Alberni Valley doubled the Warriors 4-2 Saturday

Photo: Wayne Moore

The Alberni Valley Bulldogs erased a 2-0 deficit with four unanswered goals, skating to a 4-2 victory over the West Kelowna Warriors Saturday at Royal LePage Place.

Trailing 2-0 and being badly outplayed, the Bulldogs drew even with nearly identical goals 75 seconds apart past the midway point of the first.

Nicholas Beneteau tipped home a point shot on a power play to cut the deficit to one, then a minute 15 seconds later Matt Kursonis deflected a point shot past Angelo Zol to even the score at 2-2.

Cam VanSickle scored what proved to be the winner seven minutes into the second. He found himself all alone in front of Zol, waited and deked to the backhand to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the night.

They iced it into an empty net.

The Warriors, embarrassed 11-2 in Penticton Friday, came out like gangbusters, forced the Bulldogs into early penalty trouble and took advantage.

Chris Duclair opened the scoring with a one-timer from the slot with Bulldogs netminder Hobie Hedquist down and out at the side of the net.

Hedquist has made two spectacular saves just prior to the goal and appeared to have the puck covered with his pad at the side of the net. The Warriors managed to it and work it to the front of the net where Duclair was stationed.

The Bulldogs' protests that the play should have been blown dead were dismissed by the officials.

Minutes later on another power play Riley Sharun buried his first of the season off a rebound again after Hedquist made a few big saves to keep the Warriors at bay.

West Kelowna held a 14-1 shots advantage by the midway point of the period, but an Alberni power play goal turned the game completely around.

"The first 13 minutes were really good. We outplayed them, the shots were 14-1 and then we thought it was going to be easy and doing things that aren't in our DNA," said head coach Simon Ferguson.

"That creates energy for them, creates penalties for us and allows us to score on the power play.

"Second period we came out flat in my opinion. The third period, we outplayed them, we carried the puck, did the things we are supposed to do, we just didn't score a goal."

The Warriors had several chances to get the equalizer with the man advantage. They opened the third period with 1:44 of power play time and drew two more penalties shortly thereafter but didn't generate many good looks.

When they did get a good scoring chance, Hedquist was equal to the task.

The Warriors, who had been averaging nearly 4.5 goals a game have average just over 2-and-a-half a game over the course of their three game losing streak.

"It's not playing the right way. There are ways to score and ways you think you are going to score.

"We started doing things we thought were going to create opportunities but all they do is create opportunities for the other team."

The Warriors head north for a pair of key games in Prince George next Friday and Saturday.

The teams are deadlocked for second in the Interior Division with 26 points apiece. The Warriors have played one fewer game.