A fantastic start to the game with no whistles through the first four minutes, and a fantastic start for the Bulldogs, as they attacked on the opening shift and kept it up for the first part of the first period with several great opportunities in running up a 10-2 edge in shots as Taz Burman was busy and good in the Nanaimo net. The Bulldogs would take a penalty on a late hit later in the frame, and it 100% changed the game, as the Clippers connected to make it 1-0 on a gorgeous set up on the power play that saw Jake Harris deflect home a Jeremy Gervais backdoor set up. Jordan Wharrie also drew an assist on the play at 10:09 of the first. The Clippers would take motivation from the goal, and the Dogs never left their zone before it was 2-0 as Ben Belisle poked home an end-board bounce off a John Hawthorne save that hit the end wall and bounced out front off the opposite post. Assists on the play went to Jack MacNab and Lucas Vanroboys at 10:55 of the first. The Bulldogs were again penalized, and successfully killed it off. They soon afterwards found themselves in a 3-0 hole as Vincent Millette carried the puck from behind the Bulldog net up the left side to the top of the blue line where he just simply fired a wrister on net that hit the post and went in past the glove of Hawthorne to make it 3-0 at 14:52 of the first, with Parker Colley drawing the lone assist. The Bulldogs were penalized less than a minute later, and again killed it off to keep in the game, but were penalized a fourth straight time to open the game late in the period. An even up call went the other way in the dying seconds of the period. Shots in the frame were 18-14 Nanaimo.
The Clippers opened the second with a jump similar to the first, as the Dogs looked a half a step behind. After four on four hockey ended, the Dogs earned their first power play of the game to try and get back into it. While they did control the zone in the final minute of it, they couldn't generate a good chance to cash in and get back in the game. The Clippers continued to have the better of the play into the mid point of the period, with the Bulldogs finally able to generate a couple Grade A chances on the rush and in the zone for Ryan Steele, Cole Poliziani and Christian Simeone all around the Nanaimo net. They again couldn't make one of them count, and before the end of the shift it was 4-0 as a Bulldog rim in their zone was found by Tristan Crozier in the right corner, where he a put a pass into the deep slot for Jake Harris. He would walk in to the deep slot where he snapped one home inside the post past the glove of a screened Hawthorne to make it 4-0 at 12:45 of the second. Cal Babych drew a second assist on the play. There was no scoring the rest of the frame, with the Clippers out shooting the Dogs 18-11 for a two period total of 36-25.
The Bulldogs got off to a solid start to the third, spending the better part of the first five minutes in the attacking zone and generating a couple good chances but yet again failing to find the net. The closest might have been when Mitch Oliver walked into the top of the right circle and blew a slapper on goal that hit the crossbar and stayed out - I wasn't 100% convinced that it didn't go in. Later in the period Bradley Ong had a step up the right side, but again hit the crossbar and it stayed out. Another great chance later in the period saw Gregg Lee walk behind the net and get Burman out of position before sliding it through the crease but no Bulldogs in the neighborhood could find the open net. The Dogs would break the shut out bid with just over five minutes to play when Ryan Steele carried the puck through neutral ice and over the Clippers line before dishing off to Keaton Mastrodonato walking into the top of the right circle where he put a perfectly placed shot top corner, short-side over the glove of Burman to make it 4-1 at 14:48 of the third. That's as close as the Dogs would get, as the Clippers made the lead stand.
Third period shots were 13-10 Bulldogs, for a game total of 46-38 Clippers as John Hawthorne took the loss while Taz Burman picked up 2nd star honours with the win. The Dogs went 0 for 2 on the power play while the Clippers went 1 for 5.
The Bulldogs are next in action Friday night when they visit the Smoke Eaters in Trail.
Hammer
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