Mario Annicchiarico / Times Colonist
Photo Credit: Kyle Robinson Photography
MARCH 10, 2017 10:37 PM
The team that went from worst to first in the Island Division of the B.C. Hockey League during the regular season will now play for the playoff divisional title.
The Victoria Grizzlies defeated the Nanaimo Clippers 4-2 before a crowd of 1,093 at The Q Centre to claim the opening best-of-seven B.C. Hockey League series 4-1 over their rivals and advance to face the Powell River Kings, starting Friday in Colwood.
Jake Stevens, winner of the league’s top defenceman award, took matters into his own hands as he provided the Grizzlies with a 3-0 lead, recording a natural hat-trick, with his first at even strength at 5:23 of the opening period and following that up with a power-play effort early in the second.
To add insult to injury, Stevens wristed one in while skating short-handed less than five minutes later and it stood 3-0 by the 8:06 mark of the middle period.
“I’ve never had a hat-trick, in any league. My first ever and it’s pretty cool to do it in that game and I’m just happy I was able to help the team win,” said Stevens. “I don’t know how it happened.
“The first one was a shot from the point that he [goalie Evan DeBrouwer] couldn’t see, the second one was a lucky one and the third one I just jumped up and managed to get it past him.”
Jake Harris finally got the Clippers on the scoreboard at 2:05 of the third period as he tucked a rebound by sprawling Grizzlies goaltender Matthew Galajda.
Spencer Hewson made it interesting with another Nanaimo power-play goal at 16:20 of the third, but the Grizzlies managed to fend off the Clippers with a late empty-net goal by Jamie Rome.
“We didn’t want to go up there on a Sunday night in a Game 6. That team, they played hard and smart. I thought Sean Buchanan (a Victoria product) had a great series for them and I’m sorry to see his junior career end, but that’s how it goes,” said Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon.
“I thought Stevens stepped up and matched him [Buchanan] for the series. He was their best defenceman and Stevens stepped up and added offence for us when we needed it.”
Didmon finally had some breathing room as the Grizzlies jumped out to the 3-0 lead.
“It was the first time we were up by more than one goal. That first one put us on the right path,” he said of Stevens’ early work.
Galajda made 25 saves and had a perfect game going until the third period when the Grizzlies might have got caught sitting back. DeBrouwer faced 36 shots.
Game 2 of the Island Division final will go a week from today at The Q Centre and the series is expected to take a 2-3-2 format, with Games 3, 4 and 5 in Powell River.
Elsewhere Friday, the Prince George Spruce Kings extended their series with Wenatchee to a sixth game thanks to a 3-1 win over the Wild in P.G.
