The Bulldogs take a four game losing streak into yet another three-game week that kicks off on Wednesday night at home as the Trail Smoke Eaters make their only regular season visit to the Dog Pound. The Dogs have Thursday off before heading to Nanaimo on Friday night. The Dogs return home Saturday night to host the two-time defending National Champion Vernon Vipers.
The Smoke Eaters enter play Wednesday night with a record of 20-12-0 and 1, good for 41 points and 4th place in the Interior Conference standings. The standings are very tight in the Interior however, as they are just 1 point out of 2nd and four points out of the Conference lead. The Smokies were last in action Sunday afternoon at home where they picked up a 2-1 win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks to snap a three game losing streak. After a scoreless first period the Smoke Eaters took a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the second on a Cullen Bradshaw shorthanded goal. Erik Cooper made it 2-0 Smokies with two minutes left in the period. The Silverbacks made a game of it with a power play goal with 10 minutes to go in the third but that?s as close as they would get as the Smokies made the lead stand.
Shots favoured Salmon Arm 39-30 with Kiefer Smiley picking up the win and 1st star honours in net. The Smoke Eaters went 0 for 3 on the power play while also scoring once shorthanded. The Silverbacks went 1 for 4.
It?s the second and final regular season meeting between the teams after the Smoke Eaters picked u a 4-3 OT victory on Wednesday, October 20th. The Smoke Eaters have a dangerous first line with Scott Jacklin, Sam Mellor and Travis St. Denis all averaging over a point and a half a game. The Dogs are fortunate that the Smoke Eaters will be without three players due to the CJHL prospects game in Dauphin, M.B. ? Sam Mellor, Joey Baker and Eric Walker. The Dogs will still have to be at their best if they hope to pick up two points and snap their streak.
Catch the pregame show Wednesday night from the Dog Pound at 6:45 with the play-by-play to follow at 7:00pm on 93.3 The Peak FM and our website at www.933thepeak.com
The Clippers enter play Friday with a record of 16-13-1 and 3, good for 36 points and 5th place in the Coastal Conference, five points up on the Dogs with the Bulldogs having two games in hand entering play Wednesday. The Clippers were last in action Sunday afternoon in Langley where they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Chiefs as their winning streak was stopped at three. Langley took a 1-0 lead after one period with a goal before the game was three minutes old. The score stayed that way until Langley took a 2-0 lead with a shorthanded goal with just over two minutes to play in the second. The Clippers got on the board in the final minute of the period with a Myles Fitzgerald goal with 26 seconds to play in the period to trail 2-1 heading into the third. The Chiefs got all the insurance they needed with their second shortie of the game just three minutes into the third for the 3-1 final.
Shots favoured the Clippers 32-23 in a losing cause with Charles-Andre Pelletier taking the loss. The Clippers went 0 for 6 on the power play, or -2 for 6 as they gave up two shorthanded goals while the Chiefs went 0 for 2.
This is the seventh meeting of the season between the teams, and the third at the Frank Crane Arena where they Clippers have won both previous games. The Clippers have also won the last two games head-to-head, to tie up the ?Battle for the Rival Hammer? series at three wins apiece. With the Dogs entering play Wednesday night five points back of the Clippers with two games in hand one would expect that they are thinking about winning games and picking up extremely valuable points and not a six foot hammer.
Game time Friday night from the Frank Crane Arena is 7:11. Get it all on 93.3 The Peak FM, www.933thepeak.com or the BCHL website at www.bchl.ca with the pregame show kicking off at 6:55
The week finishes off on Saturday night as the Vernon Vipers make their only regular season visit to the Dog Pound for the first meeting this season between the clubs. The Vipers enter play Wednesday with a record of 17-8-2 and 6, tied for 2nd in the Interior Conference with the Silverbacks, just three points back of Conference leading Penticton. The Vipes enter this week on a two game winning streak, and a five game unbeaten streak (4-0-1-0) but they are a busy team before they reach the Alberni Valley Saturday night with games in Cowichan on Wednesday and Victoria on Friday.
Catch the pregame show Saturday night from the Dog Pound at 6:45 with the play-by-play to follow on 93.3 The Peak and www.bchl.ca at 7:00pm.
