The Dogs are back in action this week with three games coming off a light schedule last week with just one game, a 3-2 win over the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday. Thursday night the Merritt Centennials visit the Pound for the only meeting between the two teams this season. Saturday night the Cowichan Valley Capitals are back in town, and Sunday afternoon the Dogs again visit the Nanaimo Clippers at the Frank Crane Arena.
The Centennials will enter play Thursday night on a five game losing streak with a league worst 7-35-0 and 3 record, good for just 17 points. The game is the first of four in just four days on the Island for the Cents. They were last in action Sunday afternoon at home where they lost 7-5 to the Surrey Eagles. The Eagles struck first, taking a 1-0 lead just over eight minutes into the game. The Centennials tied it up on a Jordan Soquila goal with just over five minutes left in the first, but the Eagles took the lead right back with a power play goal two minutes later for a 2-1 lead after one. The Eagles built their lead to 3-1 just over 90 seconds into the second on another power play goal before the Cents fired right back less than 30 seconds later with Jordan Soquila scoring his second of the game, this time shorthanded, to make the score 3-2. The torrid scoring pace continued as again less than 30 seconds later the Eagles took their two goal lead right back with another power play goal for a 4-2 lead. Five minutes later the Eagles found the net again for a 5-2 lead. The Centennials would then catch fire with three straight to end the period to tie it at 5-5. Dustin Johnson made it 5-3 with a power play goal with just over five minutes to play in the period, before Spencer Brooks made it 5-4 with less than two to go in the frame. Less than a minute later it was Brooks again, this time on the power play, for a 5-5 tie after forty minutes. The Eagles would muster the only offense of the third, taking a 6-5 lead with 10 minutes to go before adding one more in the final minute to seal the deal for the 7-5 final.
Shots favoured the Eagles 41-39 with Tommy Tartaglione and Harrison May being the goalies of record. Special teams were a big factor, as the Eagles went 3 for 7 on the power play while the Cents went 2 for 6. Merritt also struck once shorthanded.
Former Bulldog goalie Harrison May will return to the Pound for the first time as a member of the opposition after a pre-season trade saw him head to the Centennials. May was with the Bulldogs during the 2006-2007 through 2007-2008 seasons. Odds are that May will get the start against his former team, and you can bet he?s motivated to get one in his old home rink.
Thursday?s pregame show from the Pound kicks off at 6:45 with the puck dropping at 7:00 on 93.3 The Peak FM and the BCHL Fanzone
Exactly one week removed from visiting the Dog Pound last Saturday, the Cowichan Valley Capitals are right back in town this Saturday. The Bulldogs were 3-2 winners last week, their second straight regulation win over the Capitals on home ice.
The Caps enter this week with a record of 28-17-0 and 4, good for 60 points and second spot in the Island Division. Before they visit the Dogs on Saturday, the Capitals will host the Victoria Grizzlies Friday night in a battle of 1 vs. 2 in the Division. This is the same schedule the Capitals had last weekend ? home to Victoria Friday, down to Alberni Saturday.
Action was at times heated between the two teams during the 3-2 Dogs win on Saturday night. You can bet that the Capitals will coming into the Pound this Saturday with a bee under their bonnet ready to snap the Dogs two game winning streak against them.
Saturday?s pregame show kicks off at 6:45 with the puck drop and all the play-by-play at 7:00pm. Catch all the action on 93.3 The Peak FM and the BCHL Fanzone.
Sunday it?s the Dogs turn to hit the road, as they again visit the Clippers at the Frank Crane Arena. After kicking off a three game winning streak with a 3-2 win over the Clippers at the Frank Crane just before Christmas, the Dogs had the Clippers get revenge on them with a weekend sweep of a home and home series January 10th and 11th with wins of 5-3 and 5-2 in Port Alberni and Nanaimo respectively. The second game ended with some heated moments in the tunnel between both teams, so don?t expect there to be any love lost between these two teams. If the Clippers were a team struggling to find some consistency going into that weekend, they seem to have found it going into THIS weekend. While the enter this week coming off a loss in their final game of a four-in-four trek to the Interior, they did pick up two wins and an overtime loss for 5 out of a possible 8 points.
The Clippers have picked up 13 out of a possible 18 points this month, with six wins, two losses and an overtime loss in nine games.
The Clippers enter this week with a record of 24-19-1 and 4, good for 53 points and third spot in the Island Division, seven points behind the Cowichan Valley Capitals who sit in second spot. The Clippers see action on Friday night when they host the Merritt Centennials, and they have Saturday off before the Dogs visit on Sunday.
Sunday?s pregame show from the Frank Crane Arena takes to the air at 2:45 with the play-by-play at 3:00. As always get it all on 93.3 The Peak FM
