Vees comeback to stun Dogs 3-2

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A fast start saw the Bulldogs penalized just a minute into the game on a Scott Conway net drive as Brody Claeys made a good save with Conway getting a shot off while being tripped. Just 19 seconds later Tristan Bukovec was tripped and it went to four-aside hockey. Each team had their chances, with the Vees taking an early lead in shots before the Bulldogs pushed back. Marshall Skapski would make a good defensive play on a 1-on-1, before then drawing a penalty. The Dogs would connect on the power play as Paul Meyer was sent in alone by a Ryan Finnegan pass off the wall. Zach Driscoll would do a good job to out-wait Meyer and force the chance wide, but Meyer did a better job to stay with the play and throw it out front from behind the net with Driscoll out of position. Nathan Dingmann appeared to take a swing and a miss at it initially on the open net, before then jamming it loose for Ryan Finnegan who spun and fired it home low, long-side through a maze of bodies in the crease to make it 1-0 at 9:51 of the first, on the power play. The Dogs did a solid job soon afterwards to kill off a Penticton power play, with Brody Claeys making a great save in the dying seconds of it on Luke Voltin. The Dogs drew a power play late in the period, with Zach Driscoll coming up with a couple saves to keep it 1-0 after 20 minutes, with the shots favouring the Vees 12-11.

The pace slowed somewhat in the early stages of the second, but it picked up when the Vees drew a power play. Again the Dogs were solid in killing it off, with Brody Claeys being good but not having to be spectacular. The teams would trade power play chances through the back half of the period, with again neither team finding the net with the Bulldogs having several glorious in tight looks on the Vees net that stayed out. Late in the period Eric Margo threw a big check to knock Seamus Donohue down to the ice and off the puck. As Quinn Syrydiuk danced by him to pick it up, Donohue would throw out a hand in desperation and trip him up. The Dogs would connect on the power play as the Vees came up with a couple fearless blocks early, but the Dogs stuck with it, as Paul Meyer fed Jordan Sandhu at the right side of the net where he put a perfect touch pass back to the deep slot where Chris Schutz one-timed it on goal where Nathan Dingmann tipped it home past Driscoll to make it 2-0 at 18:27 of the period for a 2-0 Dogs lead after two. Shots favoured the Vees 10-9 for a 40 minute advantage of 22-20.

The Vees pushed hard and drew a penalty early in the third, but again the Dogs came up with another solid kill to protect the lead. It stayed 2-0 until the back half of the third when the Vees got on the board as a long pass was initially broken up by a Bulldog defender at the line, but it took a Vees bounce and went off his skates and directly onto the stick of Tyson Jost, who skated in alone and tucked it home low, far-side through the legs of Claeys to make it a 2-1 game at 11:24 of the third. Scott Conway was given the only assist on the play, but it appeared to be either Colton Poolman or Nicholas Jones who made the pass. Just a minute and change later the score was tied, as the Dogs took an offensive zone penalty and the Vees made them pay for it just 19 seconds into the advantage as Tyson Jost took a pass from Dante Fabbro and walked across the right circle and into the slot before dishing it back off to Fabbro in the right circle where he walked in and snapped one home top corner, short-side past the blocker of Claeys to make it 2-2 at 13:35 of the third. The Dogs would immediately call time out to try and get back on the right side of the puck, and initially they came out with a good jump but it was immediately halted on another terrible bounce as a Tyson Jost wrist shot from the right point hit a Bulldog defender up high in front and went straight down onto the ice and between the legs of Claeys to just squeak over the line to make it 3-2 with Demico Hannoun and Nicholas Jones drawing the assist at 14:46 of the third. The Vees wouldn't give up much the rest of the way as they protected the lead until the final buzzer.

Third period shots favoured the Vees 12-5 for a game total of 34-25. Brody Claeys took the loss, but earned first star honours while Zach Driscoll picked up the win. The Dogs went 2 for 6 on the power play while the Vees went 1 for 6.

With the loss, the Dogs win streak is snapped at three, while the Vees stretch their streak to four.

Hammer