Cents top Dogs 4-2

A very good start to the game for the Bulldogs, as they came out hard on the first couple of shifts. They would take a 1-0 lead just over two minutes into the game as Harlan Orr found Jake Kauppila behind the Centennials net, where he quickly centered to Scott Clark, who one-timed it past Jarrod Schamerhorn top corner, short-side at 2:05 of the first. The Centennials would push back and carry the bulk of the play throughout the period, hemming the Bulldogs in their zone on several instances for a long duration of time. They would bend, but not break, with Connor LaCouvee coming up big time and again to protect the lead. The Dogs would get their feet back under them and generate several chances later in the period, before the Centennials again pushed back late in the frame. The Dogs held the lead into the second, with the Cents leading in the shots 17-8.

The second period was fairly even and back and forth with neither team carrying the play through the early minutes. The Centennials would tie the game just over six minutes into it when Adam Tracey stole the puck behind the net and threw it out to the deep slot for Waylon Williams, who put a low shot on net that was stopped by LaCouvee, but he couldn't get any help on the rebound as Adam Tracey outfought the Bulldogs defender to jam it home as LaCouvee made a diving attempt in desperation to keep it out. Williams would pick up the only assist on the play at 6:16 of the second to tie it at 1-1. The Bulldogs would push back hard over the next couple of minutes to try and take the lead back, generating some good chances but they couldn't beat Schamerhorn. Kurt Gosselin came the closest, beating the goalie but hitting the cross-bar as it stayed out. Shots favoured the Centennials in the period 12-9, for a two period total of 29-17.

The Centennials would take their first lead of the game just over two minutes in on a bad luck play as Josh Adkins back-checked and made what looked like a nice defensive play to stop a rush. A second later, a loose puck would hit him and go in past LaCouvee to make it 2-1 Centennials 2:54 into the third. The goal went to Adam Tracey, un-assisted. The score stayed that way until the midway mark of the period when the Centennials broke the game open with two goals in a matter of seconds to lead 4-1. The first came off an neutral zone faceoff as the Dogs got caught stepping up, resulting in an odd-man rush where Diego Cuglietta finished off a centering pass from James Neil. Jeff Wight also picked up an assist on the play at 10:44 of the third. Off the ensuing puck drop the Centennials would threow the puck at the Dogs net and score on a scramble with Cuglietta appearing to knock the puck in out of mid air, with James Neil and Tyler Martin assisting at 11:02. The Bulldogs would go for broke and pull their goalie with just over two minutes left and the move would pay off as Justin Georgeson squeaked one in from a sharp angle past Schamerhorn with Harlan Orr picking up the only assist at 18:12 to make it 4-2. That's as close as the Dogs would get though as the Centennials killed the rest of the clock.

Final shots favoured the Centennials 41-28 with Connor LaCouvee taking the loss but playing outstanding and giving the Dogs every chance. Schamerhorn picked up 3rd star honours with the win. Both teams went 0 for 1 on the power play.

The loss coupled with a Cowichan win sees the Dogs slide back into 5th place, a point back of the Capitals. The Caps game in hand is tomorrow afternoon when they host Coquitlam. The Dogs next see action Wednesday at home against Powell River.