The Alberni Valley Bulldogs treated their fans to an exciting shootout win during their final home game of the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 24.
The Bulldogs ended the season with a 3-2 win against the visiting Powell River Kings, with Bulldogs goaltender John Hawthorne making 39 saves.
Powell River opened the scoring 6:17 into the second period with an unassisted goal by forward Deepkaran Hans. The Bulldogs answered back with a powerplay goal by Josh Zary at 12:24, assisted by Michael Hodge and Aaron Bohlinger, but Powell River took the lead once again before the end of the second.
Alberni Valley was the only team that scored in the third, with Austin Spiridakis netting a goal assisted by Keaton Mastrodonato and Bohlinger, and the game went to overtime. A five-minute overtime period featured three penalties, but no goals from either team. The game was ultimately decided in a shootout, with both Bohlinger and Dawson Tritt scoring for the Bulldogs, and Hawthorne saving both shots he faced to take the win.
For the second year in a row, the Bulldogs will be facing the Victoria Grizzlies in the first round of the BCHL playoffs. The games start in Victoria this weekend, and the Bulldogs will host the Grizzlies for Game 3 on Tuesday, March 5. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the Bulldogs office or online at tickets.albernivalleybulldogs.ca.
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