It was a better effort on Saturday, unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the end result was the same as Friday against Victoria.
A 5-4 loss to the Clippers was a feel-good story after Friday night’s 7-1 debacle at the hands of the Victoria Grizzlies.
Heading into the weekend, Bulldogs head coach and general manager Joe Martin called the weekend a “measuring stick weekend” against two clubs the Bulldogs felt would be positioned to compete for the Island Division crown. If this was indeed a measuring stick, it was clear the Bulldogs have some work to do. “We challenged our older players after Friday’s game,” said Martin. “Pre-season isn’t an excuse for a lack of effort, we see other teams playing well and it’s frustrating to spend a week preparing for what we saw on Friday night. We expect more, especially from our veterans.”
Brandon Buhr had the lone goal on Friday in the loss the Grizzlies, for Buhr it was his first of the pre-season. Jackson Glassford struggled in goal for the Bulldogs as he allowed all 7 goals on 26 shots, while Blake Wood stopped 30 of 31 shots the Bulldogs sent his way.
On Saturday the Bulldogs showed some resilience after trailing much of the night. They worked hard to keep things close with the Clippers. A strong push with the net empty didn’t earn the Bulldogs the goal they were after, however, the play showed hints of what the club can look like when firing on all cylinders.
Dawson Tritt (3), Jacob Bosse (2), Chase Klassen (2) & Ethan Bono (2) all scored in the loss. Luke Pearson stopped 30 of 35 in goal for the Bulldogs, while Jordan Naylor stopped 34 of 38 for the Clippers.
The Bulldogs have dropped 4 in a row, and now see their pre-season record sit at 2-4-0.
