The Alberni Valley Bulldogs swept the Victoria Grizzlies in a home-and-home set this weekend.
On Friday (Jan. 27), the Bulldogs travelled to the Q Centre in Victoria and picked up a 5-4 overtime win. Bulldogs forward Will Elger played the role of the hero as he scored twice, including the OT winner to earn the Bulldogs a seventh straight win.
On Saturday, the Grizzlies travelled to Port Alberni for a rematch and the home team pulled off a resounding 7-3 win. Bulldogs forward Dakota MacIntosh got things started for the home team with the lone first period goal, then added another just 45 seconds into the second period. Scoring was back and forth in the second period, with Brady McIsaac scoring his first goal as a Bulldog, but both teams headed to the locker room tied 3-3 after 40 minutes.
But the third period was all Bulldogs. MacIntosh picked up a hat trick with his third goal of the game, then Braden Blace, Owen Desilets and Mason Croucher all added to the Bulldogs lead for a final score of 7-3. Bulldogs goaltender Hobie Hedquist made 34 saves for the win.
It was a special game for the Bulldogs, as they earned the win in front of a crowd of more than 1,500 fans. According to Bulldogs president David Michaud, it was the largest crowd the Alberni Valley Multiplex has seen since 2016. Before the game, the Bulldogs presented a cheque for $5,000 to Tseshaht First Nation. The donation came from funds raised by a jersey auction earlier this season and will go towards the creation of a memorial to honour the survivors of the Alberni Indian Residential School.
ICE CHIPS…The Bulldogs will be on an extended road trip for the first half of February and won’t return to the Dawg Pound until Feb. 18, when the Powell River Kings pay a visit.
