A tired group of Alberni Valley Bulldogs took home ice on Sunday, Oct. 1 in their third straight game in three days, but they still managed to put up a second weekend win in front of the home crowd with an overtime win against the Langley Rivermen.
The ‘Dogs were also at home on Friday and put up their first Island rival win against the Nanaimo Clippers, 5-4. Goaltender John Hawthorne stopped 43 of 47 shots he faced in the game.
The Bulldogs suffered a tough 4-1 loss against the Powell River Kings on the road on Saturday, but were able to return home victorious on Sunday.
“By the time you get to the third game, you’ve got tired bodies,” said assistant coach Jeff Dubois after the game. “You just want to be on the right side of it at the end.”
The ‘Dogs started out strong on Sunday afternoon, taking a 3-1 lead into the locker room after the second period. But after a series of roughing penalties and 10-minute majors were handed out to both teams midway through the third, the Rivermen notched two in a row to tie things up.
Brandon Bergado netted the eventual 4-3 OT winner. Bergado also grabbed the first goal of the game. Hawthorne, who is undefeated in his BCHL career, stopped 36 of 39 shots.
“He’s kind of been our lucky charm,” laughed Dubois. “Friday night’s game, too, there were a lot of shots, a lot of scoring opportunities. He came out big for us both times.”
