Bulldogs 4 Canucks 1
The first sellout of a seven-game homestand at the Eagle Builders Centre featured screaming young hockey fans, watching some of their own play in Alberta Junior Hockey League for the Blackfalds Bulldogs.
On a night when the Bulldogs were celebrating minor hockey, plenty of local minor hockey products did the damage.
Deegan Mofford and Tye Carriere, both former Red Deer U18AAA Optimist Chiefs had a pair of goals in the 4-1 victory over the Calgary Canucks and Bulldogs captain Brett Meerman, a Blackfalds native chipped in a pair of assists.
“It was pretty cool, I know a lot of the kids because they’re in the same neighbourhood as me, it’s pretty cool looking around the rink and seeing a lot of familiar faces,” Meerman said.
Meerman, 19, is thriving with his hometown club, with 37 points in 39 games so far this season.
“It’s pretty crazy, pretty surreal,” he said.
It was Mofford who opened the scoring on the power play, in just his second game with the Bulldogs. Meerman found him with a great spin-o-rama backhand pass to open up a 1-0 lead.
“I didn’t even really look. I played with him a lot in midget and he scored a lot of similar goals to that, I knew he’d be there so I just kinda threw it out there and luckily it hit his stick,” Meerman said post-game.
Mofford joined the Bulldogs from the British Columbia Junior A Hockey League, where he played four games with the Merrit Centennials. The 20-year-old Rocky Mountain House product also played 24 games in the 2019-20 season with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Warriors.
“It’s pretty good, he’s a real good shooter and he helps the power play out a lot. It’s good to have him,” Meerman said of his former midget teammate, as the two played under current head coach Doug Quinn for two seasons with the Optimist Chiefs.
Meerman was in the Bulldogs’ second goal as well, after a turnover at the Canucks blueline he made a great feed to Jason Siedem, who also added an empty-net goal shorthanded in the third.
Blackfalds dominated possession for much of the second period and into the third before opening up the lead at 7:13 of the final frame.
Carriere added to the cushion on a nice individual effort, a backhand that slipped past Mills.
Bulldogs starter Lucas Massie finished the night with 22 saves and earned the victory for the home side.
With the win, the Bulldogs moved to 15-23-1 on the AJHL season. They’ll play their next six games at the Eagles Builders Centre in Blackfalds.
