The Bulldogs got off to a good start as they hosted the Kings Thursday night, getting good chances early which led to a Bulldogs power play. They would move the puck beautifully on the man advantage, but they couldn’t get many shots through as the Kings appeared to gain momentum from the kill, scoring shortly afterwards to take a 1-0 on a goal mouth scramble. Luke Ripley picked the puck up behind the Powell River net and raced all the way up ice to the Dogs net where several blocked shots and/or Jay Deo saves couldn’t keep the puck out as James Neil tapped it home from the paint 7:01 in with assists to Matthew Dupont and Luke Ripley for a 1-0 Kings lead after 20 minutes.
The second period saw the Dogs start the frame with some fire, but they quickly ended up on their heels as the Kings pushed back. A plethora of penalties would end up haunting the Dogs as the Kings built their lead after several big saves by Jay Deo kept them in the game. Penalties would be their undoing though as they were already down a man when a delayed penalty was also called. Before the Dogs could touch the puck it ended up in the back of the net as Jordan Burns drove the net from the blue line and had a loose puck end up on his tape where he went top corner, blocker side on Deo. The assist on the play went to Evan Richardson at 10:49 of the second for a 2-0 Kings lead after two.
The third period would see no scoring as the Kings played a solid defensive game and the Dogs couldn’t get going for any extended periods to get any momentum or get the home crowd into it.
Final shots favoured the Kings 33-22 with Jay Deo taking the loss while Jonah Imoo picked up 1st star honours with the win and the shut out. The Dogs have Friday night off before they host the Chilliwack Chiefs on Saturday night, Devin Timberlake jersey retirement night.
Dogs Shutout in Third Straight Loss
