The Spruce Grove Saints edged out the Blackfalds Bulldogs 3-2 in a tightly contested BCHL matchup last night (February 6, 2026) at Eagle Builders Centre, despite being thoroughly outplayed for much of the game. The Bulldogs dominated possession and shot volume, outshooting Spruce Grove by a wide margin overall (34-21) and piling up around 30 shots through the first half of the contest before their pace cooled off in the later stages. Goaltender Joseph Quintilio was the standout for the Saints, turning aside 32 of 34 shots to steal the win and extend their streak to three games. Blackfalds struck first in the second period via Nikita Ivashchenko, but Spruce Grove answered almost immediately through Felix Haibock. The Bulldogs regained the lead early in the third on a power-play tally from Luke Dahlen, yet the Saints’ Declan Waddick notched what proved to be the game-winner later in the frame—though all three Spruce Grove goals had a somewhat fluky, opportunistic quality amid the heavy pressure. Their quick responses and a key power-play conversion ultimately made the difference in a game that stayed nail-biting until the end.
Shots on goal in the first period were 12-7 for the Bulldogs.
Nikita Ivashchenko scores his 21st goal of the season to make it a 1-0 game at 1:24 of the second period with the assist on the goal going to Alex Bosland–Blackfalds struck first at 1:24 when Nikita Ivashchenko finished off a play set up by Alex Bosland, giving the Bulldogs an early spark
Felix Haibock who seemed to spend most of the game yelling at the refs every call evened the game up for the Saints moments later at 2:09 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to James Richards and Tre Peck. A fluky trickler to top off it of too The Saints answered almost immediately, needing just 45 seconds to respond. Felix Haibock buried the equalizer off feeds from James Richards and Tre Peck, swinging momentum back to the visitors.
Luke Dahlen made it a 2-1 game on the Power Play at 3:17 of the second period. The assist on the goal went to Joey Melo.–Blackfalds reclaimed the lead at 3:17 on the power play as Luke Dahlen converted with the man advantage, capitalizing on a setup from Joey Melo.
Alexy Lachaine tied the game up for the Saints at 11:27 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to Spencer Rheamue and Adam Perron.–Spruce Grove struck again late in the frame. At 11:27, Alexy Lachaine finished a well-worked offensive sequence, with Spencer Rheaume and Adam Perron collecting assists, tying the game 2–2 after two periods.
Shots on goal in the second period were 18-7 for the Bulldogs
Declan Waddick got the winner for the Saints at 2:17 of the third period while on the Power Play. The assists on the goal went to Junior Podein and Josh Polak.–The horseshoe turning point arrived early in the third period. During a Spruce Grove power play at 2:17, Declan Waddick lit the lamp, thanks to assists from Junior Podein and Josh Polak, putting the Saints ahead for the first time that night. After that, Spruce Grove tightened up on defense, held firm, and shut down any late push from Blackfalds to secure the lead.
Shots on goal in the third period were 7-5 for the Saints. The Bulldogs outshot the Saints 35-21 in the game.
Joseph Quintillo made 32 saves on the 34 shots that he faced for the win for the Saints. For the Bulldogs Carson Mertz made 18 saves on the 21 shots that he faced.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Declan Waddick 2) Luke Dahlen 3) Joseph Quintillio
Attendance in Blackfalds was 792
Bulldogs next game is Saturday November 7th against the Vernon Vipers in Blackfalds.
