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Cowichan Capitals fall to 0-2 against Bulldogs

Bidewell makes 38 saves as Caps drop Game 2 in Port Alberni
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Cowichan goaltender McCoy Bidewell makes a save on Bulldogs forward Chase Klassen during Game 2 of the BCHL’s Coastal Conference quarter-final playoff series on Saturday, April 2. (Elena Rardon/Black Press)

McCoy Bidewell turned aside 38 of the 40 shots he faced on Saturday night, but the Cowichan Valley Capitals still fell 3-1 to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs as the ‘Dogs took a 2-0 lead in the teams’ B.C. Hockey League playoff series.

The Caps generated just 12 shots against Alberni netminder Hobie Hedquist. The Bulldogs nearly doubled that in the third period alone as they fired 20 pucks at Bidewell and one into an empty net.

The Bulldogs scored once in the first period and once in the second before Massimo Sarantos Lombardi gave the Caps some hope when he found the back of the net with just under seven minutes left in the third. Alberni added an empty-netter with 1:07 left to play.

Sarantos Lombardi now has three goals in two playoff games for Cowichan.

One bright spot for the Caps was their penalty kill, which killed off seven of eight shorthanded situations. The Caps went scoreless in their lone playoff opportunity.

Cowichan was playing without captain Brett Fudger, who was serving the first game of a five-game suspension he incurred for a blow to the head of an Alberni player. Fudger was previously suspended four times during the regular season for a total of nine games.

The Caps and Bulldogs will continue the best-of-four series on Tuesday and Wednesday when they meet at the Cowichan Arena. Both games begin at 7 p.m.