Two of the Coastal Conference's hottest clubs continued their winning ways on Wednesday, as the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and Langley Chiefs added to already-impressive winning streaks to round out the 2009 portion of their seasons.
In Alberni Valley, the Bulldogs recorded their seventh consecutive victory — and their third straight over Cowichan Valley — with a 4-2 triumph over their Vancouver Island rivals.
Matt Hatch opened the scoring for the home side early in the middle frame following a scoreless first period. His goal was closely followed by one from teammate David Dziurzynski as the Bulldogs took a two-goal lead into intermission.
Chris Daniels put the Capitals on the board just 31 seconds into the third period, but a pair of goals from Warren Muir — including an empty netter with 40 seconds remaining — salted away the win for Alberni Valley.
In Langley, Colton Beck helped the Chiefs inched into a tie for fourth place in the conference with their sixth straight win. Beck netted a hat trick that included the game winner midway through the second period, bringing his goal total on the season to 27.
Kevin Tuohy had given Langley a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes with a power-play effort in the first. Beck then scored twice in 55 seconds to put his team up three and put the game out of reach. Luc Olivier Blain and Mac Roy traded goals later in the second period, and Blain and Beck did the same in the third.
Mark Friesen was solid in net for the Chiefs, turning aside 25 shots while picking up the win. Loic Boivin took the loss, giving way to Rhys Hadfield after Beck's 3-0 goal.
There are a pair of Coastal Conference game on tap to kick off New Year's Eve, as the Burnaby Express host Surrey at 5:00 PM and Nanaimo concludes their three-game road trip with a visit to Powell River at 5:30 PM. Catch all the action love on BCHL Web TV.
