The Dogs took to the ice Friday night at the Frank Crane Arena as they visited the Clippers for the final time this season. It would be the Clippers striking first as they took a 1-0 lead 3:26 into the game as Nick Chartier had a blocked shot end up on his blade at the side of the net where he one-timed it through a sliding Colin Rundell.
Carson Schell and Colin Dueck picked up the assists. The Dogs fought back just 20 seconds later to tie it up, as Brett Mohler gained the Clipper blue line down the left wing before dishing off to Evan Witt who found a wide open Mitch MacMillan off the back post on the cross ice pass where he one-timed it past Jonathan Jobin for a 1-1 score 3:46 in. Just three minutes later the Dogs took a 2-1 lead on a lucky bounce as Adam Hout put a shot on net from the right point that hit traffic and went up in the air and over a bewildered Jobin into the back of the net. Johnny Rogic and Kevin Ross picked up the assists 8:21 into the first. Just after a power play chance elapsed the Clippers tied it at 2-2 late in the first as Kurtis Bartliff walked into the slot before dishing off to Anders Franzon in the left circle where he slapped it home before Rundell could get over. Zac Ashdown also picked up an assist at 16:19 of the first. The Clippers would come right back and take the lead and never look back just over two minutes later on a rush to the net where Colin Rundell made a great save with the left pad on the initial chance – but he couldn?t get the rebound as Michael Boivin drove the net and put it home. Joe Perry and Zac Ashdown picked up the assist as it was 3-2 Clippers with 1:17 left in the first. The only goal in the second came again moments after the Clippers had a power play elapse as the Dogs failed to clear the puck out of their zone. Kurtis Bartliff again walked to the net before sending a cross-slot pass to Zac Ashdown to banged it home inside the far post 7:58 into the second for a 4-2 Clipper lead after two. The Clippers made it 5-2 on a power play in the third as a Colin Dueck shot went wide but Joe Perry found the end board bounce and put it inside the post before Rundell could recover and get back to the net. Dueck picked up the only assist 6:21 into the third. It would be 6-2 Clippers four minutes later as Tyler Mah found Ronnie Smith behind the Dogs defence on a nice breakaway feed where would score on a top shelf short-side shot on Rundell coming down the right wing. Russell Goodman also picked up an assist on the play 10:55 into the third. The final salt in the wound came with four minutes left as the Clippers stole the puck behind the Dogs net and quickly centered to Steve Mason in the slot where he scored into the open side before Rundell knew what had happened. Russell Goodman and Ronnie Smith assisted at the 16:00 mark of the third.
Final shots favoured Nanaimo 41-17 with Colin Rundell and Jonathan Jobin being the goalies of record. The Clippers were 2 for 5 on the power play while the Dogs were 0 for 2.
Saturday the Dogs took to the ice in Duncan, and they started the game off with a bang taking a 1-0 lead before the game was a minute old as Evan Witt sent Mitch MacMillan over the Caps line on a 2 on 1 rush down the right wing. MacMillan would find Brett Mohler driving the net, where he cut around Chris Rawlings and put the puck into the open side. Assists on the play went to Eric Fraser and Evan Witt at the 55 second mark of the first. Unfortunately it wouldn?t be a sign of things to come for the Dogs as that would be the only goal they would get on the evening. The Caps struck back to even it up 5:19 into the first when Mickey Spencer blew a slap shot home through Matthew Wong from the left faceoff dot off a turnover up the middle. Assists on the play went to Spencer Fraipont and Jake Bouma. The Caps then took the lead four minutes later on the power play as a pass was blocked right onto the stick of Spencer Edwards who put a quick release five-hole on Wong. Assists went to Fraipont and Curtis Gedig at 9:58 of the first. A tough break late in the period saw the Dogs down 3-1 after one when Mickey Spencer threw a cross ice pass from the right wing boards that went off a Bulldog stick and in past Wong with just 40 seconds left in the period. The lone assist on the play went to Kevin Walrod. The Caps built their lead to 4-1 just past the halfway mark of the game when Spencer Edwards found a rebound in front off of a Joey Massingham shot on the rush from the right circle that he jammed past Wong. Taylor Holst also picked up an assist on the play 10:31 into the second. The Caps then added one more before the period was out just over two minutes later when Chris Zaires walked out from behind the net and put a shot on goal that was stopped by Wong. Alex Gellert would find the loose puck and jam it home on the goalmouth scramble as it was 5-1 Capitals after two. Zaires and Chad Hohmann picked up the assists at the 12:43 mark of the second. The only goal of the third came off a faceoff in the Dogs end as the puck went right to the net where it was jammed in by Spencer Edwards for his third goal of the game. Nick Anderson would get the only assist on the scoring play at 15:26 of the third as the Caps skated to the 6-1 win.
Shots actually favoured the Dogs in this one, 47-32. Chris Rawlings and Matthew Wong were the goalies of record. The Dogs were 0 for 4 on the power play while the Caps were 1 for 3.
This was a better played game than the 7-2 loss the night before in Nanaimo. Unfortunately for the Dogs, they just couldn?t bury their chances, while the Caps found ways to score.
The Dogs are next in action Friday in Victoria. They then finally return home for games Saturday against Nanaimo, and Sunday afternoon against Burnaby.
