There are few certainties heading into any junior hockey season, but it's fair to say that the Powell River Kings and Alberni Valley Bulldogs represented two of the BCHL's more intriguing question marks when the season kicked off three weeks ago.
The defending Coastal Conference champion Kings were coming off a stellar season but graduated four All-Star forwards who accounted for 348 points in 2008/09 and had to replace the loss of an impact goaltender. But it's been a case of so far, so good for Powell River, who has compiled a 5-3-0-1 record and has seemingly found suitable understudies for their departed stars in the trio of Andrew Pettitt, Jordan Grant and Chad Niddery.
In Alberni Valley, the Bulldogs reshuffled the deck following a 16-36-1-7 season that saw the club miss out on a playoff berth. Incoming head coach and general manager Nolan Graham brought experience from a winning culture in Nanaimo and immediately revamped a lineup that was missing a surplus of impact players. The results so far have been impressive, particularly on home ice where the Bulldogs have won four consecutive games.
Friday's game in Alberni Valley presents an opportunity for the Bulldogs to repay Powell River for a 9-1 season opening loss on the Sunshine Coast. In goal, Bulldogs' first-year starter Frank Slubowski boasts an impressive 2.24 GAA/.924 SV% combo and is riding high following four consecutive home victories.
