The Bulldogs have three games on their schedule this week, beginning Tuesday night as the Victoria Grizzlies visit the pound for the second time this season. Friday night the Dogs head down to Nanaimo to visit the Clippers before returning to home ice to host the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday.
The Grizzlies enter play this week with a record of 11-10-1 and 3, good for 26 points and a three way tie for 4th in the Conference with the Cowichan Valley Capitals and the Powell River Kings. The Grizzlies are coming off of a see-saw weekend that saw them first lose to Burnaby at home on Friday by a score of 8 to 2. The Grizz rebounded Sunday with a 3-2 OT win over the Vernon Vipers. The Grizzlies jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a Jonathan Milhouse power play goal just 3:01 in set up by Ashford McMaster and Jordie Benn. The Vipers would strike back in incredible fashion, netting two shorthanded goals in less than 20 seconds to take a 2-1 lead 14:02 into the first. The only goal of the second saw the Grizzlies tie it up as Sean Robertson scored from Grant Toulmin and Brian Nugent 9:23 in. Just 19 seconds into overtime Jordie Benn scored the winner, unassisted. Victoria out shot Vernon 40-28, with back up net minder Paul Kolida picking up the win in goal. The Grizzlies were 1 for 6 on the power play, while also giving up two shorthanded goals. The Vipers were 0 for 6 on the man advantage.
The Grizzlies are 2 and 0 against the Dogs this year, winning once at home and once in the Pound. The game in Victoria was way back on September 21st, where the Grizzlies scored the winner with 3:20 to go to win 5-4, exactly one minute after the Dogs had staged a comeback from two goals down to tie the game at 4-4. The game in the Pound was September 29th, the night after the Dogs won their first of the season by walking out of Nanaimo with a 2-1 win. The Grizzlies feasted on the Dogs, building up a 3-0 lead just 3:21 into the game en route to coasting to a 6-2 win.
The Grizzlies play an up-tempo skating and transitional game so the Dogs must be ready to skate and hit. If it?s Matthew Wong getting the start in goal the Dogs will need plenty of traffic and ample shots as Wong played quite well in the two previous encounters between these teams.
Tuesday?s pregame show from the Dog Pound is on the air at 6:45pm with the play-by-play just after 7:00. Catch the action on your radio on 93.3 The Peak FM in the Alberni Valley, or anywhere else in the world on your computer through the BCHL Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca
Friday sees the Dogs making their fourth trip over the hump and into the Frank Crane Arena to face the Clippers on their home ice. The Dogs are 1 and 3 at the Frank Crane this season, losing the most recent game there by a score of 4-2 on October 7th as the Clippers got revenge for the Dogs handing the Clippers their first loss of the season a week earlier. The last time the Dogs and Clippers met was on October 30th, a game that the Bulldogs called ?rock bottom? where after a 1-1 first period score the Clippers erupted for three straight goals to open the second period to roll to a 6-2 win.
The Clippers enter this week tops in the BCHL with a record of 19-3-0 and 3, good for 41 points. The Clippers have won four in a row, last losing in Cowichan on November 10th. Before hosting the Dogs on Friday the Clippers head down to Duncan on Wednesday night for what will no doubt be another classic in that rivalry. The Clippers have won four in a row entering play this week, most recently outlasting the Surrey Eagles 5-4 at the Frank Crane Arena on Sunday afternoon. Nanaimo jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 1:34 in with Eric Filiou scoring from Russell Goodman and Brodie Zuk. The Clips build the lead to 2-0 14:46 in with Brodie Zuk scoring on the power play from Brad McConnell and Mikael Bedard. The Eagles would get on the board with a power play goal before the period was out for a 2-1 Nanaimo lead into the second. Again early in the period Nanaimo came out and scored early as AJ Gale made it 3-1 from Russell Goodman 1:54 in. The Eagles fought back to stay within one several minutes later before the Clippers again restored the two goal lead with Warren Muir scoring from Bryden McGhee and Tim Holloway just past the game?s halfway point. The Eagles again wouldn?t go away, netting a power play goal with five to go in the period to be back within one at 4-3 Clippers. Yet again the Clippers would get the crucial ?next one? as Eric Filiou notched his second of the game just over a minute later for a 5-3 lead. Less than a minute later the Eagles capped off a crazy period by finding the net again for a 5-4 Clipper lead after 40 minutes to finish the game scoring. The Clippers outshot the Eagles 35-27 with Evan Smith picking up the win in net. The Clippers were 2 for 8 on the power play while the Eagles were 2 for 7.
The Dogs know they can beat the best; they have done it twice already this season, in their own barn and in the Clippers barn. They must remember what it took to win those games, which was nothing less than their best effort.
Friday night?s pregame show from Nanaimo and the Frank Crane Arena kicks off at 7:15pm with the puck drop at 7:30pm. Catch all the action on your radio in the Alberni Valley on 93.3 The Peak FM, and anywhere in the world on your computer through the BCHL?s Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca
Saturday marks the fifth time the Dogs and Caps have squared off this year, and the first time that it won?t be in a home-and-home situation. The Caps are 4 and 1 against the Dogs this year, while the Dogs are 1-3-0 and 1 head to head with them by virtue of an overtime loss at the Pound in the Dogs home opener. The last meeting between the teams was Saturday, November 3rd, where the Caps emerged 5-2 winners a night after the Dogs had snapped a losing streak with a 4-3 come from behind win in Duncan, their last victory going into this week. The most recent game saw the Dogs actually out shoot the Caps 27-24 but they were guilty of committing mistakes that the Caps seemed to be able to put into the back of their net every time.
The Caps come into this week with a record of 13 and 12, good for 26 points and the aforementioned three-way tie for fourth with Victoria and Powell River. The Caps are coming off a see-saw weekend as well, which saw them shut out at home on Friday night by Surrey by a score of 4-0. The next night, the Caps shut out the opposition, beating Vernon 2-0. After a scoreless first period, the game scoring was completed in a span of less than four minutes in the second period. First it was Ryne Bodger from Brandon Clark at the 10:18 mark. Bodger again was the marksman at the 14:10 mark, this time set up by Corbin McPherson and Joey Massingham. The Vipers outshot the Caps 27-22 as Kiefer Smiley picked up the win and the goose egg in goal. The Caps were 0 for 5 on the power play while killing off all 7 man advantages for the Vipers.
Same ole same ole from Scott Robinson?s crew. They work very hard, and they skate well. The biggest challenge for the Dogs going into this one, in my opinion, would be to outwork the Caps.
Saturday?s pregame show from the Pound is on the air at 6:45pm with the play-by-play just after 7:00. Catch the action on your radio on 93.3 The Peak FM in the Alberni Valley, or anywhere else in the world on your computer through the BCHL Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca
Audio: ?L
