The Bulldogs got a scoring chance just five seconds into the game when Stephen Castagna jumped on the loose puck off the opening faceoff and raced in to the deep slot where Brock Baier got his shoulder on a quick release. Castagna drew a power play in the Bulldog end a few seconds later when he was caught in the face by a high stick. The Bulldogs would connect on it when Ryan Miotto picked off a rim up the near side that he threw to the slot for Jackson Doucet who walked into the deep slot where he snapped a quick release five-hole on Baier and just over the line to make it 1-0 at 1:28 of the first. The Warriors would tie it by the five minute mark, as Anthony Bishop kept the puck in at the right point and walked cross-ice into the top of the left circle where he beat Cole Demers with a wrist shot long-side over his glove to make it 1-1 at 5:08 of the first . with Garret Ewert drawing the lone assist. The score stayed that way until the late stages of the period, with the Bulldogs having a couple good opportunities around the Warrior net, especially on another power play, but West Kelowna went up 2-1 with under five minutes to play when the Bulldogs turned the puck over at centre ice with a defenceman up on the rush resulting in a partial breakaway for Calvin Tilsley that he made good on by dodging a poke-check attempt of Demers to lift it home at 15:58 of the second, unassisted. The Bulldogs raced in on a 2 on 1 rush but a nice defensive play by Garrett Ewert blocked the cross-ice pass attempt. Another Bulldog chance in the final 30 seconds of the period went through the hashmarks and failed to connect, resulting in the Warriors racing up ice and making it a 3-1 game with just 6 seconds to play in the period as Mike Hardman tapped home a pass on the far side of the crease into the open side with Willie Reim and Max Bulawka assisting at 19:54 of the first. Shots in the period were 20-12 Warriors.
The Warriors would go up 4-1 just nine seconds into period two, as a dump-in was fanned on back of the Bulldog net, allowing Lucas Cullen to pick it up and throw it out front against the grain to Parm Dhaliwal, who lifted inside the post short-side. The Bulldogs took a penalty on the next shift, and while they succeeded in killing it off, but the Warriors earned momentum and spent the better part of the next three to four minutes running around the Bulldog zone before going up 5-1 on a cross-ice set up to the back post one-time low through Demers by Calvin Tilsley for his second of the game, assisted by Wyatt Head at 5:44 of the second. The Bulldogs started to get their game going at the midway point of the period, and at least two fantastic chances around the net and on the rush that saw Baier come up big on to protect the lead. The Bulldogs earned a power play late in the period, but couldn't make it count and the Warriors tacked on another one with less than a minute to play in the period as Wyatt Head again set up Calvin Tisley wide open in the left faceoff circle where he walked in tight and lifted it into the open net past a diving Demers to complete the hat trick at 19:27 of the period, with Austin Chorney also assisting. The Bulldogs drew a penalty seconds later, and made good on it instantly off the draw as Ryan Miotto won it back to the right point for Aaron Bohlinger, who wasted no time in putting it on goal where it was deflected home by Dawson Tritt from the slot to make it 6-2 at 19:44 of the second. Shots in the period were 21-9 West Kelowna, for a 41-21 Warriors edge after two.
The Bulldogs again earned a power play early in the third and while they didn't score on it, they kept fighting and found the net just two minutes later as Keaton Mastrodonato accepted a Ryan Miotto pass in the right circle on the rush where he drove wide and put it in front where it hit a stick before Grayson Valente tapped it home from the paint to make it 6-3 and 4:05 of the third. The Bulldogs pushed but couldn't trim the gap through to the back half of the period, where they earned another power play when Mitchel Deelstra fought hard deep in the Warriors zone before being hooked up high. Deelstra would finish it on the power play, when Marcus Walter put an outlet pass up the right wing at centre to Deelstra, who dished off at the Warrior line for Evan Googins and drove the net where Googins put a perfect pass on his tape to send him in alone where he went top corner, short-side over the glove of Baier to make it 6-4 at 12:54 of the third. The Bulldogs kept pushing, with the Warriors responding and pushing back late in the third to hem the Dogs in their zone for an extended period. At the end of the sequence, Jackson Doucet put a flipper perfectly placed into the Warriors zone that Keaton Mastrodonato skated onto for a breakaway that saw Bier make a huge with his glove to keep it a two-goal game. The Bulldogs would push with over two minutes left on the follow draw with their goalie out for the extra attacker and had several looks on pucks around the net, but couldn't find it before Mike Hardman found a loose puck at centre that he fired through the legs of the Bulldog defenceman playing goalie to make it 7-4 at 18:44 of the third to complete the scoring.
Third period shots were 17-7 Bulldogs, for a game total of 48-38 Warriors with Cole Demers taking the loss while Brock Baier earned the win. The Bulldogs went 3 for 5 on the power play while the Warriors went 0 for 1.
The Bulldogs are next in action Friday when they host the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
Hammer
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