were much better to start the second, immediately getting a great shorthanded scoring opportunity on a 2 on 1 rush as Lars Hepso threw a shot on net that resulted in a big rebound for Ryan Lough. Tyler Briggs would make a fantastic save on the play, going post to post and getting his glove up to keep it out. The Dogs would draw a penalty on the play, and after a short four-aside situation they went to the power play where they connected when Matt Hansen and Marlon Sabo played catch before Sabo scored on a shot from the top of the point through traffic to double his goal output from all of last season, making it 3-1 at the 1:19 mark of the second. The Dogs would make a game of it again immediately following the radio time at the midway point of the game when Manny Gialedakis knocked Max French down at the Bulldog blue line, resulting in a breakaway for Matt Hansen that he made no mistake on with a beautiful backhand-five hole deke on Briggs to make it 3-2 at the 10:32 mark as the Dogs trailed by that scoring going into the third.
The Bulldogs kept the momentum up in the third period, tying the game at 3-3 on Mitch Makin’s first as a Dog as he picked up a loose puck off a Mitch Crisanti hit in the left corner and walked out front where he beat Briggs with a short-side backhander at 4:41 of the third. That would be it for the scoring for the rest of the game, with neither team able to find the net through the rest of the third and both overtimes. Both Jay Deo (who started the second) and Tyler Briggs were outstanding, making big saves to keep it tied. The Bulldogs appeared to have won the game in double OT when Matt Hansen appeared to score on a penalty shot that hit the back bar – but the referee ruled no goal. Hansen thought it was in, I thought it was in, and everyone in the broadcast booth from the Warriors side of the puck thought it was in, besides the Warriors broadcasters. In the end the referee’s call stands and the game ends in a 3-3 draw, the first tie the Dogs have played to this season.
Final shots favoured the Warriors 52-32 with Jay Deo and Tyler Briggs recording the tie. The Dogs went 1 for 4 on the power play while the Warriors went 1 for 7. The Bulldogs have one more game to go before the Christmas break as they host the Victoria Grizzlies on Saturday night. Fans are encouraged to come out and share some holiday cheer with the team with an everyone welcome skate in Winter Wonderland Wednesday night at 6:30. Rentals are free.
