Strat Cup, Game 1

Game 1 of our best-of-three Strat Cup championship started off with the Bulldogs' George Richardson recording three shots on Bowse Hutton in the opening two minutes. Shortly thereafter, Cyclone Taylor scored the first goal in playoff history -- just as he had scored the first regular-season goal at the beginning of the season -- to give the Vics a 1-0 lead. Later in the first, Fred "Steamer" Maxwell found the puck on his stick and buried it past Riley Hern to make it 2-0. It was a great moment for Maxwell, who was snakebitten during the regular season and failed to score a goal despite numerous quality chances. Early in the second, the Bulldogs closed to within a goal when Bruce Stuart beat Hutton. The Vics then hunkered down amidst a flurry of Bulldog shots, with Oliver Seibert and Tom Hooper in particular giving Hutton tough tests. By the third period, both teams had come up empty on multiple power plays, and the game seemed like it would go right down to the wire until Hobey Baker scored to make it 3-1 in favor of the Vics. That goal was the backbreaker, and even the continued strong play of Bruce Stuart failed to get the Dogs any closer. Marty Walsh scored a garbage goal late in the third to make it 4-1, and the Vics walked away with a Game 1 win. Next up, they'll travel to the Dogs' home to try to secure the championship.