The Bulldogs began their week of action when they took on the Capitals Friday night in Duncan, and it didn?t start well with the Caps taking a 1-0 lead on the power play just 1:15 into the game after Mark Morikawa was sent to the box just 16 seconds off the opening puck drop.
Zach Currie would be the goal scorer, as he took a pass from Bryce Reddick at the top of the left circle and put a high hard one short side on Harrison May. The Dogs would battle back to tie it at 1-1 when Evan Witt walked over the Caps line and ripped a slap shot from the high slot low stick side on Marco Raimondo for a 1-1 tie 9:33 in. No assist was given on the play. The Caps would go ahead 2-1 with a shorthanded goal after an unfortunate bounce saw the puck hop over the stick of Eliot Raibl which gave the Capitals a 2 on 1 rush that they made no mistake on as Nick Anderson put a rink wide pass onto the tape of Willie Coetzee streaking down the right wing. Coetzee gave Harrison May no chance on the play as he put the puck high and under the bar 13:22 into the first. The score became 3-1 Caps 9:04 into the second with Bryce Reddick being the trigger man on a power play set up by Zack Currie and Clinton Pettapiece. Harrison May went after the referee as the goal went in; I?m guessing upset at a lack of an interference call against the Caps. Penalties continued to be a problem as the Capitals scored their third power play goal of the game just 3:58 later to lead 4-1, as Scott Jacklin put a loose puck home off the end board bounce from a Cody Adams point shot that went wide short side. Willie Coetzee picked up the second assist on the goal at the 13:02 mark. Again Harrison May went after the referee after the goal, to no avail. Just 1:20 later the Caps made it 5-1 on a pretty three-way passing play between Scott Jacklin, Clinton Pettapiece and Mickey Spencer. It appeared to me that Spencer was the goal scorer on the rink wide pass to the back post on the tic-tac-toe play, but the goal was instead given to Jacklin from Ryne Bodger and Clinton Pettapiece. This leads me to believe that either the official on the goal was wrong (as it did happen very fast) or the rink wide pass bounced off of a Bulldog and in. It looked like Spencer to myself and Bruce in the booth though. All that really matters is that it was 5-1 Caps at the 14:22 mark of the second. The Dogs would come out energized in the third and they were rewarded for their efforts when James Kerr put a high hard one past Marco Raimondo from the top of the right circle 6:04 into the third from Evan Witt and Shane Malone to make it 5-2. That would be as close as they would get though as the remainder of the game saw no scoring. The Dogs were 0 for 4 on the power play, while the Caps were 3 for 8 while also scoring once shorthanded. Final shots favoured the Capitals 42-31 with Harrison May and Marco Raimondo being the goalies of record.
While I think that this game was closer than the score would indicate, the Caps ability to score on the power play (and shorthanded) coupled with the Dogs inability to get it done proved to be a big difference in the final outcome.
Game two for the Dogs saw them head down Island again to take on the Grizzlies in Victoria Saturday night, and this was one heck of a hockey game with both goalies looking sharp through the first 20 minutes keeping the score 0-0 after one. Of note was an incredible save by David Aime where he went from his right to left cross-crease to get the paddle of his goal stick on an open net chance off of a rebound to keep it out. Even the goal judge thought it was over, as the goal light came on. Into period two, both teams had their chances before the Grizzlies opened the scoring 7:56 in on the power play as Devon Lang sent the puck behind the Dogs goal for Jimmy Carter, who found a pinching in Chris Markiewicz who one-timed the pass low and just inside the far post for a 1-0 Grizzlies lead. The Dogs would even the score shortly afterwards on the rush as Zack Mazo brought the puck over the Grizzlies line and cut to the middle before dropping a pass back for Adam Baldassarre who would rip a snap shot just under the cross bar glove side on Matthew Wong to even it up at 1-1 at the 10:43 mark of the second. The Dogs would then spend a good part of the next 4 or 5 minutes buzzing all over the Grizzlies zone, but the score stayed tied 1-1 due to several huge saves by Matthew Wong. The Grizzlies would then go up 2-1 as Brian Nugent was sent in on a breakaway by Jordie Benn. David Aime would make the first stop with a nice poke check, but Jonathan Milhouse was there to jam in the rebound with 1:53 left in the period for a 2-1 Grizzlies lead into period three. The Dogs would come out flying in that the third period, quickly evening it up at 2-2 as Warren Muir found a rebound off of Matthew Wong and jammed it in with assists going to Matt Frydrysek and Chris Moulson just 2:27 in. The Dogs then took their first lead of the game 1:20 later when a good second effort by James Kerr got the puck out of the Dogs zone and ahead to Daniel Moriarty in neutral ice. Moriarty would then bring the puck over the line and drop a pass to Evan Witt who cut to the top of the right circle before blowing a slap shot high past the blocker arm of Matthew Wong for a 3-2 Dogs lead at the 3:47 mark. The Grizzlies then tied it up at 3-3 as a clearing attempt up the middle was kept in by Devon Lang, who threw the puck to Andrew Pickering, who would snap it by David Aime at the 7:12 mark of the third. Assists went to Devon Lang and Tyler Matheson. The Grizzlies would then go up 4-3 with 6:49 left with their second power play goal of the game as Shaun Stuart send the puck down low to Jimmy Carter, who found Mike Hammond in the left circle where he would beat David Aime short side. The Dogs would then go to the power play with just over three minutes left, looking for the tying goal but they weren?t able to capitalize on the advantage. They didn?t quit there though, as they pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker and won an extended battle in their own zone to get the puck up ice with just over thirty seconds left in regulation. The Dogs then battled to get the puck to the net in the Victoria zone, where a rebound bounced off of Daniel Moriarty and in past Matthew Wong to tie the game up at 4-4 with just 7.7 seconds left in regulation. It would be a tense moment for both sides as the referee then consulted his linesmen to question the goal. In the end it was ruled a good goal, as the game headed to overtime. Warren Muir and Evan Witt would pick up the assists on the tying goal. Just seconds into overtime, Justin Courtnall would break down the left wing on a one on one chance on David Aime, who would make the save as Courtnall threw a shot on goal. Courtnall would then barrel hard into Aime, which resulted in a goalie interference call and a Bulldog power play. The Dogs made quick work of the man advantage as James Kerr fed a pass to Evan Witt who then found Daniel Moriarty at the left point. Moriarty would put his head down and blow a hard slap shot past Wong just inside the far post for the game winner 37 seconds into overtime. The Grizzlies outshot the Dogs 39-32 with David Aime and Matthew Wong being the go
