Bulldogs top Centennials 4-1

The Bulldogs began the game inspired, attacking early and testing Ryan Winter in the Centennial net. They kept the pressure up, and a shift later made it 1-0 when Dawson Tritt won an attacking zone faceoff back to the right point for Tim Gould. He would simply take a couple of strides and step into it, blowing a slapper short-side past the glove of Winter at 1:21 of the first. The Bulldogs kept pushing the pace, and forced the Centennials into a trio of icings in the minutes that followed, but it was Merritt who got on the board when they raced up ice off the draw and beat the Bulldogs to their net as Brett Roloson skated onto it and in on goal where he beat Luke Pearson high far-side to make it 1-1 at 3:46 of the first. Shots  in the period were 13-10 Centennials.

The second began with four aside hockey for over a minute, and through the bulk of the opening 10 minutes it wasn't played especially sharp by either side of the puck with passes more often than not being off the mark. As the period wore on, the Bulldogs level of desperation increased, and they took a lead as a result of it when Austin Spiridakis fought a loose puck off a draw at centre ice for Jacob Bosse. He would slide it around a man for Tommy Bannister, who flew in alone where he put a deke to his backhand inside the near post to make it 2-1 at 13:46 of the second. The Bulldogs came close on the next shift to padding the lead, but couldn't convert on an odd-man rush. The Centennials countered with a couple good chances of their own, but Luke Pearson made a  couple great saves, the one that stands out the most being off a partial breakaway for Payton Matsui. The Bulldogs answered back, and a long hard-working shift in the attacking zone by the trio of Caige Sterzer, Josh Zary and Olivier Fizet resulting in a penalty drawn. The Bulldogs wouldn't let the Centennials out of their zone once over 1:06 of attack time before they made it 3-1 as Jimmy Rayhill took a Jacob Bosse pass and fed it rink-wide for Jackson Munro at the top of the left circle. The former Centennial would step into one, hammering it long-side past the glove of Winter at 17:01 of the period. Shots in the period were 16-14 Merritt, for a 29-24 edge after 40 minutes.

The Centennials looked desperate to start the third, and for the first five minutes and change of the frame had the edge in the play, but couldn't trim the deficit. Over the following minutes, the Bulldogs upped their game and didn't show any signs of sitting on their lead. They created chances, but Winter was solid to give the Centennials a chance. A 5 on 3 power play for the Bulldogs of 98 seconds saw them move the puck around well, but they couldn't create a Grade A chance to pad their lead. A penalty went against them at the  end of it, but Tim Gould drew  one  back with a solid effort to carry the puck out of the defensive  zone, resulting in  a long sequence of  four-aside hockey. In the end, the Dogs didn't give up much, before  sealing the deal into an empty net as Mitchel Deelstra out-raced  Olson Werenka on a pending icing after an  empty net bid went wide, resulting in an automatic goal awarded when Werenka threw his stick, making it 4-1 at 19:20 of the third.

Shots in period three were 17-5 Bulldogs, for a game total in their favour of 42-32 - a season high in shots on goal. Luke Pearson  earned 1st star honours with  the win, while Ryan Winter took the loss. The Bulldogs  went 1  for 7 on the power play, while the Centennials went 0 for 4.

The Bulldogs are next in action Saturday at home, when they host the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

Hammer



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