Victoria, BC ~ The Victoria Grizzlies welcome the West Kelowna Warriors into town tonight from the Q Centre for their first and only meeting of the season.
The Grizzlies are coming off a weekend where they won one and lost one in overtime on the road in Surrey and then in Coquitlam. The loss in Coquitlam however was marred by a missed call that allowed the Express to score in the final four seconds on a puck that had never gone in. The Grizzlies look to put that frustration behind them and continue their strong play as of late. They are 6-1-2 in their last 9 and have not lost in regulation at home in over a month.
A large part of getting on track and finishing nights in the win column more often then not, has been getting somewhat healthy. There was a time for about a month where the Grizzlies just could not seem to catch a break with the injury bug, however as of now everything is inching it’s way towards 100%. Alternate captain Julian Cull and star rookie defenseman are still out of the lineup however having just two men out and feeling somewhat healthy just speaks to the injury struggles already this season.
Tonight will be an interesting test against a cross conference team that Victoria usually sees just once. Last year the Grizzlies were 3-2 victors over the Warrior at the BCHL Showcase in Seattle. The year before that Victoria dropped both of their meetings.
West Kelowna seems to have righted the ship on the ice as of late in what can only be described as a rocky start to their season both on and off the ice. Unfortunately the Warriors have felt the effects of the recent CHL and NCAA eligibility rules with a couple of key players departing. Those departures came at an inopportune time for a team that couldn’t seem to catch their stride as they currently sit 7th in the Interior Conference with a 8-9-4 record. They have however won two in a row against solid competition. The Warriors knocked off the Okotoks Oilers 5-0 last Saturday and then defeated the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in Alberni 4-2 on Wednesday evening.
Sam LeDrew has been a key contributor for the West Kelowna squad since coming over from the USHL. The 19 year old St. Lawrence commit has 10 goals and 16 points in 17 games.
Chase Pirtle has been simply splendid for the Grizzlies this season. Chase has 11 goals and 17 points in that span. Oliver Auyeung-Ashton has still yet to lose this year, holding a perfect 6-0-0 record with a 1.92 GAA and .938 SV% for some video game-ish numbers through 7 games. He is slated to get the nod for the Grizzlies this evening. Also watch out for Grizzlies 20 year old Swedish defenseman Oscar Pantzare who quietly has 5 points in his last 7 games.
Puck drop goes at 7:00 PM tonight and the evening is brought to you by Waterworks Irrigation who the Grizzlies thank for their support this season. It is also parents weekend at the Q Centre so Victoria hopes the added support of their families can spur them on.
