The Bulldogs have another three-game week ahead of them, starting with a visit tonight to Nanaimo to take on the Clippers. The Dogs return home for a Thursday night hosting of the Langley Chiefs before taking Friday night off to prepare for Saturday Night?s Teddy Bear Toss as the Coquitlam Express are in town. The Bulldogs enter play this week with a record of 14-11-2 and 1, good for 31 points and sixth in the Coastal Conference. The Bulldogs have games in hand on every team they are chasing in the standings.
The Clippers enter play Wednesday night with a record of 14-12-1 and 3, good for 5th in the Coastal Conference as they are one point up on the Dogs ? although the Dogs have two games in hand. The Clippers were last in action Saturday night at home where they held off a frantic late game comeback by the Cowichan Valley Capitals to pick up a 4-3 win. The Capitals drew first blood just over three minutes into the game but the Clippers answered back with a Sam Labrecque power play goal at the eight minute mark. It was 2-1 Nanaimo after one period with another Labrecque power play marker late in the frame. The Clippers led 3-1 after two periods when Graeme McCormack found the net yet again on the power play to build the lead. One more power play goal from Gerry Fitzgerald seven minutes into the third made it 4-1 Nanaimo and it looked like the Clippers had the game well in hand. Cue the Caps comeback as they made it a 4-2 game with less than two minutes to play with a power play goal of their own. Another power play goal less than a minute later made it 4-3 Clippers with less than a minute to play. That would be as close as the Caps comeback would get as the Clippers held them off the board until time expired.
Shots favoured Nanaimo 35-25 with Charles-Andre Pelletier picked up the win in net. Special teams accounted for six of the games seven goals as the Caps went 2 for 8 on the power play while the Clippers went 4 for 10.
It?s the sixth meeting of the season between the Dogs and Clippers, and the second at the Frank Crane Arena. These teams last met November 20th at the Dog Pound, a 3-1 win for the Clippers in the first road win for either team in the series to date as the Dogs led 1-0 after two periods only to see the Clippers score three times including once into an empty net to seal the deal. The Clippers won the only meeting at the Frank Crane Arena on Halloween afternoon 4-3 as the Dogs fell into a 4-1 hole in the second period and battled back to make it 4-3 in the third before the comeback came up short. The Bulldogs hold a 3-2 lead over the Clippers in the ?Battle for the Rival Hammer? season series.
Catch the pregame show Wednesday night from the Frank Crane Arena at 6:55 with the play-by-play to follow at 7:11pm on 93.3 The Peak FM and our website at www.933thepeak.com
The Chiefs enter play Wednesday sitting in 2nd place in the Coastal Conference with a record of 18-10-1 and 4, good for 41 points. They were last in action Saturday night at home where they lost 5-3 to the Victoria Grizzlies. The Chiefs found themselves in a 3-0 hole in the first period before Trace Strahle got them on the board with a power play marker in the final minute of the period to trim the gap to 3-1. The Grizzlies got that back in the first 20 seconds of the second to go up 4-1 before Brad McBride answered back with a power play goal at the eight minute mark to make it 4-2 Victoria after two. The Grizzlies added some insurance with their second power play goal of the game midway through the third to build their lead to 5-2 before the Chiefs made it a two goal game on a Trevor Gerling goal with five minutes to play to make it 5-3 but that would be as close as they would get.
Shots favoured the Chiefs 48-28 in a losing cause with Wyatt Galley taking the loss giving up four goals in just over 20 minutes of work. The Chiefs went 2 for 6 on the power play while the Grizzlies went 2 for 7.
The Dogs and Chiefs have split the season series to date with the Dogs taking Game 1 in thrilling fashion 4-3 in overtime at the Dog Pound in September. The Chiefs exacted some revenge with a 4-2 win November 13th in Langley as they scored both third period goals including once into an empty net in the final minute to seal the deal.
Game time Thursday night from the Dog Pound is 7:00. 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 6:45
The week finishes off on Saturday night as the Coquitlam Express make their first visit of the season to the Dog Pound on ?Teddy Bear Toss? night. Coquitlam enters play Wednesday night with a record of 10-13-1 and 5, good for 26 points and seventh place in the Coastal Conference. The Express are one point up on the Cowichan Valley Capitals, but they also hold two games in hand on the Caps. The Express are five points behind the Dogs, but the Dogs have a game in hand.
All of the above could change considerably before the two teams meet on Saturday night as the Dogs have games on Wednesday and Thursday, and the Express have games on Wednesday and Friday as they visit Surrey and Nanaimo respectively. A tough week for the Express ends Sunday as they make their way to Powell River to face the Kings.
The Express ended November on a five game losing streak with a 7-5 home ice loss to Penticton on Saturday night. They are also winless in six as the streak began with a 3-3 tie against the Dogs on Sunday November 14th in Coquitlam where the Express tied the game as time expired in the third period to force overtime in the only meeting this season between the two teams.
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.
Don?t forget to visit Beaver Creek R/C, the Bulldogs office, or any local establishment to purchase a Teddy Bear or any other stuffed toy to throw on the ice when the Dogs score their first goal of the game. The Bulldogs will deliver the bears around the community in the coming weeks to give people young and old a lift for the holiday season.
