The Bulldogs looked everything like a team that travelled overnight and arrived in Chilliwack around the crack of dawn in the early minutes of the game, as the Chiefs ran roughshod over them in running up an 8-0 lead in shots. They didn't get on the scoreboard, with Luke Pearson looking rock solid in net to keep it a scoreless game. The most notable series of saves saw Pearson make an initial stop, before flashing out his left toe to rob Arlo Merritt to preserve the scoreless tie. The Bulldogs got their legs under them in the ensuing minutes, and had a couple of promising looking odd-man rushes frustratingly not end up on net with attempted passes failing to connect. As the period wore on, the play evened out with the Bulldogs testing Kolby Thornton on a couple of instances, the most notable seeing Dawson Tritt sent in alone from in tight by Jackson Doucet, but Thornton got his left toe across the crease to make a big save. The Bulldogs earned a power play a minute and change later and it failed to impress or generate much, if anything losing momentum. A minute later, the Chiefs earned a power play of their own and made quick work of it to open the scoring as Nikita Nesterenko set up Cooper Moore at the right point. He would walk in to the right faceoff dot and put a next-level slapper high short-side over the glove of Pearson and under the crossbar to make it 1-0 at 18:39 of the first, with Joey Larson also drawing an assist. Pearson would make a highlight reel save less than a minute later, diving across the crease to keep a Brody Gagno open net chance out with his glove, after stopping Clark Nelson on a net drive before it. Shots in the first were 14-6 Chilliwack.
The Bulldogs came out with a noticable urgency to their game to start the second, and it immediately paid divedends, as they earned a power play early in the period, and made good on it as Jimmy Rayhill put a cross-ice pass up the left wing for Jackson Munro at centre ice. He found Jackson Doucet in the slot over the Chilliwack line, where he put a quick release high far-side over the glove of Thornton to make it 1-1 at 2:57 of the period, on the power play. A minute later the Bulldogs took the lead, as Stephen Castagna won a faceoff in the attacking zone back to the right point for Carson Hemenway. He would one-time it on net and Thornton would make the save, but kick a rebound out to the slot where Mitchel Deelstra out fought his defender to lift the rebound home to make it 2-1 at 3:57 of the second. The Bulldogs kept the push on, and came painfully close to blowing it open, as in the following minutes Mitchel Deelstra hit both a post and a cross bar but couldn't get a bounce. The Chiefs would get back into the game twelve minutes into the period on a penalty shot awarded when Nikita Nesterenko picked up a stretch pass behind the Bulldog defence to skate in alone. He would be caught, and barely pushed from behind before barrelling into Luke Pearson. The game officials would pause for a 60 second media time out before the shot, that Nesterenko made good on with a forehand deke that he just snuck past the right toe of Pearson at 12:07 of the second. A minute and change later, it was 3-2 as the Bulldogs got caught on an offensive zone draw back to their end in under 10 seconds on a rush that saw Brett Rylance deflect a centering pass through Person. Assisting on the play was Ethan Bowen. The Bulldogs couldn't find the equalizer before the Chiefs padded their lead with under two minutes to play in the period, as Pearson made two saves in tight, but couldn't get help as Rylance slid it home in the paint. Carter Wilkie and Jake Veri at 18:34 of the second. Shots in the period were 13-12 Chiefs, for a 27-18 advantage into period three.
The Bulldogs came out again inspired to start the third, and had a couple good chances early to get back in it, the most notable being a Stephen Castagna breakaway that saw him steal the puck at the line and skate in alone and beat Thornton, but hit the post and again have it stay out. That would be huge, as a minute later it was a 5-2 game as the Bulldogs got caught pressing and gave up a 2 on 1 rush that saw Joey Larson keep the puck up the left wing and beat Pearson with a quick release five-hole to complete the scoring, unassisted at 4:08 of the third. The Bulldogs weren't able to muster much of an attack to get back into it through the remainder of the third, but did kill off three penalties to keep it respectable, with Luke Pearson coming up big time and time again to keep it respectable.
Third period shots were 19-5 Chiefs, for a game total in their favour of 46-23 with Kolby Thornton earning the win, while Luke Pearson took the loss. The Bulldogs went 1 for 2 on the power play, while the Chiefs went 1 for 5, while also scoring on a penalty shot.
The Bulldogs are next in action tomorrow afternoon in Coquitlam, a 3:00pm puck drop.
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