Caps fall to Bulldogs in season finale

Kevin Rothbauer, The Citizen
February 27th, 2008

The Cowichan Valley Capitals were hoping to end their disappointing British Columbia Hockey League season on a positive note last Friday, and a home game against the Coastal Conference's worst team, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, seemed like just the way to do it.

The Caps got off to a strong start, getting quick goals from Nick Anderson and Alex Gellert to take what looked like a promising 2-0 lead. The Bulldogs got on the board with a powerplay marker late in the first, then scored twice in the third to edge the Caps 3-2.

"If it could go wrong, it did," said Caps head coach Scott Robinson. "We dominated play. We dominated the shot clock. But their goalie had a good night, and they had a couple of opportunities in the third that went against us. Nine times out of 10 you win that game when you play the way we did. It was a difficult end to a difficult season."

Cowichan's Kiefer Smiley stopped 19 of 22 shots on goal, while Harrison May made 44 saves in the Bulldogs net.

"In the end, we got what we earned," said Robinson. "No more and no less."

With the loss, the Caps finished a game below .500, with a final record of 27 wins, 28 losses, two ties and three overtime losses, four points out of the final Coastal Conference playoff spot. They'll now begin a long, challenging off-season, where the goal is to add strength and size to go along with the experience earned this year by a rookie-laden lineup. All of the players have been given a two-stage conditioning plan. The first stage will take them to the Caps' spring camp in late April, when they will all check in with their progress. The second phase will last the remainder of the off-season, through to the main training camp that commences in August.

"Nobody was happy with the season we had," said Robinson. "We have to do what we can to make sure that it doesn't happen again. I'm confident we're better for having been through what was at times a difficult run."

The Caps struggled to find the net after dealing away leading scorer Clinton Pettapiece at the trade deadline. The Caps received Gellert in the deal, as well as future considerations that will be finalized later in the off-season.

"It was a difficult situation, and it wasn't our plan to not make the playoffs, but to make the team better, and sometimes you have to go through real pain to make that happen."

The only players guaranteed not to return to the Capitals next season are defenceman Corbin McPherson and winger Bryce Reddick, both of whom have accepted college scholarships beginning next fall. Willie Coetzee and Spencer Edwards are likely to return to the Western Hockey League, as they were on loan this year from the Red Deer Rebels. As for the rest of this year's roster, it remains to be seen who will be brought back in September. Part of that hinges on how some past deals pan out.

The Caps owe and are owed future considerations to finalize several deals made this season, and all futures are due by the RBC Royal Bank Cup, the national junior A championship, which runs May 3-11 in Cornwall, Ont.