The Blackfalds Bulldogs rang in the new year with a commanding performance Friday night, overwhelming the visiting West Kelowna Warriors 5-1 in a game that could have easily ended in double digits had it not been for some heroic goaltending from Angelo Zol. The Bulldogs dictated play from the drop of the puck, pouring 37 shots on the Warriors’ net while limiting their opponents to just 28, and capitalizing on special teams to secure a well-earned two points in front of a raucous home crowd. Blackfalds set the tone early, jumping ahead on a shorthanded marker from Danny Hussa before Braydan Smith extended the lead later in the first period, sending the Bulldogs to the dressing room up 2-0 after outshooting West Kelowna 14-7. The Warriors showed more push in a scoreless second frame, buzzing at times and nearly cutting the deficit on a power-play chance that clanged off the iron, but netminder Carson Mertz stood tall to preserve the shutout bid heading into the third. Penalty trouble caught up with the Warriors in the final period, and the Bulldogs made them pay. Luke Dahlen buried a power-play goal to make it 3-0, and Blackfalds kept the foot on the gas with two more tallies to pull away. West Kelowna’s Philip Hagen finally solved Mertz late for his first of the season, spoiling the shutout, but the outcome was never in doubt. The game grew physical down the stretch, with emotions boiling over and several players hitting the showers early. Special teams proved decisive, as the Bulldogs went 2-for-5 on the man advantage while stifling a Warriors power play that finished 0-for-7. With the win, Blackfalds continues to build momentum in the early part of 2026, sending a clear message to the rest of the league.
Danny Hussa opens up the scoring for the Bulldogs on what appeared to be an impossible angle at 9:52 of the first period short handed with his fourth goal of the season. The assist on the goal went to Jared Langdon.–The Bulldogs wasted no time setting the tone, striking first with a shorthanded goal from Danny Hussa.
Braydan Smith scores his first goal of the season and first as a Bulldog at 18:31 of the first period to make it a 2-0 game. The assist on the goal went to Nicholas DiPaolo and Thomas Neu.–Blackfalds continued to apply pressure and doubled their lead later in the opening frame when Braydan Smith beat the Warriors’ netminder.
Shots on goal in the first period were 14-7 for the Bulldogs
Shots on goal in a scoreless second period were 10-5 for the Warriors
Luke Dahlen gets his league leading 22nd goal of the season on the Power Play to make it a 3-0 game for the Bulldogs. The assists on the goal went to Thomas Neu and Nikita Ivashchenko at 7:46 of the third period. All three of those Bulldogs involved with that goal will be at the all star game in a few weeks.
Danny Hussa scores his second goal of the night this time from the other side of the net as the last one to make it a 4-0 game for the Bulldogs at 8:20 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Antoine Gauthier and Jared Langdon.
Nikita Ivashchenko made it a 5-0 game for the Bulldogs scoring from the point at 11:49 of the third period while on the Power Play. The assist on the goal went to Noah Mertz who recently committed to go to school at Army.
Norwegian Phil Hagen scored his first goal of the season to break the shutout and get the Warriors on the board at 13:43 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to the Belarusian/Chechyn sounding named Swede Ruslan Jamaldanov and Concord, Massachusetts native Dylan Krayer.
Shots on goal in the third period were 18-11 for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs outshot the Warriors 37-28 in the game.
Carson Mertz made 27 saves on the 28 shots that he faced for the win for the Bulldogs. For the Warriors Angelo Zol stopped 32 of the 37 shots that he faced.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Danny Hussa 2) Carson Mertz 3) Luke Dahlen
Attendance in Blackfalds was 737
Bulldogs next game is Januarty 3rd Saturday against the Prince George Spruce Kings
