The Alberni Valley Bulldogs put up a good fight against the hottest team in the BC Hockey League, but ultimately dropped the match in overtime.
The Surrey Eagles came to town on Saturday, Feb. 10 sitting at first place in the BCHL standings. The Eagles opened scoring on the powerplay early in the first period, but Bulldogs forward Brady McIsaac tied things up at the end of the first on a breakaway.
That set the stage for the rest of the game, which was a back and forth affair with the Eagles and Bulldogs exchanging leads in the second period. Bulldogs forward Hayden Stavroff picked up two goals on the night, while captain Nicholas Beneteau added another. Jacob Terpstra added one last goal for the Bulldogs in the third period to force the game to overtime, but the Eagles scored in overtime to take the game 6-5. Bulldogs goaltender Callum Tung saved 38 out of 44 shots on the night.
Next up, the Bulldogs will host the Langley Rivermen on Saturday, Feb. 17. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. This will be followed by a Family Day matinee against the Prince George Spruce Kings on Monday, Feb. 19, with puck drop set for 2 p.m. Tickets for both games can be purchased at the Alberni Valley Multiplex or online at www.albernivalleybulldogs.ca.
ICE CHIPS…The Bulldogs made a couple of moves ahead of the BCHL trade deadline on Saturday…The team added brothers Braxton Buckberger on offence and Ronan Buckberger on defence from the Nipawan Hawks in the SJHL…To make room for the brothers, the Bulldogs sent forward Jimmy Lyver to the Merritt Centennials in exchange for future considerations.