Bulldogs host annual Winter Wonderland everyone welcome skate tonight

It's a fun tradition this time of year, the Bulldogs Winter Wonderland everyone welcome skate from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Multiplex. Everyone is welcome, rentals are free of charge, and the players will be on hand! Hopefully we'll see you there!

Hammer

Some pictures from last night's event courtesy Kaicee Trott and me!

Rivermen top Dogs 6-3

A great start to the game as the Dogs came out off the opening puck drop and threw a bunch of pucks on net early on Darren Martin. They resulted in fat rebounds, but the Dogs couldn't corral them on several near misses around the net. The Rivermen would get a power play on an odd penalty handed to Kurt Gosselin, and they capitalized to open the scoring on a crazy scramble that saw almost every player on the ice in the Bulldogs crease as Billy Christopoulos made several saves and battled hard to secure the puck but couldn't do so as the puck eventually came out to the hash marks to Zachary Bleuler who put a slapper off the traffic and in to make it 1-0 at the 5:26 mark on the power play from Matthew Graham and Dante Hahn. The Bulldogs would respond well to the goal and pushed right back but couldn't find the net before they caught caught snoozing in their own end as Gage Torrel walked through the right circle and un touched to the slot where he slid one low and inside the far post past Christopoulos to make it 2-0 at the 10:52 mark with Evan Anderson drawing the assist. The Dogs again didn't deflate as they came right back with a great chance on a Zak Bowles breakaway where he blew by the Rivermen Defence at centre ice but he couldn't beat Martin. The Dogs failed to capitalize on another point blank chance minutes later when Justin Marreck was set up wide open in the slot but put a shot just high over the net. The Rivermen would again strike to take a 3-0 lead with less than four to play in the period when a battle in the left corner of the Bulldogs zone saw the puck come out to Justin Szeto who walked into the left circle and blew a quick slapper through the seven hole of Christopoulos short-side to make it 3-0 from Kevan Killistoff at the 16:17 mark of the first. It certainly didn't feel like a 3-0 game, but that was the score after 20 minutes with the Rivermen up 13-12 in the shots.

The Bulldogs would come out with some fire to start the second, and got on the board early as Port Aberni Native and Affiliate Player Chase Gaudreault scored his first career goal on a quick wrister from the slot off an Eric Margo pass to make it 3-1 at the 3:00 mark of the period. The Rivermen would come right back with a great shift to try and restore the three goal lead, but Billy Christopoulos made two great saves to keep it 3-1. The Dogs would push hard throughout the next five or six minutes to try and chip away at the deficit but they couldn't find the net through the Media Time out as it remained 3-1 Langley. The Rivermen would control the play over the next three or four minutes, as the Bulldogs had troubles getting the puck out of their end. When they finally did, they failed to get a dump in deep into the zone and it resulted in a 2 on 1 rush that turned into a breakaway as Evan Anderson walked in on net and banked it off the blocker of Christopoulos and in to make it 4-1 at the 16:39 mark of the period with Gage Torrel assisting. The Dogs would earn their first power play chance of the game late in the frame but they couldn't capitalize on it as the period ended with the Rivermen up 4-1, and up in the shots 25-19 after out shooting the Dogs 12-7 over the period.

 The Dogs came out flying to start the third, making it a 4-2 game just over two minutes in when Zak Bowles raced up the right wing on a 2 on 1 rush where he kept the puck and scored with a perfect short-side high wrist shot past the blocker of Darren Martin. Troy Dobbs picked up the only assist at the 2:23 mark of the third. It was a whole new game just 30 seconds later when Scotty Clark blocked a shot at the Dogs line and raced in on a breakaway where he went backhand-forehand and roofed one to make it 4-3, un assisted at the 2:53 mark as the Rivermen called time out to slow things down and right the ship. It was a whole new game again just 24 seconds later as Kevan Killistoff hustled into the Dogs zone and won a battle for the puck in the right corner and threw a cross-slot pass onto the tape of Justin Szeto who one-timed it home before Christopoulos could get over to make it 5-3 at the 3:17 mark as the building fell silent. The Bulldogs would continue to battle to make a game of it again, and had a glorious chance with 11:01 left when they were awarded a penalty shot after Gage Torrel appeared to save a goal by putting his hand on the puck in the crease. Zak Bowles would take the penalty shot, but Darren Martin out-waited him and came up with the huge stop to preserve the two goal lead. That would be as close as the Dogs would get though as they called time out and gambled with the goalie out with 3:30 left and a faceoff in the Langley end. They would win back to back draws, but couldn't beat Martin before getting a shot blocked that resulted in an open-netter from centre ice for Colton Kehler with assists going to Kevan Killistoff and Zachary Bleuler at 16:47 of the third period for the 6-3 final score.

Shots favoured the Rivermen 38-35 with Billy Christopoulos taking the loss while Darren Martin picked up the win. The Dogs went 0 for 1 on the power play while the Rivermen went 1 for 1.

The Dogs are next in action Friday in Nanaimo.

Hammer

Bulldogs host Rivermen tonight, Tryg Strand interview

It's the second and final meeting between the teams tonight as the Bulldogs (15-9-1-2, 2nd Island) host the Langley Rivermen (13-10-1-4, 3rd Mainland) at the Dog Pound.

It's an oddity in a packed BCHL schedule that both teams come into play tonight having last night off. The Bulldogs were last in action Wednesday at home where they snapped a two game losing streak with an emphatic 5-0 win over the Nanaimo Clippers in one of their best efforts over a full 60 minutes so far this season. The Rivermen were also last in action on Wednesday night in Chilliwack where they lost their second in a row, 4-3 in double overtime to the Chiefs.

These teams last met on Sunday October 26th in Langley where the teams played to a 2-2 tie.

There's nothing like Saturday night Hockey at the Dog Pound, and we're excited to bring it to you on Van Isle Ford Bulldogs Hockey on 93.3 The Peak FM tonight with the pregame show at 6:45 with the puck drop and play-by-play/colour+analyis and team+player stats to follow from myself, Bruce MacDonald and Dan Tisserand

If you aren't in radio listening range of 93.3 The Peak FM you can listen/watch the game by:

Listening Live on your computer: www.933thepeak.com
Listening Live on your SmartPhone : www.tunein.com/mobile/
Watching Live on your computer/SmartPhone www.fasthockey.com

Tonight's 2nd Intermission guest is last year's Bulldog Captain Tryg Strand, now with the CIS's Guelph University Gryphons
 
Who's this RYAN Strand guy anyway?

Here's a highlight reel goal from Tryg from last year! Beauty!

Tonight is the Alberni Valley's turn to host the BCHL's Five hole for Food Challenge, so please bring a handful of non perishable food items to the game if you can share them, so support the less fortunate this time of year, and also to bring in more food than the rest of the BCHL!

Hammer

Dogs top Clippers 5-0 on Teddy Bear Toss night

A pretty good start for the Bulldogs to the game as they had the early edge in shots and territorial play, holding a 10-4 lead in shots through the Media Time out just past the midway point of the first. They weren't able to get a goal to send the Teddy Bears flying though, as Guillaume Decelles made several solid saves. The Bulldogs would go to the power play in the back half of the period as Zak Bowles showed good discipline to take some stick work and turn the other cheek. The Dogs would connect on the advantage to send the Teddy Bears soaring when Kurt Gosselin found a rebound on the right half boards where he threw a perfect cross-ice pass onto the tape of Chris Schutz at the back door where he beat Decelles with a quick catch-and-shoot release to make it 1-0 at the 14:37 mark of the first. Just two minutes later the Clippers ended up in further penalty trouble as they picked up back-to-back Bench Minors at the same stoppage, one for too-many-men and one for unsportsmanlike conduct that appeared to follow up a verbal warning from the Referee. The Bulldogs would have several good opportunities to build their lead, but despite throwing 7 shots on net over the two minute 5 on 3 power play they couldn't build their lead as it stayed 1-0 after 20 minutes with the Dogs leading the shots 22-9.

The Clippers came out and pushed hard to start the second period, but the Bulldogs fought back to earn a power play that they again connected on to go up 2-0 as Brett Stewart kept the puck in at the right point before going D-to-D to Kurt Gosselin. He would make the simple play and throw a quick shot on goal that was stopped by Decelles, but he couldn't control the rebound as Mitch Makin found it and poked it in with one hand to make it 2-0 at the 5:29 mark of the period. The Clippers would get a great chance on the next shift to get on the board, but Billy Christopoulos went post to post to rob Anthony Rinaldi on a cross-ice pass off a 2 on 1 rush. The Bulldogs continued to push the pace and play with urgency, holding a 32-15 lead in shots just past the midway point of the second. A great second effort play by Scott Clark put the Dogs up 3-0 shortly after the Media Time out as he stole the puck from a Clipper in the zone and put a soft cross ice pass to the slot where Chris Schutz ripped it through the legs of Decelles for his second of the game at the 11:50 mark of the second.  The Dogs out shot the Clippers 17-11 in the period for a 39-20 advantage after 40 minutes.

The Bulldogs went to yet another power play early in the third period, and yet again made the Clippers pay on a pretty set up as Kurt Gosselin found Brett Stewart at the right point, where he walked down the boards before throwing another gorgeous pass on the tape of Chris Schutz in the left circle where he ripped a perfect shot top corner past Decelles for his first career hat trick and a 4-0 Bulldogs lead 4:20 into the third period. The score would stay that way until the late stages when the Clippers called time out with just over four minutes to play. Off the ensuing puck drop they would get the puck in deep and get the goalie out for the extra attacker, but they couldn't get possession as the Dogs broke out as Chris Schutz head-manned it to Mitch Makin who gained the line and went cross-ice onto the tape of Scotty Clark who ripped into the open cage for a 5-0 lead at the 16:25 mark of the third for the final score.

Final shots favoured the Dogs 52-26 with Billy Christopoulos picking up 3rd star honours with the win and his first career shut out while Guillaume Decelles took the loss. The Dogs went 3 for 8 on the power play while the Clippers went 0 for 3.

The Dogs are next in action Saturday at home against Langley.

Dogs host Clippers tonight for third straight head-to-head meeting, Teddy Bear Toss night

It's yet another meeting between these two great rivals as the Bulldogs (14-9-1-2, 3rd Island) host the Clippers (20-8-0-0, 1st Island) for the third time in a row tonight at the Dog Pound.

The Clippers have won four in a row, while the Bulldogs have lost two straight, and all four of the head to head meetings this season with an 0-3-0-1 record head-to-head being a huge reason that the Clippers hold a 9 point lead on the Dogs for first in the Division, albeit with the Bulldogs holding two games in hand.

After a game last Wednesday where the Bulldogs were clearly fatigued, or for whatever reason not at their best, they put forth a much better effort at Home on Saturday night, however it still saw them on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Here's hoping they can get over the hump tonight.

The full crew will be back in the Broadcast Booth tonight for Van Isle Ford Bulldogs Hockey on 93.3 The Peak FM as I will provide play-by-play, Bruce MacDonald will be back calling the colour and analysis and Dan Tisserand will compile team and player stats.

If you aren't in radio listening range of 93.3 The Peak FM you can listen/watch the game by:

Listening Live on your computer: www.933thepeak.com
Listening Live on your SmartPhone : www.tunein.com/mobile/
Watching Live on your computer/SmartPhone www.fasthockey.com

It's Teddy Bear Toss night! Here's hoping that the Dogs can get a goal early, because as silly as it sounds the pressure mounts the longer the bears sit in the stands.

It's a great thing for the community and for the team to do, as they head out and visit Hospitals and Care Homes and deliver the bears to those less fortunate and those that need a lift during the Christmas season.

Here's some flying fur from years gone by.

Tonight's 2nd Intermission feature guest is Langley Rivermen Play-by-Play voice Jake Elliott - the Bulldogs host the Rivermen Saturday night at the Dog Pound.

Clippers top Dogs 3-2 in hard fought game

A fantastic start to the game for the Bulldogs as they were out to atone for Wednesday and it certainly looked like it as they controlled the first minute of the play in the Clippers end and it was evident that they were ready to play. The period went back and forth with the Clippers responding and pushing back as it was fun hockey to watch with each team getting their share of their chances but both Billy Christopoulos and Guillaume Decelles keeping it scoreless through the first ten minutes. Shortly afterwards the Clippers would open the scoring on the rush as the Bulldogs turned it over at centre ice and the Clippers countered on the transition as Jacob Hanlon put a low shot on net that was kicked out by the pad of Christopoulos and onto the tape Kale Bennett who joined the rush and potted the rebound into the open side for a 1-0 Nanaimo lead at the 10:46 mark of the first. The Clippers went to the power play shortly afterwards looking to build the lead, but the Dogs killed it off and quickly got back on the offense, having several in-tight looks that were turned aside by Decelles. They would hem the Clippers in their end for a spell and draw a power play that they connected on to tie the game at 1-1 as Everett Putz found a loose puck off a dangerous Kurt Gosselin drop pass that he put through a defenders legs and walked around another one before skating in alone on Decelles where he beat him with a quick release five-hole. Scotty Clark also drew an assist on the play at 17:57 of the first for a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes and the Clippers leading the shots 12-10.

The Clippers came out hard to start the second much like how the Dogs started the first. The Dogs would be penalized by the back Referee while in their defensive zone early in the period, and the Clippers struck on the advantage to lead 2-1 as Jake Jackson found Yanni Kaldis who walked into the left circle and threw a pass into the crease where it was deflected into the open side by Anthony Rinaldi at 4:08 of the second. The Bulldogs would battle back and tie the game just four minutes later when Scotty Clark found the puck in the right corner off a Drake Brown shot that went wide of the net. Clark would walk up the right wing and realize he was unchallenged before he walked right into the slot and ripped one past the glove of Decelles with Mitch Makin screening in front to make it 2-2 at 8:41 of the second. The Clippers thought they had the go-ahead goal later in the period as a Clipper player skated through the crease and contacted the pad of Christopoulos and spun him entirely out of his crease and behind the goal line. The puck would go out front where it was one-timed into the yawning cage. Neither of the two Referees (one vote for the three Ref system!) would apparently see it, as no call was made. Apparently either of the Linesman thankfully saw the play, as after a long conference between the four Officials the goal was waved off due to incidental contact with the goalie as it stayed 2-2 after 40 minutes, with the Dogs out-shooting the Clippers 12-7 over the period for a 22-19 Bulldogs advantage.

The third period couldn't have started worse for the Bulldogs, or better for the Clippers, as they controlled the puck and raced in and went up 3-2 just 16 seconds into the period as a rebound off the pads of Christopolous from a Jake Jackson shot was found by Anthony Rinaldi and put out front for Cole Maier who one-timed it right under the cross-bar from the top of the crease for a 3-2 lead. That would do it for the scoring, as the Bulldogs would push hard for the equalizer but couldn't find it. They had a mad scramble with the goalie out with less than a minute to play but couldn't bet a bounce. As the puck went into the corner the net appeared to be intentionally kicked the net off but the Referee right at the net didn't make a call on it. The final 20 seconds saw the Dogs battle and retrieve the draw but be unable to get control to get a puck on net.

Final shots favoured the Bulldogs 39-27 with each team going 1 for 3 on the power play. Billy Christopoulos took the loss in net while Guillaume Decelles picked up the win.

A much much better effort for the Bulldogs in this head-to-head match up, but a frustrating result again. The two teams go at it again on Wednesday at the Dog Pound.

Hammer

Dogs host Clippers tonight for Round Two, Jordan Kremyr interview

 After a Wednesday night meeting between these teams, they go right back at it again tonight as the Bulldogs (14-8-1-2, 2nd Island) host the Clippers (19-8-0-0, 1st Island) at the Dog Pound for the second of three straight games for the Bulldogs at home against the Clippers.

The Bulldogs of course haven't played since Wednesday at home where they had their four game winning streak snapped with a 5-2 loss to the Clippers. The Clippers were at home to Victoria last night where they won their 3rd in a row, 3-2 over the Grizzlies in overtime. 

It's a pretty important game for the Bulldogs - not that the previous three against the Clippers haven't been, of course. The fact that the Dogs have dropped all three in my opinion makes this one pretty big as a statement game to turn the season series around.

 

In the booth tonight on Van Isle Ford Bulldogs Hockey on 93.3 The Peak FM is Al McCulloch, who  provides the colour and analysis while play-by-play is provided by me with Dan Tisserand compiling team and player stats. 

If you aren't in radio listening range of 93.3 The Peak FM you can listen/watch the game by:

Listening Live on your computer: www.933thepeak.com
Listening Live on your SmartPhone : www.tunein.com/mobile/
Watching Live on your computer/SmartPhone www.fasthockey.com

Tonight's 2nd Intermission guest is former Bulldog Jordan Kremyr, leading scorer of the team during the 2005-2006 season, and now Captain of the Bakersfield Condors, the Edmonton Oilers ECHL affiliate.

Here's some nice words about Jordan being named Captain from the Bakersfield Californian


Hammee

Clippers top Dogs 5-2

The Clippers won the opening draw and controlled the first shift but the Bulldogs pushed right back to make it 1-0 just under a minute into the game as Eric Margo won a draw in the Clippers end for Garrett Halls who walked to the corner and up the left wing wall before throwing a pass right to the hash marks where Dylan Haugen one-timed it home low past the stick side of Guillaume Decelles to give the Dogs the lead at the  :58 second mark. The Clippers would respond and push hard back at the Bulldogs and control the better of the next several minutes, getting a lot of pucks on Billy Christopoulos but being unable to sneak one by him as he was rock solid. It looked like the Dogs might have taken a 2-0 lead on a delayed penalty as Kurt Gosselin drove wide and threw puck on net that was tipped in as Decelles was bumped and the Clippers net was dislodged. After a discussion between the Officials a goal would not be awarded. The Dogs had several good looks early on the power play but not much after that. The Clippers would push hard for the equalizer but Christopoulos held the fort and got good support around his net to keep it 1-0 Bulldogs after one, with the Clippers leading the shots 18-9.

The Clippers would once again control the better of the play to kick off the second, catching the Dogs at neutral ice with several long passes on the mark to create odd-man rushes. They would tie the game on a head-man pass up the left wing where Edwin Hookenson sent Jake Jackson in alone up the left wing where he put a perfect top corner short-side shot high past the blocker of Christopoulos to make it 1-1 just 1:53 into the second. The Bulldogs would continue to have the game taken to them as they turned the puck over at both blue lines and failed to generate much of an offensive attack, while the Clippers continued to push and stretch the ice. They would again catch the Dogs and take a 2-1 lead on a breakaway for Cole Maier who was sent in alone by Jake Jackson where he went top corner under the cross-bar glove side on Christopoulos at the 11:05 mark. The Clippers would push hard to build their lead, while the Bulldogs fought valiantly to keep it within reach. They had a great chance to tie the game when they caught the Clippers up ice and raced in on several 2 on 1 rushes but Zak Bowles missed the net on his attempt while Eric Margo was foiled on his bid by a great defensive play by Yanni Kaldis to slide and break it up with his stick. Shots favoured the Clippers 15-8 for a 40 minute total of 33-17.

The Bulldogs had more jump in the third period, but the Clippers did well to push back as the game stayed 2-1 through the Media timeout through the first 12 minutes and change of the third period. Things would pick up shortly afterwards though, as the Bulldogs would be awarded a power play to try and find the equalizer. Instead, it was the Clippers going up 3-1 while shorthanded as Jacob Hanlon blocked a shot at the blue line and raced in on a shorthanded breakaway where it appeared he scored as Christopoulos made the save but the puck bounced in off the Bulldog defender and over the line. There was no assist on the play as the Clippers took the lead with 6:38 to play, appearing to put the game away. Not so fast though, as big credit to the Dogs for refusing to quit on what was no doubt a very defeating moment. They would earn another power play with just under three minutes to play and called time out and pulled their goalie and gambled. They would be rewarded on it as Kurt Gosselin made a couple great plays to keep the puck in at the line before throwing a perfect D-to-D pass to the right point for Brett Stewart who blew a slap shot under the glove to Decelles to make it 3-2 at the 17:25 mark as all of a sudden it appeared to be a brand new game. Again, not so fast as the Clippers came right back with a dagger as they won a face off in the Bulldogs end back to the line to Nick Gushue who put a quick wrister on goal that was deflected up and over Christopoulos by Anthony Rinaldi, with Jake Jackson also drawing the assist at 17:43 to make it 4-2. The Dogs would pull Christopoulos for the extra attacker but Anthony Rinaldi would pick off an errant pass before gaining centre ice and sliding it into the empty net for the 5-2 Final.

Shots favoured the Clippers 44-27 with Billy Christopoulos taking the loss but earning 1st star honours while Guillaume Decelles picked up the win. The Dogs went 1 for 5 on the power play while the Clippers went 0 for 3.

Dogs host Clippers tonight for first time this season, Chase Van Allen interview

It's the first meeting on Dog Pound ice this season between the teams as the Bulldogs (14-7-1-2, 2nd Island) host the Clippers (17-8-0-0, 1st Island) for the first of two straight head-to-head meetings, and the first of four of the next five between the teams.

The Clippers took the first two meetings of the season between the teams on back-to-back Fridays to open this month in Nanaimo, 5-4 in overtime on November 7th and 5-2 on November 14th.

The Bulldogs were last in action Sunday in Coquitlam when they won their fourth in a row 4-1 over the Express in Coquitlam to sweep a three-in-three weekend. The Clippers last played Saturday night at home when they scored a last second power play goal to beat the Trail Smoke Eaters 2-1 to snap a two game losing streak.

The puck drops on Van Isle Ford Bulldogs Hockey on 93.3 The Peak FM  at 7:00pm with the pregame show kicking things off at 6:45 with myself, Bruce MacDonald and Dan Tisserand providing the play-by-play/colour-analysis and team and player statistics.

If you aren't in radio listening range of 93.3 The Peak FM you can listen/watch the game by:

Listening Live on your computer: www.933thepeak.com
Listening Live on your SmartPhone : www.tunein.com/mobile/
Watching Live on your computer/SmartPhone www.fasthockey.com

Tonight's 2nd Intermission guest is former Bulldog Chase Van Allen, now into his Sophmore season with the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves, where he currently leads the team in points.

With the Bulldogs in his 20 year old season Chase was named the team's Best Defenceman and Community Hero along with Most Inspirational.

Kurt Gosselin named Player of the Week, Christopolous gets Honorable Mention, Bulldogs show up on National Rankings radar

Big congrats to Kurt Gosselin for being named the BCHL's Player of the Week, and congrats to Billy Christopolous for getting a mention as well. The individual spin offs like this when the team achieves overall success sure are cool!


Read more on the BCHL website HERE

While they aren't ranked, and they didn't pick up an honorable mention, the Bulldogs are at least showing up on the radar of the CJHL Top 20 Canada-wide rankings. Obviously catching the attention of those that select the rankings is the first step to ending up included in them. In the end it means absolutely nothing to be ranked, but it's still pretty cool to get the notoriety across the country. Read more below, or from the CJHL website HERE

CALGARY, Alberta (November 24, 2014) – An 11-game winning streak, one of the longest streaks in the country this season, has the Portage Terriers of the MJHL still on top of the Pointstreak CJHL Top 20 Weekly Rankings. The top four teams this week have held their spots in the rankings, while there are other surprises in the rankings this week.

The Penticton Vees are padding their lead in the BCHL Interior Division, while the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and the Powell River Kings are making real strides in the Island Division behind the Nanaimo Clippers.  In Alberta, the Camrose Kodiaks have overtaken the Spruce Grove Saints, but the Okotoks Oilers and Brooks Bandits are close behind.

In Saskatchewan, the Melfort Mustangs had a tremendous week and have pulled within three points of the Kindersley Klippers, while the Flin Flon Bombers, Battlefords North Stars, Notre Dame Hounds and Nipawin Hawks have all gained ground on the Klippers.  

The Portage Terriers remain comfortably atop the overall MJHL standings, while the Winkler Flyers have opened up some room between themselves and the Winnipeg Blues. The Steinbach Pistons are playing well and are starting to move up the standings as well.

In the SIJHL, the Fort Frances Lakers are tied atop their league standings with the Thunder Bay North Stars, but have two games in hand. In the NOJHL, the Soo Thunderbirds have snuck ahead of the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners in what is becoming a two horse race for Northern Ontario supremacy between them and Kirkland Lake.

The Trenton Golden Hawks and the Aurora Tigers of the OJHL have just a single point between them for the overall lead in the standings, while the Georgetown Raiders are pushing hard to make it a three team race for the overall lead. In the CCHL the Ottawa Jr. ‘A’ Senators beat the first place Carleton Place Canadians in a great game on the weekend, but the Canadians are still running away with the overall lead in Central Canada.

The Cougars de Sherbrooke were caught this past week by the Titan de Princeville and now share top spot in the standings of the LHJQ, while the Woodstock Slammers have a ten point lead on the second place Miramichi Timberwolves and are eleven points up on both the Dieppe Commandos and Pictou County Weeks Crushers.

Top 20 Rankings

1. Portage Terriers (MJHL) (1)
2. Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL) (2)
3. Penticton Vees (BCHL) (3)
4. Woodstock Slammers (MHL) (4)
5. Aurora Tigers (OJHL) (8)
6. Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL) (9)
7. Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL) (7)
8. Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL) (5)
9. Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL) (13)
10. Melfort Mustangs (SJHL) (18)
11. Winkler Flyers (MJHL) (HM)
12. Kindersley Klippers (SJHL) (6)
13. Fort Frances Lakers (SIJHL) (10)
14. Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (NOJHL) (12)
15. Ottawa Jr. ‘A’ Senators (CCHL) (17)
16. Titan de Princeville (LHJQ) (HM)
17. Brooks Bandits (AJHL) (20)
18. Miramichi Timberwolves (MHL) (16)
19. Les Cougars de Sherbrooke (LHJQ) (14)
20. Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) (NR) 

Honourable Mention: Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL), Okotoks Oilers (AJHL), Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL), Thunder Bay North Stars (SIJHL), Georgetown Raiders (OJHL)

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About the Pointstreak CJHL Top 20 Rankings - The CJHL Top 20 weekly rankings are produced in conjunction with International Scouting Services (ISS) and are based upon a variety of factors, including the league in which the team plays, winning percentage, win-loss record, total points accumulated, goals-for versus goals-against ratio, etc.

About the CJHL - The Canadian Junior Hockey League is a national organization comprised of all 10 Junior A hockey leagues in Canada.  The CJHL represents more than 129 teams and 2,900 players and has over 2,951 former players furthering their hockey careers at the professional, major junior and college level across North America.  For latest CJHL news and features, visit www.cjhlhockey.com and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/cjhlhockey or @cjhlhockey.

Hammer

Dogs top Express 4-1, win fourth straight, go perfect three-for-three on road

A fantastic start to the game for the Bulldogs as they looked ready to play early and pushed the pace hard from the opening face off. Despite another penalty in the opening minute like the night before in Surrey, the Dogs killed it off and controlled the bulk of the play through the first 10 minutes getting a bunch of pucks on net and opening up a 13-6 lead in shots through the media time out just past the midway point. The game remained scoreless until the late stages of the first period when the Dogs were penalized again. Instead of the Express scoring, it was the Bulldogs going up 1-0 as Kurt Gosselin made a fantastic read in the defensive zone to pressure the Express player with the puck and steal it, before sending Dylan Haugen in alone on the breakaway where he went top corner, glove side on Tai to make it 1-0 Bulldogs at the 17:26 mark of the first. The Bulldogs were again penalized with less than a minute to go in the period when Garrett Halls drove the net attempting to pick up a centering pass and doing everything to not contact the goaltender Chris Tai. He would penalized none the less for unsportsmanlike conduct for snowing the goalie. The Bulldogs would have another great chance while shorthanded as Kurt Gosselin created a 2 on 1 and was stopped by Tai. The Dogs took a 1-0 lead to the room after one while holding a 16-9 lead in shots.

The Bulldogs built their lead to 2-0 early in the second period on a goal that the Express protested as Josh Adkins drove the net and continued to jam at a loose puck in the feet of Tai off a Dylan Haugen wrap around and jam in attempt. Adkins would fight it over the line as the Referee never seemed to lose sight of the puck. No assist was given on the play by Dylan Haugen clearly deserved one, as Everett Putz also might have had a stick on it during the scramble as it was 2-0 Dogs at 2:21 of the second. The Express would get it right back just two minutes later on what looked like a harmless play as Nicholas Coltura put the puck high off the glass to alleviate the pressure the Dogs had on the Express in their zone. It turned dangerous in a hurry as Corey Mackin was hanging around at centre ice where he found the puck and raced in on a breakaway down the right wing where he cut across the crease and suck it through the legs of Christopoulos to make it 2-1 at the 4:32 mark of the second. The Dogs would push right back and continued to carry the play throughout the period and were eventually rewarded for it on the power play when Kurt Gosselin made a great play to keep the puck in on the right wing boards and feed it back to the top of the point for Brett Stewart. He would make a quick cross-ice pass onto the tape of Chris Schutz on the top of the left circle where he blasted a one-timer past Tai to make it 3-1 at the 15:56 mark of the second. The Dogs would end up in penalty trouble late in the period when they were put down two men for an extended period, but they killed the clock to head to the room up 3-1 after two while the Dogs out shot the Express 14-5 over the period for a 40 minute advantage of 30-14.

The Express would start the third period on the 5 on 3, but again the Bulldogs killed it off beautifully and didn't allow much. The Dogs did a great job to continue to salt the the time away, but the Express got another power play near the midway point to try to make a game of it. They would generate one good chance, but Billy Christopoulos made a fantastic kick save and a rebound save of Brett Supinski with his defence then doing a great job to clear the rebound. The Bulldogs continued to play a perfect game throughout the remainder of regulation, getting pucks out of their zone and into the Express zone to kill the clock and not give the Express any chance to gain any momentum or generate much in the way of chances. The Dogs would seal the deal with just under four seconds left as Zak Bowles retrieved the puck behind the goal and centered it to Justin Marreck who scored his first career goal with Drew Blackmun also assisting it at 19:56 for the 4-1 Final. 

Final shots favoured the Bulldogs 38-25 with Billy Christopoulos picking up 3rd star honours with the win while Chris Tai took 2nd star honours with the loss. The Dogs went 1 for 2 on the power play, while the Express went 0 for 6, a huge difference in the game.

With the win, the Dogs have won four in a row for the second time this season, while also winning all three on a road trip for the first time this season. The Bulldogs host the Clippers at the Dog Pound Wednesday and Saturday next week.

Hammer

Dogs weekend concludes in Coquitlam this afternoon

The non-regulation ice surface roadie wraps up this afternoon as the Bulldogs (13-7-1-2, 2nd Island) visiting the defending Fred Page Cup Champion Coquitlam Express (9-12-1-4, 4th Mainland) at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre in Coquitlam.

If the rink looks a little small in the above picture, your eyes are not deceiving you - it's 80 X 200, so a little smaller than regulation - maybe it's better to play in a smaller rink at the end of a three-in-three weekend, as there is less ground to cover? Another way to look at it would be that things happen faster, and it's more physical and there is less room, so that's a challenge.

It's the second and final meeting between the teams this season - the Bulldogs won the previous match up 3-2 at the Dog Pound on October 10th.

The Bulldogs won their third in a row last night, 6-2 over the Eagles in Surrey while the Express fell 2-1 to the Chiefs in Chilliwack.

Don't miss a second of the action on Pacific Chevrolet Bulldogs Hockey on 93.3 The Peak FM with the pregame show kicking things off a 1:45 with the puck drop and play-by-play to follow at 2pm.

If you aren't in radio listening range of 93.3 The Peak FM you can listen/watch the game by:

Listening Live on your computer: www.933thepeak.com
Listening Live on your SmartPhone : www.tunein.com/mobile/
Watching Live on your computer/SmartPhone www.fasthockey.com

 Today's 2nd Intermission feature guest is former Bulldog Frank Riddle, who is currently playing with the CIS's Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks.

Hammer 

Dogs win third straight, top Eagles 6-2.

A dreadful start for the Bulldogs, as they took a penalty on the opening shift, and gave up a goal on the power play as Billy Christopoulos made the first save on a rink-wide pass that was one-timed on goal by Cole Plotnikoff. He couldn't find the rebound though, as Ben Vikitch slid it into the open side to make it 1-0 at the 1:44 mark of the first, with Latrell Charleson also drawing an assist on the play. The Eagles would have several good chances to build on their lead, but Christopoulos made a couple of good stops on the goal line to keep it 1-0. The Dogs would get their feet under them on the power play in the late stages of the period as Chris Schutz held the puck in at the left point and played it down the boards for Mitch Makin who set up Kurt Gosselin in the deep slot where he absolutely ripped a one-timer top corner, far side over the glove of Reid to make it 1-1 at 16:24 of the first. The Dogs kept the pressure up and almost scored on the net shift as Zak Bowles set up Justin Marreck with a cross-ice pass on a 2 on 1 rush, but Eagles AP goalie Tyler Read made a fantastic save to keep it tied. The Dogs continued to push and show some urgency, and it paid off as Kurt Gosselin set up Brett Stewart at the top of the crease where he put a quick shot on goal that was deflected in by Garrett Halls at the top of the crease to make it 2-1 Dogs at 18:18 of the first. The Dogs led the shots 19-12 after 20 minutes.

The second period saw the Bulldogs come out with the better of the play early, but they couldn't capitalize on their chances. The Eagles would push back and have several great chances, and Billy Christopoulos was rock solid going post to post to rob Darius Davidson to keep it 2-1. Mitch Makin would be denied on a breakaway immediately at the other end of the ice. Drew Weich would also make a fantastic save on an open net as he blocked a shot to keep it 2-1 Dogs shortly afterwards. The Eagles would take an undisciplined penalty after the whistle, and the Dogs made them pay as Brett Stewart made a nice move to make the first defender miss. He would then fan on a shot attempt, before putting an off-speed shot on goal that was tipped in through the five-hole of Read by Drew Blackmun. Stewart and Gosselin would draw the assists at 11:29 of the second. Less than two minutes later it was 4-1 as Kurt Gosselin found Drew Weich at the right point where he put a shot on net that was stopped by Read, but he again couldn't control the rebound as Dylan Haugen fired it home from the crease at the 13:25 mark. The Dogs added one more before the period was out as Mitch Makin banged a rebound home - seconds after appearing to score a beautiful top corner goal that was waved off by the Referee, as he went to the net and jammed home a loose puck off a Kurt Gosselin shot. Chris Schutz also picked up an assist at 18:25 of the second for a 5-1 Dogs lead after two periods, with the Dogs out-shooting the Eagles 20-17 in the period for a 39-29 advantage after 40 minutes.

The Dogs built the lead to 6-1 in the third period on an absolutely gorgeous goal by Scottie Clark who took a head man pass and made a nifty move to make a defender miss before then cutting across the crease and out-waiting the goaltender before lifting a backhand home at the 5:18 mark of the third to make it 6-1. The game turned silly near the back-half of the third period with the Eagles first seeing the book thrown at them on back-to-back slashing calls that I didn't think were much of anything. More penalties to the Eagles saw the Bulldogs go to back-to-back 5 on 3's. The Dogs didn't look especially good on them, as they failed to click to generate much in the way of chances. The Eagles would then get a series of 5 on 3's after Scott Clark, Marcus Russell, and finally Eric Margo - who threw a clean check, got jumped and somehow drew four minutes. The Eagles wouldn't score on the back-to-back two man advantages, but they did connect on the final penalty to make it a 6-2 game when a blocked shot ended up on the stick of Cole Plotikoff who one-timed it home before Christopoulos could get over. Brian Drapluk drew the only assist on the play.

Final shots favoured the Dogs 47-36 with Billy Christopoulos picking up 2nd star honours with the win while Tyler Read took the loss. Unofficial special teams numbers, as it got a little silly there for a while - I had the Dogs went 3 for 7 on the power play while the Eagles went 2 for 9.

With the win the Dogs have won three in a row. They finish their trip tomorrow afternoon in Coquitlam for a 2pm start against the Express.

Here's some addition pictures from tonight, courtesy Damon James.

Dogs top Spruce Kings 4-3 with late winner

 

There was a bit of a slow start to this one with neither team appearing to be especially sharp in the opening minutes. The Spruce Kings would get the opening powerplay just short of the midway point, but it was the Bulldogs who had the best chances as both Mitch Makin and Zak Bowles couldn't cash in on a Spruce Kings turn over as the game stayed 0-0 into the Media Timeout with 9:38 left in the first period and the shots just 4-4. The Spruce Kings would open the scoring shortly afterwards on a play that didn't look like much, as the puck was fought back to the right point where Adam Clements moved in and put a quick wrister on goal that was perfectly placed, just under the cross-bar top corner short-side over the glove of Warren. Assists on the play went to Braiden Epp and Rider Stoglin at 12:10 of the first for a 1-0 Spruce Kings lead after one period, with Prince George up 7-6 in shots.

The Dogs got an early power play in the second but again failed to capitalize. They received a second powerplay shortly afterwards, and this would seethe game change dramatically as Mitch Makin drove the net and missed a pass and contacted the Spruce Kings goalie. He would be immediately challenged by Ryan Fritz, and Makin answered the call and dropped his gloves, with the fight (if you could call it that) ending relatively quickly. It was too quick for Fritz's liking, as he threw a punch at a defenceless Makin who was on his back on the ice. The referee would detect it, and give both players 5 for fighting and a match penalty to Fritz for the late cheap one. The Bulldogs would connect on the ensuing 4 on 3 power play when Josh Adkins found Kurt Gosselin at the top of the point where he walked in and blew a low slapper past the stick side of Brooks-Potts to make it 1-1 at 6:48 of the second. The Dogs kept up the pressure and took a 2-1 lead on the Major Penalty when a crazy scramble saw the puck come back to the left circle to Brett Stewart, who out-waited the goalie before putting a wrister glove side off the post and in to make it 1-1 at 9:57 with Drew Blackmun drawing the only assist. It was 3-1 Dogs two minutes and change later after two highlight reel saves by Brooks-Potts saw the puck kept in at the right point by Drew Weich. He went D-to-D to Jeff Rose who put a quick shot on goal that was stopped. Dylan Haugen would put the rebound on net out of mid-air, which was again stopped, but it came back and hit Haugen and bounced just over the line to make it 3-1 Dogs at 12:25 with Everett Putz picking up the only assist. Shots favoured the Dogs 13-8 in the period, for a 19-15 advantage after two. 

The Bulldogs would really push the pace in the third period, not sitting back on the lead as they continued to show great urgency as they out shot the Spruce Kings 7-1 in the early stages of the period, and continued to hold a 10-4 lead in shots in the period when the game was stopped for a long delay due to a glass problem with 8:25 left in the period with the Dogs still up 3-1. The dogs came out of the delay and continued to carry the better of the play, but the Spruce Kings pushed and made it 3-2 with 2:56 to play when Cooper Leich roofed a loose puck in the slot  with Brogan O'Brien drawing the assist. In the final minute the Dogs got dinged for icing and were unable to clear the puck and it came back to bite them as Rider Stoglin fired a wrister past the blocker of Warren from the slot to make it 3-3 with 56 seconds to play with Jale LeBrun drawing the only assist. Instead of getting it to overtime, the Dogs would win it outright when Everett Putz roofed a centering pass from the crease with 22 seconds to play for the 4-3 final. No assist was given on the play but I thought it might have been Justin Marreck who put it out front.

Final shots favoured the Dogs 37-26 with Nathan Warren picking up the win whole Alex Brooks-Potts took the loss. The Dogs went 2 for 5 on the power play while the Spruce Kings went 0 for 4.

The Dogs travel overnight to the Lower Mainland to visit the Eagles in Surrey tomorrow night.

Hammer

Practice in Quesnel

Off the bus and onto the ice, no better way to work out the bus legs!