The Alberni Valley Bulldogs split their first two games of the B.C. Hockey League Coastal Conference's semi-finals with the Chilliwack Chiefs on the weekend, dropping a 6-1 decision in Game 1 and coming back to win 4-1 in Game 2 on the road.
The Chiefs scored six unanswered goals in the first game before McCarthy Richardson buried one behind the Chiefs' goaltender at 17:10 of the third period. Brady Milburn scored the opening two goals for Chilliwack and picked up an assist for a three-point night at the Chilliwack Coliseum.
In Game 2, Cole Bishop scored twice on the power play including the winning goal to lead the Bulldogs to a 4-1 win. Jacob Terpstra scored one goal, an empty-netter, and picked up an assist on Bishop's second goal at 17:16 of the third period.
While the Bulldogs will be back on the Island for games 3 and 4, their "home" rink will be an hour away after an ammonia leak at the AV Multiplex last week. The failure of the rink's chiller melted the ice, forcing the relocation and closure of all other ice-based events in Port Alberni's only arena.
The Bulldogs announced on Wednesday, April 16 that their playoff series against the Chilliwack Chiefs will be temporarily relocated to Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo.
On Sunday, April 13, a technical issue was discovered with the Alberni Valley Multiplex ice plant, which is the refrigeration system responsible for creating and maintaining the ice surfaces in the facility. Out of an abundance of caution, the City of Port Alberni shut down the ice plant, closed the facility and called Fraser Valley Refrigeration, its certified contracted technician, to assess the system.
The city now says that a leak has been detected in the ice plant's chiller and the system has been taken out of operation.
With the Alberni Valley Bulldogs still in playoff contention, the loss of ice means that playoff games cannot be played on home ice. Instead, the Bulldogs have secured ice at the Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo and will continue their playoff run in that facility.
“We’ve built something special with this group, and our fans have been behind us every step of the way,” said Joe Martin, head coach and general manager of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. “Although we’re disappointed, we won’t be playing in Port Alberni, we’re committed to making the Frank Crane Arena feel like home — and we know our fans will help us bring that Bulldogs atmosphere to Nanaimo.”
The Bulldogs organization says it is working to ensure a "smooth transition" for fans, including extended box office hours, group ticket packages and transportation options that will help Bulldogs fans "fill the Frank" next week.
Games 3 and 4 will take place in Nanaimo on Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Nanaimo games can be purchased at the Alberni Valley Multiplex, online at www.albernivalleybulldogs.ca or at the Frank Crane Arena on game nights.
There will be a fan bus going to Nanaimo for the Island games: ask about availability at the Bulldogs' office, which is still open on game days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the AV Multiplex.
The box office at Frank Crane Arena (2300 Bowen Rd., Nanaimo) will be open game days starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are also available online at https://tickets.albernivalleybulldogs.ca/.
The series will switch back to the Chilliwack Coliseum on Saturday, April 26 for Game 6. The series will switch back to Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo on Sunday, April 27 for Game 7 if necessary.
The city says the exact cause of the chiller leak has not been discovered. The city is working with Fraser Valley Refrigeration and Technical Safety BC to determine next steps.
