Dogs streak snapped with 4-2 loss to Warriors

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The Bulldogs were again ready to play from the opening puck drop, as they pushed the pace early and ran up 4-0 edge in shots before the game was five minutes old. The Bulldogs kept up the pressure, and continued to get pucks at and on net, but Shane Farkas kept it scoreless. While the Bulldogs carried the better of the play, and continued to get pucks on net - that for whatever reason weren't counted as shots - the Warriors also had a great chance in front that saw Brody Claeys rob Braiden Epp. As the period wore on, the Dogs fought the puck and too often carelessly gave it away in their end. They were sent to the penalty box as a result of it, and did a good job of killing it while the Warriors gained momentum by getting a good number of pucks net. Almost immediately after the kill, the Warriors opened the scoring as the Dogs failed to get the puck out, and a slapper from the left side deflected off something and drastically changed direction to beat Claeys far-side. Stephen Kleysen got credit for it, with Chase Stevenson drew the only assist at 16:46 of the first. Almost immediately afterwards, the Bulldogs earned a power play on what looked like just a good hit by Quin Foreman. Their power play would be taken away just over a minute into it though as Jake Harrison chased down Jake Witkowski and retaliated on him after something that happened at the side of the Warrior net. Witkowski wouldn't engage Harrison, and continued forward and ran into Braiden Epp, which brought about further retribution from Harrison. Somehow, Witkowski received the only penalty on the play. Shots in the first officially favoured the Warriors 12-5.

The penalties would unfortunately be of consequence, as the Warriors went up 2-0 before the second was a minute old as Stephen Kleyson put a waist high one-timer on net that was deflected up and under the cross-bar from the hash marks by Braiden Epp as Claeys appeared to never see it. I didn't think it was a high stick at all, but the Officials had a conference to discuss it. Connor Sodergren also drew an assist on the play at 42 seconds of the second. The Dogs couldn't get going, and the Warriors made it 3-0 just before the six minute mark of the period on their third deflection of the game as a faceoff was won by Parm Dhaliwal back to the right point to Scott Allen. He would throw a wrist shot at the net that appeared to go in off the shin pad of Jake Harrison. It didn't appear to be directed intentionally into the net, at 5:58 of the second as Brody Claeys was relieved by Zakery Myrowich off the bench. Another Bulldog penalty would come back to bite them later in the period, as Myrowich made a good first save from the right circle on Chase Stevenson, but Connor Sodergren managed to just tap the rebound home through Myrowich and over the line. Stephen Kleysen also drew an assist on it at 13:20 of the second to make it 4-0 Warriors. Shots in the period favoured West Kelowna 10-6, for a 40 minute advantage of 22-11.

The Warriors had a carry over power play to again begin the third, but Zakery Myrowich was solid to make a series of saves to keep it respectable, the most notably coming on a 2 on 1 rush as he went post-to-post to rob Connor Sodergren. The Dogs would fail to score on a power play chance, but did find the net just a second later to make it a 4-1 game as a pass thrown across the slot hit traffic and bounced to the middle of the deep slot for Trevor Cosgrove. He would blow a slap shot top corner, far-side off the glove of Farkas and in to make it 4-1, un-assisted at 7:05 of the third. While the Dogs showed no quit throughout the third, they weren't able to trim the gap until the dying seconds of the game as they pulled their goalie on the power play to make it a 6 on 4 situation. Alex MacDonald would dish off to Mackenzie Wight in the Bulldogs zone, and he streaked end-to-end and split the Warriors defence right up the middle before skating in alone where he put a perfect shot top corner, far-side high over the glove of Farkas to make it 4-2 with 20 seconds to play. The Dogs would attack the Warrior net off the ensuing faceoff, forcing Farkas to make a couple of stops to keep it a two goal game. The Dogs would push again off the draw, and score on a rebound before the buzzer with Jake Witkowski slamming a loose puck home at the side of the net. The Official would immediately signal goal, but after a discussion at centre ice with no time on the clock they would reverse the call and wave it off to make it a 4-2 final score.

Shots in the third favoured the Bulldogs 16-9 for a game total of 31-27 Warriors with Brody Claeys taking the loss giving up three goals while Shane Farkas picked up the win. The Dogs went 1 for 5 on the power play while the Warriors went 2 for 6.

Hammer