The Bulldogs have their first three game week of the season coming up as they host the Quesnel Millionaires Thursday and then visit the Nanaimo Clippers Friday before finishing the week at home on Saturday when they host the Powell River Kings for the second time this season.
The Millionaires enter play Thursday with a record of three wins and three losses, not a bad start to the season and especially not a bad start for a team that finished out of the playoffs last year with a record of 19 wins and 36 losses. The Mills were last in action on Saturday night when they throttled the Trail Smoke Eaters by a score of 11 to 4. The Mills lead 3-0 after one with goals from Trevor Hertz, Kyle Golz and Eric Galbraith. The second period didn?t start any better for the Smokies as just 35 seconds in the Mills made it 4-0 with a goal from Rylan Stanyer. Just twelve seconds later former Bulldog Nick Sandor got the Smokies on the board for a 4-1 score, but just three minutes later Danny McSween put Quesnel up 5-1. Trail would trim the gap to 5-2 late in the period on the power play, but again the Mills fired back quickly with Mitchell Smith making it 6-2 with just over a minute left in the period. The Smokies tried to make a game of it by making it 6-3 just past the seven minute mark of the third but just thirteen seconds later McSween scored his second of the game for a 7-3 Mills lead. Taylor Rovatti then scored two in a matter of minutes for a 9-3 lead before the craziness continued just over a minute later when Trail made it 9-4. Trevor Hertz and Mitchell Smith capped off a wild night with two goals in eleven seconds just past the thirteen minute mark for the 11-4 final.
Shots favoured Quesnel 51-38 with Jeff Malcolm picking up the win in net. The Smoke Eaters were 1 for 5 on the power play while the Mills didn?t get a single man advantage over the course of the game.
Quesnel comes to town with a couple players familiar to the Dog Pound, former Bulldogs Devin Braden and Jordan Principalli. Jeff Malcolm is back in the Mills net, fresh off a commitment to Yale University. Tom Bohmer?s teams always play hard and you can bet that they will be big with a team built to play on the small ice surface in Quesnel. The Dogs must be ready to work hard and skate to use the big ice surface to their advantage.
Thursday?s pregame show from the Pound kicks off at 6:45 with the puck drop and all the play-by-play shortly after 7:00. Catch all the action on your radio on 93.3 The Peak FM or the BCHL Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca
Friday the Bulldogs make the trip over the hump to the Frank Crane Arena to renew their rivalry with the Clippers for the first of twelve meetings over the regular season between the clubs. The Clippers enter play this week with a record of 2-1-0 and 1 and a two game winning streak after opening the season with two losses. They were last in action on Friday night at home when they beat the Victoria Grizzlies by a score of 5-3. The Clippers led 2-0 after the first period with goals from Zac Ashdown just short of six minutes in, and then Russell Goodman at 12:57 on the power play. The Grizzlies trimmed the gap to 2-1 early in the second but the Clippers again took a two goal lead just four minutes later as Tyler Pistone scored for a 3-1 Nanaimo lead after two periods. The Grizzlies made a game of it scoring two quick ones in the third to tie it but less than a minute later Joey Perry put the Clippers back on top with a 4-3 lead with 6:37 to play with the eventual game winner. Russell Goodman iced things with an empty netter for good measure in the final minute and the 5-3 final score.
Final shots favoured Victoria 41-27 with Evan Smith getting the win and first star honours in goal. The Grizzlies were 0 for 8 on the power play while the Clippers were 1 for 7.
The Clippers were the regular season Coastal Conference and BCHL Champions last year with a record of 42-14-0 and 4 good for 88 points, two more than the Interior leading Penticton Vees. The Clippers also were the playoff Champs of the Coastal Conference, but the Vees would get the last laugh when they swept the Shipmen in four straight in the league final series. Noticeable departures from the Clippers roster include four of the top five scorers from last year ? Mikael Bedard, Brodie Zuk, AJ Gayle and former Captain Matt Irwin. Also gone and last year?s #1 goalie Michael Garman. Andrew Cherniwchan and Chad Ziegler are also gone due to scholarships. Returnees expected to step up include the new team captain Russell Goodman, as well as Eric Filiou who was second in team scoring last year. Brad McConnell and Justin Favreau will have increased roles and responsibilities, as will Evan Smith, the back up last year to Garman in net. Recruits and new additions include some interesting stories in Anders Franzon and Steve Mason who both have experience overseas. Ronnie Smith is a former Salmon Arm Silverback in his last year of Junior eligibility who will no doubt be expected to bring leadership and put some points on the board. Connor Krukowski is a player in his 20 year old year acquired from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League who will be expected to bring leadership and stability to the back end.
The Clippers are always a competitive team and the Frank Crane Arena is always a tough place to play. If the Dogs bring anything less than their best effort for anything less than 60 minutes chances are they won?t be returning over the hump with two points in their back pocket.
The pregame show takes to the air at 7:15pm and the puck drop and all the play-by-play is at 7:30. Catch all the action on 93.3 The Peak FM or our website at www.933thepeak.com
