The Bulldogs started Saturday’s game in Vernon like they were shot out of a cannon as they came out hitting and firing and seemed to have everything they lacked the night before in Salmon Arm. It would show up on the scoreboard as before the game was two minutes old when Dylan Haugen – up on the first line with Hunter Stewart out of the line up – sent the puck deep for Evan Tironese. He would then set up Ryan Lough at the top of the crease where he deked and slid it by Austin Smith to make it 1-0 at 1:51 of the first. The Dogs would continue to push, but it was instead the Vipers scoring against the flow of play as the Dogs failed to get a bouncing puck out and it ended up in the back of their net as Liam Board scored with a top corner far-side backhander from in tight to tie it at 1-1. Assists went to Braedan Russell and Dexter Dancs at 5:09 of the first. The Dogs would catch fire late in the period to build their lead, first on the power play as a point shot by Kurt Gosselin resulted in a rebound that Ryan Lough roofed from the slot to make it 2-1. Matt Hansen also assisted the play at 17:31 of the first. Less than a minute later it was 3-1 Dogs when Zach Funk won a faceoff in the Vernon end. Jon Brumwell would find it and feed Matt Hansen in the high slot where he beat Smith with a glove-side one-timer. Brandon Halls and Jon Bumwell drew the assists at 18:17 of the first.
The Dogs intensity dipped a bit in the second, or the Vipers intensity increased, or possibly it was a mixture of both. In the end the only goal of the period came from the Vipers off the rush as Dexter Dancs found the loose puck off the post and tapped it in with assists to Andrew Tegeler and Adam Tambellini at 7:30 of the second. The Bulldogs would end up in penalty trouble later in the period but Jay Deo and the penalty killers stood tall and denied the Vipers the equalizer on a 5 on 3 power play.
The Vipers came out hard pushing for the equalizer in the third and were rewarded for it just over four minutes into the frame when Andrew Tegeler drove the net and roofed a rebound after a great first save by Jay Deo on a deflection off a teammate’s equipment. Dexter Dancs and Colton Sparrow drew the assists at 4:20 of the third to tie the game up at 3-3. Shortly after the goal and with the Vipers still holding the momentum Jon Brumwell would drop the mitts with Logan Mick to try and spark the team. The score would stay tied until the late stages when the Dogs were awarded a power play when the Vipers were whistled for goalie interference. At the same second that the power play was elapsing Brumwell completed the Gordie Howe hat trick as he knocked a loose puck through the legs of Austin Smith after he made a great inital save on a Brandon Halls one-timer that was set up by Manny Gialedakis. Tryg Strand would pick up the only official assist on the play at 17:34 of the third to make it 4-3. The Vipers would be given a power play in the final minute but again the Bulldogs penalty killers protected the lead with Jay Deo making one big save with less than 10 seconds to play on a deflected point shot to seal the deal.
Final shots favoured the Vipers 34-30 with Jay Deo picking up the win while Austin Smith took the loss. The Dogs went 2 for 4 on the power play while the Vipers went 0 for 4.
