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Hammer’s Weekly Preview

After a light weekend last week, the Dogs have a hectic schedule coming up this weekend where they play three games in two and a half days. Game #1 is on the road Friday night at Bear Mountain Arena for the final meeting of the season between the Bulldogs and Grizzlies. The Bulldogs return home to the Pound for games Saturday night when the Westside Warriors make their only trip into Port Alberni.  Sunday afternoon the Powell River Kings pay the Dogs a visit.

The Bulldogs and Grizzlies have had some very exciting games recently; with the last three times they have met all going to overtime. The Bulldogs won the first of those games 5-4 at Bear Mountain on December 29th, before neither team could find the net through ten minutes of overtime resulting in a 4-4 tie at the Pound on January 12th. The most recent meeting between the two teams was just a couple of weeks back at Bear Mountain January 25th, where the Grizzlies capitalized on a five minute major penalty against the Dogs in the final minute and change of a tie game to win it on the power play in overtime, 3-2.  

The Grizzlies entered this week with a record of 23-20-3 and 5 for 54 points. That gives them  7th place in the Coastal Conference- out of the playoff picture by just three points behind the Cowichan Valley Capitals- the Grizzlies have two games in hand on the Caps however. One of those games in hand was on Tuesday night, where the Grizzlies hosted the Powell River Kings as they put a two game winning streak on the line. It would take overtime, but the Grizzlies ended up on top by a score of 5-4, stretching their streak to three. The Kings would draw first blood, taking a 1-0 lead to the dressing room after the first. The Grizzlies owned the second, scoring three times to lead 3-1 after two. Jonathan Milhouse first tied it up just over five minutes into the period, before Justin Courtnall put the Grizzlies up 2-1 with 5:45 left in the period scoring on the power play. Just 2:05 later another power play goal saw Mike Hammond scoring to make it 3-1. The Kings would get back in it making it 3-2 early in the third with a power play goal of their own, but that score didn?t last long as just 59 seconds later Keenan Desmet found the net to make it 4-2. Credit to the Kings for not going quietly, as they scored a power play goal with twelve minutes remaining to make it 4-3 and then added another man advantage goal with just under two minutes left in regulation to tie the game at 4-4 and force overtime. Just over two minutes into OT Cam Reid would be the hero for the Grizzlies, scoring the winner for the 5-4 final. Shots favoured Victoria 36-26, with Matthew Wong earning the win in net. Special teams lit the scoreboard in this one- The Grizzlies were 2 for 6 on the power play while the Kings were 3 for 8.

With the victory on Tuesday, the Grizzlies are now just one point behind the Cowichan Valley Capitals for the final playoff spot in the Coastal Conference. The Grizzlies also hold the vaunted ?game in hand?. Given that the last three games have gone to overtime between the Dogs and the Grizzlies, one should expect another tight one Friday night at Bear Mountain. With the Grizzlies in a tooth and nail fight for their playoff lives, the Bulldogs MUST raise their energy level and be ready from the get go as the Grizzlies will most likely be desperate and hungry.

Friday?s pregame show is on the air at 6:45 with the puck drop and the play-by-play at 7:00pm Tune in to all the action on your radio in the Alberni Valley on 93.3 The Peak FM or on your computer anywhere in the world through the Internet Broadcast in the BCHL Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca

Saturday the Bulldogs return home to host the Westside Warriors. The Warriors enter this week with a record of 34-17-0 and 2, good for 70 points that has them sitting in second position in the Interior Conference. While they aren?t fighting for a playoff spot, I would guess that they would at the very least hope to hold down the second seed for the first round playoff bye that comes with it. The Warriors are seven points behind Penticton for the Conference lead, and they are two points up on Salmon Arm for the second seed. Both the Vees and Silverbacks have games in hand on the Warriors. I wouldn?t be surprised if their coaching staff would be preaching to their team ?just win and don?t worry about the standings?

Winning is something the Warriors have done a lot of lately. They are 2 and 0 in February after back to back wins last weekend over the Trail Smoke Eaters by identical 4-1 scores in a Friday/Saturday home and home set. The Warriors have dropped just one game out of the last seven they have played since they hosted the Bulldogs and beat them 9-3 at Royal Lepage Place on January 16th. This was a crazy game that was tight until the third period started, and then things went downhill in a hurry for the Dogs.  The Bulldogs led 1-0 in the first before the Warriors scored two quick ones to lead 2-1 after one. It was then the Dogs who scored in quick succession, with Ben Payne scoring two goals in 21 seconds to put the Bulldogs up 3-2. A timeout called by Westside saw them score just 1:03 later to tie it at 3-3 before  a late second period goal saw the Warriors take a 4-3 lead into period three. It was 5-3 Warriors just 27 seconds into the third, and that goal seemed to deflate the Dogs as the Warriors ran roughshod over them for the next five minutes, scoring three goals to all of a sudden lead 8-3. One more goal with four minutes to go resulted in the 9-3 final score. Former Cowichan Valley Capital Clinton Pettapiece had a huge night, scoring three times while setting up three other goals- all scored by Kevin Walrod.

Before visiting the Bulldogs Saturday, the Warriors visit the Kings in Powell River on Friday night.