The Bulldogs earned a power play before the game was a minute old, and while they didn't score on it statistically, for all intents and purposes they capitalized on it as Dawson Holt had just stepped out of the box when Jacob Bosse made a nice second effort to pursue a loose puck before putting a rink wide pass off the right post for Dawson Tritt, who picked the top corner, short-side high on Reilly Herbst to make it 1-0 Bulldogs at 2:31 of the first. The Vipers would respond at the midway point of the period, immediately following the media time out as Matt Kowalski walked off the wall into the left faceoff dot where he put a perfectly placed shot top corner, short-side over the blocker of Pearson to make it 1-1 at 10:45 of the first, with the lone assist going to Colby Feist. It would be 2-1 Vernon four minutes later, with Kowalski finding the net on a 2 on 1 rush as the Bulldogs changed after failing to get the puck in deep. Landon Fuller put a perfect pass up the middle that Kowalski picked up and walked into the hashmarks where he put a wrist shot against the grain inside the post far-side past the glove of Pearson to make it 2-1 Vipers at 14:01 of the first, with Fuller drawing the lone assist. The Bulldogs would reply to tie the game late in the period, as River Fahey put the puck from the right wing wall into the right corner for Jacob Bosse. He would walk behind the net before putting a perfect pass against the grain back out front from the near post to the slot where Caige Sterzer put a perfectly placed shot top corner, far-side over the blocker of Herbst to make it 2-2 at 17:08 of the first, with River Fahey and Grayson Valente drawing the assists. It wasn't tied for long however, as seconds later it was 3-2 Vernon as Trey Taylor put a shot on net from the left point that was deflected short-side from the top of the crease by Max Bulawka inside the post past Pearson. Also assisting on the play as Dawson Holt at 17:26. Shots in the period were 16-6 Vernon.
The Bulldogs had a great chance on the rush to tie the game in the opening seconds of the second, but Reilly Herbst came up with the first save, and a rebound chance to protect the lead. A minute later, it was 4-2 as Jo-Jo Tanaka-Campbell walked to the top of the circles off the left wing wall where he put a low wrist shot inside the post, short-side past the blocker of Pearson to make it 4-2, with Trey Taylor drawing the lone assist at 1:24 of the period. The Bulldogs were handed three power play chances throughout the period, but couldn't capitalize on them to get back into the game. They did at least threaten on the final opportunity, and gained momentum from it but couldn't trim the deficit. Shots in the second were 13-6 Bulldogs, for a 23-19 Vernon edge into period three.
The Bulldogs continued to be given power play opportunities to open the third, and after failing on a first chance, FINALLY managed to make good on it to make it a new game, as Jackson Doucet put a pass from the left wing to the right circle for Ryan Doolin. He simply put a far-pad low shot on net that was stopped by Herbst, but he couldn't control the rebound as Mitchel Deelstra off the far posted lifted it high under the bar to make it 4-3 at 2:10 of the third. The Bulldogs were unable to tie the game on yet another power play two minutes later, before the Vipers added insult to injury when they earned a power play and took their two goal lead back at the eight minute mark as Landon Fuller found his own rebound below the goal line and stuffed in a loose puck short-side under the right toe of Pearson to make it 5-3 with assists going to Dawson Holt and Matt Kowalski. It was a 6-3 game half a minute later when the Bulldogs blew coverage in front of their net, while losing a race and a battle in the far corner of their zone as Jack Glen put a pass to the top of the crease were Ben Sanderson tapped it into a wide open net from the top of the crease. Connor Sleeth also assisted on the play at 8:34 of third. Matt Kowalski would complete the scoring, rubbing salt into the wound or deftly placing the cherry on top of the proceedings depending on your perspective, as he completed the hat trick in highlight reel fashion with the Mike Legg "Lacrosse goal" picking the puck up on his stick and wrapping it top corner inside the far post past the glove of Pearson to make it 7-3 at 11:46 of the third to complete the scoring, with Tanaka-Campbell and Ben Helgeson assisting.
Shots in the third were 8-8, for a game total of 31-27 Vernon with Luke Pearson taking the loss while Reilly Herbst earned the win. The Bulldogs went1 for 8 on the power play while the Vipers went 2 for 4.
The Bulldogs have now lost three straight, and conclude their trip tomorrow afternoon in West Kelowna, a 2:30pm start.
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