This was a hard game to watch. The team looked so good at training camp and in the Black and White game. It does not look like the same guys since they started playing games with. The Saints aren’t even that good compared to other teams in the league. The only thing they really have for them this season is praying the Bulldogs keep playing as bad as they do. In the whole preseason and the first two games the Bulldogs are lucky if they have played about 2 periods of hockey that is watchable.
The Bulldogs got a penalty just 16 seconds into the game. Josh Polak scored for the Saints of the post and in to make it 1-0 on the Power Play. The assist on the goal went to Ryan Johnstone.
Austin Peters who played for the Chilliwack Chiefs last season made it a 2-0 game for the Saints at 15:00 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Max Seguin and Josh Polak. There was a huge scramble in front of the net for a long time. Instead of clearing the puck or hitting one of the guys the Bulldogs stood there and watched like the fans in the stands. A Pee Wee House player wouldn’t of been allowed that much time to stand there to score that goal. I think it was about 4 shots they were allowed to pull off.
Shots on goal in the first period were 11-7 for the Saints.
Owen Leckelt scored the Saints 3rd goal of the game just 26 seconds into the second period. The whole Bulldogs team stood there and watched him score it too. Keifer Miller got the assist on the goal. Horrible clearing attempt by the Bulldogs.
Gabriel Kenny made it a 4-0 game on the Power Play. Brody Juck and Josh Polak were credited the assists. I felt bad for this goal as not only could most fans see the puck slowly trickling in, you could also view it slowly trickle in on the Jumbo screen. Christensen had no idea where it was, but I don’t think anyone on the ice including the Saints did either. Just a slow motion trickle of the puck over the line.
Stephen Kirkpatrick scored to make the game 5-0 on the Power Play at 13:25 of the second frame. The assist on the goal went to Ashton Hutchinson.
Ryan Johnstone made the game 6-0 when he scored an unassisted goal at 17:07 of the second period. I mean if you want to get technical it was assisted. A Bulldog player was the last man and he tried to plow through 2 players like he is Eric Lindros. One problem, he isn’t Eric Lindros, and they easily stripped the puck (probably laughing when they did it too)
Shots on goal in the second period were 14-12 for the Saints.
Ryan Castle finally got the Bulldogs on the board at 5:47 of the third period. Assists on the goal to Lucas McDonald and Alexander Dimitriadis.
Colin Doherty made it 7-1 at 11:16 of the third period when he was standing behind Esche. The assist on the goal went to Stephen Kirkpatrick. Doherty was standing right on the goal line Bulldogs watched him. The guys 5’9 he should not be able to stand there like that.
Shane Purves got his second goal of the season at 15:20 of the third period. The assist on the goal went to Harper Woods, Michigan native Nate Schaefer. Saint’s goalie Miceli did one of his very few gafs of the game there and the Bulldogs actually capitalized on it.
Shots on goal in the third period were 14-9 for the Saints. The Saints outshot the Bulldogs in the game 39-28
Xander Miceli made 26 saves on the 28 shots that he faced for the win for the Saints. For the Bulldogs Mikkel Christensen made 14 saves on the 18 shots that he faced until being relieved after the Saints 4th goal. Waylon Esche went in for the Bulldogs and made 18 saves on the 21 shots that he faced.
Attendance in Blackfalds was 612
Bulldogs next game is at home on Saturday against the Penticton Vees.
