The Bulldogs weekend began with a bang Friday night as the Langley Chiefs visited the Dog Pound. The dogs weren?t kind hosts, as just 35 seconds into the game it was 1-0 as Josh Mitchell found Kenney Morrison joining the rush down the right wing where he snapped one high glove side on Cole Huggins for his first BCHL goal. The lead was short-lived as just 90 seconds later it was a 1-1 game as the Chiefs evened it up on the power play as Kevin Tuohy put a shot on net from the right point that appeared to hit something on its way into the top part of the net. Trevor Gerling and Trace Strahle picked up the assists on the scoring play 2:05 into the first. The score would stay that way all the way until the Tyler Berkholtz-Trent Dorais-Sam Mitchell trio did their ?thing? again, finishing off one of their trademark hard working shifts with a goal as they all had a touch of the puck on the scoring play before Sam Mitchell fired a loose puck home from the crease to make it 2-1 Bulldogs 5:46 into the second. Langley would tie it up again late in the period when Matt Ius stole the puck from the last man back behind the Dogs net and walked out alone in front. Frank Slubowski made the first save but Ius found the rebound and jammed it home as it was 2-2 after 40 minutes. The third period was wildly entertaining to watch as the teams went end to end and exchanged chances, but both goalies came up huge. While Cole Huggins was the busier of the two, Frank Slubowski was also solid as he was tested 17 times. With overtime looming the Chiefs created a turnover at centre and raced in on an odd man rush that they would make good on as Josh Myers walked in on net and elected to shoot instead of pass and it was a good decision as he picked the top corner short-side on Slubowski for a 3-2 lead with just 1:54 to play in the third. Matt Ius picked up the only assist. The Bulldogs wasted no time being discouraged on falling behind, as just 11 seconds later it was a 3-3 game as Josh Mitchell picked off a clearing attempt in front of the Langley net by catching it in mid air. He then dropped the puck and in one move spun around and one-timed it under the bar for a beautiful unassisted goal. The Dogs were buoyed the goal as they immediately stormed the Langley net looking for the go-ahead goal but they were turned away repeatedly by Huggins. The Dogs kept up the pressure and forced the Chiefs into taking a penalty. While they couldn?t get one of several chances past Huggins to win the game in regulation, they stuck with it and found the winner on the power play in the first minute of sudden death as Josh Mitchell found Kenney Morrison at the top of the left circle where he one-timed the pass through Huggins and just over the goal line as the Dogs poured off the bench to celebrate. Justin Morello also drew an assist on the goal, 49 seconds into overtime.
Final shots favoured the Dogs 56-39 with Frank Slubowski earning the win while Cole Huggins took the loss while picking up third star honours. The Dogs were 1 for 6 on the power play while the Chiefs were 1 for 4.
Sunday afternoon the Dogs hosted the Westside Warriors for one of two meetings between the teams this season, and the Dogs first meeting with an Interior opponent. The Warriors would fight off the first couple of shifts from the Dogs and then start to carry the play themselves, eventually going to the power play late in the period. Frank Slubowski would make a great save to keep it scoreless as Alex Grieve walked in alone on net, but just seconds later the Warriors would take a 1-0 lead when Michael King fired a wrist shot home from the line through traffic. Tom Kroshus and Alex Grieve picked up the assists 14:54 into the first. The score stayed that way into the second period when action picked up during 4 on 4 hockey created by a Bulldog penalty just seconds into a power play opportunity. On the ensuing faceoff in the Bulldog end Grayson Downing fired one through Slubowski just 2 seconds into four-aside play for a 2-0 Westside lead 1:33 into the second. Tyler Krause picked up the only assist as it appeared Westside had all the momentum. That would be changed just over a minute later on a fantastic singlehanded effort by Sam Mitchell as he knocked the puck down in the Bulldog end and raced hard up ice, somehow finding a way to beat two Warrior defenders to the net before tucking it through the legs of Cam Gorchynski to get the Dogs in the game, cutting the Warriors ad in half. The goal was un-assisted, 2:46 into the second. The Dogs would even it up five minutes later on a 2 on 1 rush where Justin Morello sent the puck ahead for Colton Sobchak where kept the puck and shot picking the top corner, far side on Gorchynski for a 2-2 tie 8:09 into the second. Connor Varley picked up the only assist. A further eight minutes later the Dogs took their first lead of the game when Sawyer Mick threw the puck down low for Sam Mitchell who drove the puck out front right onto the stick of Trent Dorais who was standing right on the top of the crease where he one-timed it home as it was 3-2 Dogs with 3:23 to play in the second. The lead would be short-lived less than two minutes later a costly Bulldog turnover at their own blue line saw Dru Morrison walk in alone on the breakaway where he snapped a slow shot glove side past Slubowski to tie it at 3-3. The goal was unassisted at 18:22 of the second. You never would have thought it at the time, but that would be the last goal of the game as neither team could find the net over the next 30 plus minutes of hockey. The Warriors would have the bulk of the chances out shooting the Dogs 17-7 through the third period and the first and second overtime frames but Frank Slubowski was nothing short of spectacular. Sam Mitchell would have a great chance to win it as he poked the puck ahead to centre out of the Dogs end and chased it down at the Warrior line but the puck never settled down and he lost the handle as the clock ran out.
Shots favoured the Warriors 46-25. Cam Gorchynski and Frank Slubowski ? who was named the third star – were the goalies of record. The Warriors were 1 for 2 on the power play while the Dogs were 0 for 3.
With the tie the Dogs winning streak is stopped at three but they remain unbeaten at home, with a record of 3-1 and 1 overall. Next up for the Dogs is another week of two home games. Thursday night sees the Powell River Kings making their first visit of the season to the Pound, and Saturday night the Nanaimo Clippers make their second visit.
