The Alberni Valley Bulldogs set out to shake their 0-7 record and its mission accomplished.
The Bulldogs beat the Langley Rivermen 4-3 Saturday night at the AV Multiplex. The win brings them to 1-7-1.The team went into the game against Langley 0-7-1.
Bulldogs head coach Kevin Willison said the team had to address its scoring and special teams woes and the players rose to the challenge.
The game started at 9:30 p.m. due to Langley arriving late because of ferry scheduling but the late start didn't phase the team.
The team buried its chances and displayed killer instinct by not letting Langley get back in it.
Langley drew first blood in the first period but the Bulldogs didn't wilt, and Kurt Gosselin made it 1-1 just 50 seconds later.
The Bulldogs scored the go-ahead goal 21 seconds in to the second period. They padded their lead with another at 2:56. Then Langley scored a short-handed goal later in the period, But the Bulldogs charged back with a power-play goal by Mitch Makin at 17:57.
Langley scored another power-play goal at at 15:33 of the third but that was it. The Bulldogs won 4-3.
The Bulldogs stayed out of the penalty box in the first period, and had four minutes in penalties in the second. Langley's had 10 minutes in penalties in the second, one of which the Bulldogs converted into a goal.
The Bulldogs took six minutes in penalties in the third period though, one of which the Rivermen scored a power play goal on.
New netminder Tyger Howat had a stellar home debut, stopping 30 out of 33 shots, 15 of them in the third period.
On Friday, the Bulldogs played the Grizzlies to a 2-2 tie in Victoria.
The Bulldogs led 2-1 after one, but the Grizzlies tied it 2-2 with a power play goal in the second. There was no scoring in the third period.
Tyger Howat played his first game as a Bulldog, stopping 35 of 37 shots. The team was also 1-3 on the power play.
The Bulldogs play a three-game road trip starting with Trail on Friday, Oct. 4, Penticton on Oct. 5 and Langley on Oct. 6.
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