In one of the largest games of the year, the ice hockey team fought hard in a 2-2 tie with rival Churchill.

The Bulldogs, now 7-1-1, remain one spot ahead of the 5-3-1 Vikings.

It was the two teams’ first match-up since a close 5-3 Churchill win in November.

“The last game we played them it was tied up until the last minutes of the third period,” forward Will Moss said. “We knew if we played as a team we could win.”

The most recent game started out close with neither team scoring in the first period. Then, Churchill’s Mark Weinstein snuck one past Viking goalie Matthew Derry.

Only one minute later, the Bulldogs took a penalty, giving the Vikings a chance to bounce back. The Vikes would capitalize as forward Douglass Bruchalski took advantage of a rebound and scored from the hash marks.

The game stayed even until the 7:41 mark of the third period, when forward Ben Barrett scored off a lost faceoff.

The team had control of the game until a crosschecking minor penalty gave Churchill a power play that they would convert on.

Overall it was a communal effort for the Vikings in one of their most competitive games of the season.

“We played as a team better than any other game this season,” Moss said.

The Vikings look to continue their fine play this Friday against Sherwood at the Rockville Ice Arena.