The Bulldogs weekend began Friday night when they travelled over the hump to face the Clippers in Nanaimo in a possible Playoff preview. The Dogs got off to a great start, going up 1-0 before the game was two minutes old on a Ryan Lough goal. The play started in the Bulldogs end as Eric Walker took a hit to send the puck to his defensive partner Bo Pellah, who carried the puck up the ice up the right wing and into the Clipper zone where he got tied up on the right wing boards where he got tied up. Hunter Stewart would collect the puck and feed Ryan Lough who walked into the slot and went short-side past the blocker side of Derek Dun at 1:52. The Clippers would then push for the equalizer and had several good chances on back to back power plays but the Dogs killed them off. The Clippers would get the equalizer shortly afterwards on the rush as Reid Sturos raced up the left wing on a partial breakaway where he went top corner, far side past the blocker of Jay Deo. Greg Fraser picked up the only assist at 12:55 of the first. The Bulldogs would go to the power play shortly afterwards and they made good on it on a pretty set up as Matt Hansen found Teal Burns walking to the net down the left wing where he went cross-crease to Manny Gialedakis who made no mistake on the open net to make it 2-1 Dogs at 16:36. On the next shift the Clippers would pick up a penalty, and the Dogs would make very quick work on the power play scoring just 9 seconds into it on yet another cross-crease set up as Ryan Lough set up Evan Tironese who fed Hunter Stewart at the back post where he one-timed it home to make it 3-1 at 18:45 of the first.
The Dogs again got off to a strong start in the second, building their lead just past the two minute mark as they connected on the rush off a neutral zone turnover as Ryan Lough found a loose puck and sent Hunter Stewart over the line up the right wing, where he in turn found Evan Tironese flying to the net where he tipped it home through Dun to make it 4-1 at the 2:06 mark of the second. The Dogs would continue to control the play, at one point hemming the Clippers in their zone for an extended period and controlling the puck. It looked like the Dogs could have drawn 2 or 3 penalties on the foray in the zone but they couldn’t buy a call. Instead, it would be the Clippers going to the power play as the Dogs became frustrated. The Dogs would kill the penalty off, but the Clippers kept the momentum for the remainder of the period. They would have several good chances but couldn’t capitalize as the Dogs led 4-1 after two periods.
The Bulldogs continued to control the bulk of the play in the third period, eventually taking a 5-1 lead when Nick Kerr stole the puck from Jayson Argue behind the net and wrapped it around before the goalie could get back. The goal was unassisted at 6:32 of the third. Late in the game tempers flared as Mason Mitchell jumped Bo Pellah, leading to first four-aside hockey where the Dogs made it 6-1 as Manny Gialedakis rimmed the puck from the right point to Evan Tironese behind the net. Tironese would hold the puck before throwing it out front to Eric Walker who drove the net and poked it home at 16:19 of the third. Shortly afterwards the Dogs went to a 5 on 3 where they rubbed some salt in the wounds as Chase Van Allen and Chase Paylor set up Kurt Gosselin in the slot where he ripped one top corner, blocker side on Argue at 18:27 to make it a 7-1 final.
Final shots favoured the Bulldogs 40-38 with Jay Deo picking up the win while Derek Dun took the loss. The Dogs went 3 for 6 on the power play while the Clippers went 0 for 4.
