Mario Annicchiarico / Times Colonist
FEBRUARY 4, 2017 10:45 PM
VICTORIA 2
PENTICTON 1
With two of the top defensive teams in the B.C. Hockey League meeting up at The Q Centre on Saturday night, no one was expecting an offensive fireworks display.
It went very much according to plan, as the Victoria Grizzlies used a spectacular goal from Nathan Looysen, on a 3-on-3 situation in the second overtime, to edge the visiting Penticton Vees 2-1.
“I realized that the one guy was playing me and it was more of a 2-on-2 and he took my shot away,” said Looysen. “I dragged it to the middle, tried to out-wait the goalie and slide it in.”
It sounds simple enough, but Looysen, who committed to a scholarship from Brock Universitylast week, neglected to mention sliding the puck through his own legs after he toe-dragged it by the defenceman. He then patiently slid the puck along the ice by sprawled goalie Mat Robson at 1:50 of the second overtime.
Looysen sat for the first five-minute overtime session, which is played 4-on-4, before Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon threw him out for the second.
“Dids has been in this league a long time, he obviously knows what he’s doing. He went with a hunch and it worked out for us,” said a smiling Looysen.
It ended an extremely well played and fast game, with rushes from end-to-end through the first three periods, which took just two hours to play, and continued into the two extra sessions.
“He didn’t get out on the 4-on-4, there are a lot of weapons on that bench,” Didmon said of Looysen. “But I knew 3-on-3 he had to get out. You give him time and space, he’s going to find the net. That’s why he was brought in. He’s had a big week with his scholarship and good on him.”
The teams nearly went a full two scoreless periods before Duncan Campbell finally recorded the first goal of the game with 4.4 seconds remaining in the second for the visiting Vees. Jamie Rome then tied it for the Grizzlies at 13:34 of the third period before the OT heroics.
Matthew Galajda made 31 saves for Victoria, which improves to 33-10-3-4 in the standings while Robson stopped 30 for Penticton, which is now 33-13-1-1.
