The Bulldogs opened the scoring 8:24 into the first on an Adam Donnelly marker, but the Capitals answered back on a goal by Brodie Smith at 12:41. Steven Fiust put the Caps ahead 2-1 less than two minutes later at 14:02 before Josh Owings made it 3-1 during four-aside hockey at 15:33 as the Caps took that lead into the second period.
Shots favoured the Caps 11-7 after 20 minutes, with the Dogs doing 0 for 2 on the power play and the Capitals going 0 for 1.
The Caps took a 4-1 lead just short of the midway point of the second after an extended period where the Dogs fought the puck and failed to get it out of their zone as Jake Switzer went top corner, short-side on Zakery Myrowich who started in net for the Dogs. It was a 4-2 game shortly afterwards when the Dogs capitalized on a power play chance when Scottie Clark deflected an Ezra Paddock point shot past Storm Phaneuf. The Dogs would get back within one to make it 4-3 when newly acquired Quinn Syrydiuk scored a beautiful goal on a solo effort, skating the puck out of the Dogs zone and through centre before chipping it off the boards to himself down the right wing where he snapped one on goal from the faceoff dot top corner, long side past Phaneuf at 19:52 of the second.
Shots favoured the Capitals in the second 14-7 for a two period advantage of 25-14.
Carson Schamerhorn entered the game just short of the midway point after the 4th Caps goal to relieve Zaery Myrowich in the Bulldog net.
The Capitals re-established their two goal lead with 14:05 to play in the third on Chris Harpur point shot that was deflected past Schamerhorn by Matt Hudie to make it 5-3. The Dogs didn't quit though, as with 11:00 to play Liam Conrad took a headman pass from Logan Savard and walked over the Capitals line down the right wing where he backhanded one home from a terrible angle to make it 5-4, with Taylor Derynck at 9:00 of the third. The Dogs would make it a 5-5 game while shorthanded with 3:36 to play after blocking what felt like half a dozen shots in their own end. Eric Margo would pressure the Capitals goalie who was out playing the puck, and the puck ended up in the crease where it looked like Quinn Syrydiuk knocked it in for his second of the game at 16:24. The Capitals would push hard to go ahead again over the next couple of minutes, but Carson Schamerhorn held the fort to preserve the tie. The Dogs were a second away from getting the winner as Scottie Clark blew a one-timer home through the legs of Phaneuf from the slot but he couldn't beat the buzzer as the game went to overtime.
Shots favoured the Capitals 10-9 through the third for a 60 minute total of 35-23 Capitals.
Each team would have a couple of chances early in overtime, but the Caps would end it 1:14 into sudden death when Jared Domin undressed a Bulldog defender before tucking it home past Schamerhorn for the 6-5 final.
Final shots favoured the Caps 36-23.
While you of course can't like the end result in losing the game, I think at this time of the year it's best to focus on the positive (truth be told, I think ANY time of year it's best to focus on the positive) and in this game it can be found in the fact that the Bulldogs came back from at one point three goals down, and two goals in the third period, to steal a "point" in an opposition's rink. It would have been easy to pack it in and let this game get away from them considering that it's preseason and a "mean nothing" game - but you never want your team to ever exhibit the character that they quit when the going gets tough. It looked like the tough got going in this game. Quinn Syrydiuk scoring twice in his first game is very nice to see, and Adam Donnelly finding the net in his first game is also a positive.
On to Friday now, when the Dogs host the Grizzlies.
Special thanks to Dan "the stats man" Tisserand for updating me on the action I missed, and to Caps voice Jeff Sargeant for calling the game.
Hammer
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