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Friday, January 27, 2017

Dogs top Capitals 5-2 in emotional affair



Tonight's Game Report is brought to you courtesy of the Best Western Plus Barclay Hotel 

The BEST WESTERN PLUS Barclay Hotel, the largest full facility hotel in Port Alberni, BC. When staying with us there is no need to give up conveniences you are used to. You can discover treasures to take home at the Alberni Harbour Quay, and then browse our onsite Cold Beer, Wine Store and liquor store or retreat to our Stamps Cafe or Pastimes Sports Bar and Grill to enjoy a snack or to watch the game on our big screen TV. Then, relax in our sauna or pool before settling in our luxurious accommodations to enjoy the vintage wine picked up earlier. That's when you will truly understand why the tranquil setting of our hotel has been called the perfect place to call home. If traveling on business, our Port Alberni Hotel boasts over 4500 square feet of meeting space in four rooms that are perfect for small conventions, banquets, parties, meetings and weddings. AV equipment and catering are also available.



A solid start to the game for the Bulldogs, as they opened the scoring just 1:33 into the game. Trevor Cosgrove just simply threw the puck on net, where it was deflected at the top of the crease. Jake Witkowski would locate it, and slide it cross-crease for Cayden Kraus, who slammed it into the open side. The pace slowed somewhat through the next 7-10 minutes, but tempers remained high with a series of scrums seeing two players aside sent to the penalty boxes. The Dogs earned a power play on an after the whistle penalty to Jarid Domin soon afterwards, but they weren't able to generate a shot on it. The Dogs would start to push the pace throughout the latter stages of the period, and while they didn't score on it they appeared to gain momentum as after a series of good shifts and it led to a 2-0 lead as Keith Anderson used his size to repeatedly work the cycle down low with Jordan Sandhu before walking out front and throwing a cross-crease pass that was tapped in by Tristan Bukovec just over the goal line, with the Referee in perfect position to emphatically signal goal, at 16:51 of the first. The Dogs were penalized behind the whistle soon afterwards, but would take a 3-0 lead on a crazy sequence in the dying seconds of the period. The Officials would miss a head shot on a puck-less Ryan steele just outside the Bulldogs line that saw him slow to get up and his visor fly off of his helmet. Play would continue, and it worked surprisingly to the Dogs favour, as a shot was blocked and swiped ahead by Henry Marshall to a streaking Cayden Kraus. He would skate in alone, and beat the buzzer - by a hair of a second, and beat Lane Michasiw high blocker side to make it 3-0 at 19:59 of the first. In the subsequent discussion, a Capital would fire Steele's visor across the ice, which brought about a passionate response from the Dogs on the ice. The Caps staff would pick up a bench minor in protest, as the teams headed to the locker rooms. Shots in the period favoured the Dogs 18-8.

The second period saw another penalty against the Bulldogs, and the Caps go to a 4 on 3 and then 5 on 4 power play. The Dogs would successfully kill it, with Brody Claeys coming up with a big save soon afterwards on a partial breakaway by Michael Montambault as the Capitals built up an early 10-1 lead in shots in the period. Penalty problems continued for the Dogs, as they went to the box twice in quick succession, putting the Caps on a 5 on 3 for 1:36. They couldn't capitalize on it, with the penalty killers coming up big to support Brody Claeys. The Dogs would build their lead somewhat against the grain, on a nice rush up the left wing by Tristan Bukovec, as he used his speed to drive wide and put a high hard one on net short-side. Michasiw would make the save, but Bukovec would follow his shot to the net, and find the rebound behind it before throwing a perfect pass onto the tape of Keith Anderson in the deep slot where he one-timed it home past the glove of Michasiw to make it 4-0 at 7:10. The middle to late stages of the period were very fun to watch, as the Dogs spent what felt two to three minutes on the attack in the Capitals zone, doing laps around the zone and changing multiple times. They weren't able to build their lead on it, but connected before the period was out as Jordan Sandhu set up Keith Anderson at the top of the right circle. He would snap a quick shot low and on net where it was stopped, but Cameron Kuhl drove the net and tapped home his first career goal into the open side to make it 5-0 at 18:09 of the second. The Dogs out shot the Capitals 17-15 in the period for a 40 minute advantage of 35-23.

The Dogs would be penalized early in the third, and it was one opportunity too many as the Capitals finally made them pay for it as Michael Montambault put a pass from the left wing wall onto the tape of Jarid Domin at the top of the slot where he blew a one-timer long side past the glove of Claeys to make it a 5-1 game at 3:54 of third. Later in the period a long simmering score was settled, as Keith Anderson went after Ayden MacDonald. I thought initially MacDonald dropped his gloves but he actually didn't, and took a series of punches while trying to defend himself. He would get two for roughing, while Anderson picked up two for roughing, two for being the agressor and five for fighting, putting the Capitals to a seven minute power play. The Caps would score early in the advantage, with Rhett Kingston setting up Alec Zawatsky in the slot where he beat Claeys with a quick release, glove side to make it 5-2 at 10:34 of the third. The goal was credited to Max Newton, but it clearly looked like Zawatsky's goal. There would be no scoring the rest of the way, with the Dogs killing off the remaining six plus minutes of the Caps power play. The Dogs did draw a penalty to even things up, but couldn't maintain discipline to not even it up after the whistle. In the end, the killers and Claeys held the fort and the Dogs made the lead stand.

Third period shots were 17-5 Cowichan, and 40-37 Bulldogs on the game. Brody Claeys picked up the win in net while Lane Michasiw took the loss. Unofficial power play stats saw the Dogs go 0 for 3 on the power play while the Capitals went 2 for 8.

With the win, the Dogs snap a three game losing streak, with the loss the Capitals have now lost six in a row.

The Dogs are next in action tomorrow at home when they host the Victoria Grizzlies.

Hammer

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