The Bulldogs have two more games to play before the Christmas break, with both games coming at home this week as the Quesnel Millionaires make their only visit to the pound this season on Wednesday night, before the Victoria Grizzlies make their third appearance of the season Friday night.
The Quesnel Millionaires have come a long way from last season?s 8-47-0 and 5 campaign, as they enter play this week with a record of 14-8-0 and 2, in the thick of the battle for a playoff spot in the Interior Conference. That fact alone means that the Dogs best be motivated and ready to play, as the Millionaires will certainly be motivated themselves as points are very precious. Wednesday?s game will be the first in a four game five day Island swing for the Mills, and I imagine that they will be ready from the puck drop with the goal of starting their very important and daunting road trip off on the right foot.
The Millionaires are 1-1-0 and 1 so far in December, last seeing action on Saturday night where they dropped a 6-2 decision to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks at the Sunwave Centre. The Mills started the game off right, going up 1-0 4:45 in with Taylor Rovatti scoring. Late in the period the Silverbacks would even the game at 1-1 with a power play goal. The second period was scoreless but the third more than made up for it, as the teams combined for 6 goals. The first five went to the Silverbacks – 3:05 in, 4:43 in (on the power play) at the 10:30 mark (shorthanded) even strength at the 14:12 mark, and finally another power play goal with 4:31 left for a 6-1 lead. Frank Skerlak would add a power play goal for Quesnel with 46 seconds left to make it 6-2. Shots favoured Salmon Arm 35-15 with David Briere taking the loss in goal. Special teams were a factor as the ?Backs were 3 for 8 on the power play, while also adding one shorthanded marker. The Mills were 1 for 6.
This will be the second and final meeting between the two teams this season, after Quesnel won the previous game at the Vault on October 11th by a score of 4 to 2. The Mills scored early to go up 1-0 before Daniel Moriarty evened it at 1-1 just 30 seconds later. The Millionaires went back up 2-1 late in period one before adding another early second period goal to lead 3-1. Moriarty would keep the Dogs in it scoring his second of the game for a 3-2 Quesnel lead after two. The Dogs were unable to find the equalizer before the Mills added the insurance marker with 7:49 left for the 4-2 final score.
The Millionaires are by all accounts a hard working lunch bucket hockey club. What I saw in Quesnel was a couple of very skilled goals as well as the work ethic, so as I said off the top the Dogs must be ready to go against what will be a team fighting for a playoff spot.
Wednesday?s pregame show is on the air at 6:45pm with the puck drop and all the play by play hitting the air at 7:00. Catch all the action in the Alberni Valley on your radio on 93.3 The Peak FM, or anywhere else in the world through your computer and the Internet Broadcast through the BCHL Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca
Friday night marks the end of the pre-Christmas portion of the Bulldogs schedule, as the Victoria Grizzlies are back in town. The Grizzlies have enjoyed the ?Pound, and have enjoyed playing the Dogs this season, as they are 2 and 0 at the Pound and 3 and 0 overall against the Dogs.
The Grizzlies enter this week with a record of 15-14-2 and 3, good for sixth place and the final playoff spot in the Coastal Conference. The Grizzlies have two wins, a tie, and a loss so far this month, last seeing action Saturday night where they dropped a 7-2 decision at home to the Penticton Vees. The Grizz started the game well, as Brian Nugent staked them to a 1-0 lead 3:47 in. The Vees would fire back to tie it at 1-1 before the period was up. Halfway through the second the Vees would get the go ahead marker, but the Grizzlies fired back less than four minutes later with Brian Nugent again finding the net, this time on the power play, for a 2-2 tie after two periods. The Vees would score all five in the third for the 7-2 final. It was 3-2 just 52 seconds in, and then 4-2 at the 5:39 mark shorthanded. Seconds later it was 5-2 at the 6:16 mark. It was 6-2 9:33 in before a power play marker with 1:45 to play finished the scoring. The Vees outshot the Grizzlies 34-21 with Matthew Wong taking the loss in goal. The Vees were 1 for 4 on the power play, while also scoring once shorthanded. The Grizzlies were 1 for 5.
The last meeting between the Grizzlies and Dogs was on November 20th; a 5-1 Grizzlies win. It was the Garry Nunn show that night, as his natural hat trick was a big difference in the game. It was 1-0 Victoria 4:21 in with a Shaun Stuart power play goal. The lead was 2-0 9:14 in with Garry Nunn scoring on the shorthanded breakaway on the tail end of a five minute power play for the Dogs. Nunn struck again 3:31 into the second on another breakaway for a 3-0 score, before Nunn turned the trick to make it 4-0 at the 5:54 mark by banking a cross ice pass on a 2 on 1 rush off of a Bulldog defender and in. Justin Courtnall made it 5-0 4:17 into the third converting a cross ice pass from Nunn on a 2 on 1 rush before Evan Michalchuk scored the lone goal of the game for the Dogs at the 5:02 mark for the 5-1 final score. Shots actually favoured the Dogs in this one, 42-39, as Matthew Wong was fantastic in picking up the win in goal for Victoria. CHANCES would favour the Grizzlies though, as the Dogs gave up too many breakaways and odd man rushes that the Grizzlies jumped on. The Grizzlies were 1 for 4 on the power play while also scoring once shorthanded. The Dogs were 0 for 4. David Aime got the start in net for the Dogs but was relieved after the fourth Victoria goal by Harrison May.
Who knows what to expect out of the Grizzlies, who have been victimized twice by the WHL this season, as two of their premier players have left to join the Dub and they have received nothing in the way of players in return. First it was Jamie Benn going to the Kelowna in September. More recently it was Garry Nunn joining the Vancouver Giants. At least the Dogs won?t have to worry about Nunn again. They still need to be very cautious in neutral ice and in the Grizzlies zone. As I have always said, the Grizzlies will kill you in transition. Make a mistake, get caught too deep or on a bad change, and it?s usually a pretty good scoring chance the other way. Sometimes a premier player leaving a team has an overall positive effect in that the rest of the team comes together, and the rest of the team is motivated to fill the void. We?ll see Friday if that?s the case with the Grizzlies.
Catch all the action in the Alberni Valley on your radio on 93.3 The Peak FM, or on your computer with the Internet Broadcast through the BCHL Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca The pregame show is on the air at 6:45 and the play-by-play starts at 7:00pm.
A recap will be posted following the games as the Dogs head for Christmas Break.
Game Day Audio: ?Last Two, Next Two?
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