The Bulldogs week began with their first mid-week game of the season as the Powell River Kings made their first visit to the Dog Pound Thursday night. The Bulldogs got off to a good start in the game as they took a 1-0 lead just over four minutes in as Josh Mitchell put a perfect pass onto the tape of Sawyer Mick who walked in alone down the left wing. Michael Garteig made the first save, but Mick stuck right with it as he banged in his own rebound for his first as a Bulldog. Josh Mitchell picked up the only assist 4:25 into the first. The score stayed that way until the early minutes of the second when the Dogs built their lead to 2-0 when Josh Mitchell again was the set up man, finding Connor Varley walking down from the left point. Varley would make one move to make the first man miss before cutting in from the left side and ripping one short-side high on Garteig for a 2-0 lead 3:46 into the second. Sawyer Mick also picked up an assist on the play. Just 20 seconds later the Dogs found the net again as Marley Keca ripped a one-timer from the right point that appeared to hit something on its way to the net before finding the top corner. Tyler Auricchio and Frank Riddle picked up the assists 4:04 into the second. The Dogs lead would be tested at the midway mark of the period when two penalties in close succession gave the Kings a 5 on 3 power play, but Frank Slubowski and the penalty killers came up big. A penalty parade would ensue for several minutes resulting in 4 on 4 hockey, and some 4 on 3 power plays, but again the Kings couldn?t find the net as the Dogs led 3-0 after two periods. The Kings would finally break Frank Slubowski?s shutout bid just short of the halfway mark of the third as a faceoff in the Dogs zone ended up right in front of the net on Andrew Pettitt?s stick where he fired it through the legs of Slubowski to make it 3-1 with 9:55 gone in the third. Brenden Forbes and Mike Sones picked up the assists. That would be as close as the Kings would get as there was no scoring the rest of the way.
Shots favoured the Kings 34-23 with Frank Slubowski picking up the win and first star honours while Michael Garteig took the loss. The Dogs were 0 for 4 on the power play while the Kings were 0 for 7. It was the first game this season that the Dogs won by more than one goal, and it was also the first game this season that the Dogs didn?t allow a power play goal.
Saturday night saw the Nanaimo Clippers visit the Pound, and the unveiling of the huge ?Rival Hammer? that the two teams are battling for this season. The Dogs led 1-0 after a spirited first period when Sam Mitchell tapped a rebound home in front off a Kenney Morrison one-timer from the right point 8:59 into the first. Casey Bailey also picked up an assist on the play. The Dogs certainly had their chances for more offence, out shooting the Clippers 17-4 in the frame but they could only get one puck past Charles-Andre Pelletier. Less than a minute after the goal Frank Riddle picked up a five minute major and match penalty for checking from behind. The Dogs killed the penalty masterfully, having better chances over the five minutes than the Clippers did. The Dog Pound faithful showed their appreciation by giving the players a roaring standing ovation at the conclusion of the penalty. The Dogs would build their lead to 2-0 early in the second as the Clippers were victims of wet ice as it appeared they mishandled the puck as it stuck on the ice. The Dogs would be the benefactors as Brody Lynott fired a low shot from the right point that hit the boards and then ended up out front where Tyler Berkholtz fired it into the empty net. Trent Dorais and Sam Mitchell picked up the assists 36 seconds into the second period. The Clippers would get that back four minutes later as they had the Dogs hemmed in their zone before Gerry Fitzgerald put a perfect shot top corner short-side on Frank Slubowski from in tight to make it 2-1 4:25 into the period. Graeme McCormack picked up the only helper. Less than a minute after the Dogs had killed off another penalty it was 3-1 as Justin Morello tapped one in out of mid air on the rush past Charles Andre Pelletier. Trent Murdoch started the play off by chipping the puck out of the zone for Justin Morello who then brought the puck over the line for Colton Sobchak. He would walk in on net and put a high and hard backhand off the glove of Pelletier and up in the air past him before Morello knocked it in. Lynott and Murdoch picked up the only assists an even twelve minutes into the second. The Dogs would have several great chances over the following minutes to build their lead but they couldn?t find the net to really open it up. Instead, the Clippers started to push back and after several good shifts they were rewarded as Mike Domsodi took a feed in the slot from behind the net where he ripped a backhand into the top part of the net past Slubowski to make it 3-2 Bulldogs with 1:01 left in the second. Brayden Jaw and Andrew Gladiuk picked up the assists. The Clippers picked up in the third where they left off in the second, coming out with good energy and hustle and they were rewarded as they tied the game just 1:39 into the third with Graeme McCormack firing a wrist shot home from the top of the right circle that appeared to his something before finding its way past a surprised Slubowski to make it 3-3. Samuel Labrecque and Myles Fitzgerald picked up the assists. Less than a minute later, the Clippers would go to the power play again, but this time it was the Dogs turn to find the net as Trent Dorais read the play perfectly and intercepted a cross-ice pass right up the middle over the Bulldog logo as he raced in on a shorthanded breakaway for the second time in the game. He would make good on this one, reaching the hash marks and then just plain burying it with a quick release top-corner glove side snap shot that Pelletier had no chance on. The goal was un-assisted, 4:27 into the third. Just a minute later, the Dogs would be sent to the penalty box again. Less than 20 seconds later, they would again be sent to the penalty box AGAIN, resulting in a 5 on 3 advantage for the Clippers for over 1:40 in duration. The Clippers would fire plenty of pucks on net but Slubowski and the penalty killers held the fort as once again the Dog Pound faithful again roared their approval for the big penalty kill. The Dogs would go to the box twice more as the period wore on, with the fifth straight penalty finally being too much for the Dogs to hold the lead as Brayden Jaw attempted a pass from behind the net that hit a stick and came right back to him to tap into the open side to make it 4-4 with 5:03 to play in the third period. With 2:09 to play in regulation the Clippers would be sent to the box as Zach Martin got his stick up on Sawyer Mick, drawing blood and receiving a four minute double-minor penalty. Just 8 seconds into the power play it was 5-4 Dogs as Josh Mitchell gave the puck to Casey Bailey on the left side where he walked into the top of the circle and blew a slap shot past the glove side of Pelletier with 2:01 left in regulation. Mitchell would pick up the only assist. The Clippers would be forced to pull Pelletier to make it a 5 on 5 situation with Martin still in the box, but they weren?t able to get to Slubowski to find the equalizer as the Dogs made the lead stand.
Final shots favoured the Dogs 37-33. Frank Slubowski and Charles-Andre Pelletier were the goalies of record. Special teams were absolutely huge in this one. The Dogs were 2 for 3 on the power play, and they also scored once shorthanded. The Dogs killed off a 5-minute major and a 5 on 3 advantage for over 1:40 in duration for the Clippers. The Clippers were 1 for 7 on
