The Bulldogs played their first home game since 2011 when they hosted the Clippers in a do-or-die Game 3. Action was high-paced from the get go, with each team having their chances early. The Bulldogs would draw first blood just 5 seconds into a power play as Matt Hansen won the draw to Manny Gialedakis, who fed the puck back to the left point to Chase Van Allen. He would put a wrist shot on net through traffic that was stopped by Argue, but ended up in a big rebound in the slot that was found and fired home by Matt Hansen to make it 1-0 Dogs at 7:32. The score remained that way until the late stages of the period when the Clippers retrieved the puck from behind the goal line and centered it to a wide open Brendan Taylor in the slot where he went off the post and in, glove side on Jay Deo. Assists went to Brendan Taylor and Taylor Grobowski at 18:00 of the first for a 1-1 tie after one.
The second period was another tight one, with the Bulldogs scoring the only goal before the two minutes mark as Kurt Gosselin put a puck ahead for Tryg Strand, who lifted the puck high in the air just under the rafters and deep into the Clippers zone. Strand would get in on the forecheck, finishing Colton Dahlen with a hard hit in the right corner before picking the puck up, skating it behind the net and wrapping it around through Jayson Argue. There was no assist on the play, 1:48 into the second, with the Dogs carrying that lead into the room after two periods.
The third period was again tight Playoff style hockey, with the Clippers pushing hard for the equalizer but the Bulldogs held the fort and defended well although had several nervous moments on pucks turned over up the middle. The score remained 2-1 until the back half of the third period when Manny Gialedakis made a great patient play inside the Clippers zone before setting up Teal Burns who scored on a quick-release wrist shot from the deep slot past the glove of Argue. Jared Wilson also picked up an assist on the play at 12:06 of the third as the roof almost came off the Multiplex. The Bulldogs again defended well over the remainder of the regulation, making the lead stand until the late stages of the third when Jared Wilson won an extended battle in the corner of his own zone to get the puck ahead to Dylan Haugen who got it out of the zone and onto the tape of Matt Hansen who gained the redline and hit the middle of the empty net for the 4-1 final at 19:34 of the third. The goal was unassisted at 19:34 of the third, but both Haugen and Wilson could be deserving of one.
Final shots favoured the Bulldogs 34-33 with Jay Deo picking up the win and 3rd star honours while Jayson Argue took the loss. The Dogs went 1 for 2 on the power play while the Clippers also went 0 for 2. Game four goes Tuesday night at the Dog Pound.
