Even with their first-round playoff matchup already decided, the Cowichan Valley Capitals still had something to prove in their final regular-season home game of the 2018-19 B.C. Hockey League season.
The Caps weren’t going to go out quietly, beating the Alberni Valley Bulldogs 3-2 on Saturday night, even though the game had no impact on the final standings.
The teams went into the third period tied at 1-1. Just past the five-minute mark, Cruz Cote put the Caps ahead with a powerplay goal, but the Bulldogs responded just 12 seconds later to tie things once again. Brady Lynn’s goal at 11:04 of the third, however, stood up as the winner.
Dimitri Mikrogiannakis had the Caps’ first-period goal, also on the powerplay. Jack Grant made 17 saves on the Cowichan net as his teammates outshot the Bulldogs 38-19.
The spirited affair included a pair of fights as Cowichan’s Adam Conquest squared off with Alberni’s Isaac Tonkin-Palmer — a product of the Kerry Park Minor Hockey Association — in the second period, and Capitals blueliner Timber Lewis traded punches with Alberni’s Ryan Novecosky in the third.
It was announced during the third period of Saturday’s game that the Penticton Vees had won their game against Salmon Arm, clinching first place in the Interior Division and a first-round showdown with the Caps. The Caps will host the Vees on March 5 and 6.
The Caps have one final road game left in the regular season as they visit the Victoria Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon. The Grizzlies have already clinched first place in the Island Division and a first-round series against the Bulldogs.
