The Alberni Valley Bulldogs will be returning to the Dawg Pound after forcing a Game 6 in their BC Hockey League playoff series against the Surrey Eagles.
Down 3-1 against the Eagles, the Bulldogs faced elimination as they travelled to Surrey for Game 5 of the Coastal Conference Finals. It took an overtime period to decide the game, but the Bulldogs ultimately pulled off a 3-2 win to avoid elimination.
Brady McIsaac played the hero, as he scored at 17:51 of the first overtime period on Saturday night (May 11). McIsaac also opened the scoring all the way back at the 4:48 mark of the first period, when he scored on the powerplay.
The Eagles got the lone goal of the second period when Caden Cranston tied the game with his sixth of the postseason. Minutes later, the Bulldogs thought they had re-taken the lead, but officials ruled the whistle had blown in advance of the puck going in the net.
In the third period, the Bulldogs took the lead just seconds into the frame as Hayden Stavroff one-timed home his league-leading 11th of the postseason to put the Bulldogs up 2-1. But the celebration was short-lived, as Massimo Fazio of the Eagles evened things up just minutes later.
Goaltender Callum Tung stopped 45 of 47 shots in the dramatic win, while Eagles goaltender Jaiden Sharma stopped 23 of 26. Game 5 marked the third time in this series that the two teams have taken a game to overtime.
The Bulldogs will try to avoid elimination again with a win at home during Game 6 on Monday, May 13. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. The box office will open for in-person sales at 10 a.m., or tickets can be purchased online on the Bulldogs’ website at www.albernivalleybulldogs.ca.
