Victoria Grizzlies News

GRIZZLIES START YEAR WITH WIN

GRIZZLIES START YEAR WITH WIN

VICTORIA 4 NANAIMO 2

January 03, 2010 Sharie Epp ©Times Colonist -

Victoria goaltender Ryan Holfeld robbed Nanaimo Clippers captain Carson Schell on a breakaway, and Grizzlies rookie Wesley Myron scored shorthanded, all in the last minute of play yesterday night in Nanaimo.

In a wild finish, the Grizzlies defeated the Clippers 4-2 to keep pace with the Langley Chiefs in fourth place in the B.C. Hockey League Coastal Conference.

The Grizzlies (20-14-2-5) and Clippers (16-16-1-8) are at Bear Mountain Arena on Tuesday for a rematch, facing off at 7:15 p.m., in the second of four meetings between the rivals this month. A game on Jan. 20 at Bear Mountain has been added to the schedule, making up for one postponed in October, when the flu decimated most of the Victoria roster.

Last night’s game was the fourth for the Clippers since the Christmas break, while the Grizzlies were seeing their first action in two weeks.

“I don’t know how we’re going to respond,” Grizzlies coach Victor Gervais said at practice last week. “We’ve just got to come out and compete, and battle for 60 minutes.”

In the first period, the Grizzlies appeared ready to take advantage of a Nanaimo lineup missing five starters, including former Grizzlies Cody Bremner and Todd Gebert. Rookie defenceman Sam Grist took the puck from behind the net, spun a circle, and buried the puck over Nanaimo goaltender Rhys Hadfield for the game’s first goal at 13:54. Just over two minutes later, Dustin Mowrey finished off a pretty tic-tactoe play from Alex Allan and Madison Dias to give the Grizz a 2-0 lead, on five shots on net.

Nanaimo rebounded with the only goal of the second period, when Luc Olivier Blain scored at 1:11 on a power play. Bent on turning around a December record of one win and 10 losses, the Clippers kept coming, and Brayden Jaw tied the game on a two-onone rush at 4:59 of the third period.

With tempers flaring, both teams went hard to unlock the tie, and it was Joel Lowry who knocked in a rebound to net the winner at 16:05. From then on it was a frantic scramble, and Holfeld saved the day when he came far out of his net to poke-check the puck off the stick of a charging Schell.