The Alberni Valley Bulldogs (29-12-3-1) head to Langley to face the Rivermen (30-12-1-2) in a contest that has 1st place implications in the Coastal Conference.
After the Bulldogs pushed their winning streak to 7 straight, and got some help from their friends in Nanaimo, the Bulldogs find themselves just a single point behind the Rivermen in the Coastal Conference standings. Win, and the Bulldogs take over top spot as the two clubs hit the stretch drive with just 9 games remaining for each club.
“We didn’t play very well last night, but we found a way to win and set ourselves up for an important game tonight” said Bulldogs head coach and general manager Joe Martin. “If we can get back to playing our brand of hockey tonight I’ll be much happier.” Martin continued.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Bulldogs erased a 2-0 deficit and came back to defeat Powell River 3-2 in OT. Josh Van Unen’s solo effort to strip Parker Lalonde and give the Bulldogs the win was his 16th of the season.
Langley meanwhile fell 5-3 to the Clippers, setting the stage for tonights 1st place showdown. The loss was just the 5th at the Lodge for the Rivermen who fell to 16-5-0-1 on home ice.
The Bulldogs believe that it’s their depth that makes them a tough team to beat. You don’t have to look any further than last night’s win as it was the 4th line that provided the offence while the rest of the club seemingly was having an off night. Cole Melady, Nicholas Beneteau, and Chase Klassen provided a much needed spark last night and will be counted on down the stretch to continue providing that energy.
Hobie Hedquist stopped 24 of 26 shots last night to earn his 22nd win of the year. Hedquist has won his last 6 starts for the Bulldogs.
The only time these two clubs faced each other was back on November 27th. The Rivermen handed the Bulldogs a 2-1 OT loss at the Multiplex that night. It was a hard fought, tight checking game and fans shouldn’t expect much different tonight as the Bulldogs are the top defensive team in the Coastal Conference and the Rivermen are 3rd in goals against.
