Victoria Grizzlies News

DEPLETED GRIZZLIES FALL TO CAPS

DEPLETED GRIZZLIES FALL TO CAPS

February 21, 2010 Sharie Epp ©Times Colonist - The Victoria Grizzlies and Cowichan Valley Capitals closed the door on the regular season in the B.C. Hockey League last night, and it was none too soon for the Grizzlies. With a clutch of key players watching from the stands, the Grizzlies lost 3-0 to the Caps at Bear Mountain Arena.

Victoria coach Victor Gervais, who watched the game from the press box, made the decision to sit several veterans following Friday’s game against the Powell River Kings.

“I didn’t want anybody else getting suspended or anybody getting hurt,” Gervais said.

The Grizzlies (34-18-2-6) thumped the River Kings 9-2 on Friday, but there were repercussions. A scrum at the Grizzlies net early in the second period sent tempers out of control, and goaltender Ryan Holfeld and defenceman Brad Pawlowski wound up with match penalties.

Holfeld was cited for hitting with his blocker, and Pawlowski got into an altercation at the Powell River bench. Both players will serve three-game suspensions, including the first two games of the Coastal Conference playoffs against the Nanaimo Clippers, next Friday and Saturday at Bear Mountain Arena.

“We’re already behind the eight ball on Friday,” Gervais said about the playoffs.

Yesterday, besides Holfeld and Pawlowski, the other spectators were Jordan Heywood, Dustin Mowrey, Alex Allan, Madison Dias, and Gregory Simpson.

Despite the good effort by four call-ups in the lineup, the Grizzlies weren’t a match for a basically full-strength Cowichan team, preparing to meet the Kings in the first round.

“You want to come out strong, you want to play 60 minutes, and you want to play your style,” said Capitals coach Dale Purinton. “We don't want to risk injury, but we don’t want to create any bad habits.”

Former Grizzlie Mike Hammond got things rolling for the visitors, scoring his 27th goal of the season on a power play at 5:11 of the first period. With Fernandes pulled to one side, Hammond whacked the puck into the open net. Brandon MacDonald made it 2-0, and Nicholas Wong, on another power play, beat Victoria goalie Colin Fernandes from the blueline, giving the Caps a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

“I just think we had no energy. It looked like guys weren’t ready to battle,” Gervais said, noting Cowichan goaltender Alexandre Peck didn’t see any hard shots. “They weren’t hungry enough to score.” Bear tracks:

Dallas Stars rookie sensation, and former Grizzlie Jamie Benn dropped the puck for a ceremonial opening face off. Benn spent the first period autographing pictures for a long lineup of fans.