Weyerhaeuser Arena in the Alberni Valley Multiplex was vibrating Friday night (March 9) as a sold out crowd helped the Alberni Valley Bulldogs celebrate their 10th anniversary.
The Bulldogs and Cowichan Valley Capitals put on a scoring fest in the first period, with the Capitals getting on the scoreboard just 42 seconds into the game. The first period ended with Cowichan Valley up 5-3.
An announced crowd of 1,854 cheered on the Bulldogs, the majority of whom have never seen Weyerhaeuser Arena packed to the rafters. Minor hockey teams, school spirit teams and Bulldogs fans all raised the noise level in the Multiplex from the opening faceoff to the final buzzer.
"It was amazing," Bulldogs' assistant coach Adam Hayduk said during a post-game interview with play-by-play announcer Evan 'Hammer' Hammond on 93.3 The PEAK. "It was definitely something that was noticed. Just the buzz, the noise, the energy. Words can't describe it," he said.
While the Bulldogs didn't win the game (Cowichan did, 9-4), the team had some good news in the late announcement that the team extended head coach Kevin Willison and Hayduk's contracts for an extra year, through the 2012-13 season.