Friday, September 18, 2015 – Submitted by Mario Annicchiarico / Times Colonist
It was too little, too late for the Victoria Grizzlies, who dropped a 4-2 decision to the Nanaimo Clippers in B.C. Hockey League play at Frank Crane Arena on Friday night.
Down 3-0 early in the third period and badly outshot, the offence finally came to life to give goaltender Matthew Galajda some offensive support.
Cole Pickup, with his third goal of the young season seven minutes into the third period, and Alex Peck (with Galajda pulled for an extra attacker) closed it to 3-2 with 1:04 left before Spencer Hewson iced it with an empty-netter with six seconds to play.
“We had a tough second period where we relied on skill rather than work ethic,” Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon said of the 20 minutes in which they were outshot 19-4.
They also surrendered goals in the first minute of both the second and third periods, which affected the result.
“Two critical stages of the game where we weren’t ready to play and that was the difference. It’s a fine line and the guys have to learn that,” said Didmon, whose team fell behind 3-0 on that third-period power-play marker by Sheldon Rempal.
Matthew Hoover had the second-period goal after Brendan Shane opened the scoring midway through the first.
The Grizzlies fall to 0-2 and head to Port Alberni tonight to face the 0-1 Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Nanaimo improved to 2-1 with the win in just the second weekend of play.
Pickup hit the post on a breakaway late in the second, trailing 2-0, and the Grizzlies also rapped the crossbar in the third.
Victoria’s Brayden Gelsinger had a pair of assists in the late starting game as the Clippers presented their 2014-15 Island Division championship banner to their fans.
Galajda made 38 saves, while Jonathan Reinhart stopped 24 for Nanaimo. The shots were 30-13 after two periods.
Both teams were 1-for-5 on the power play as Pickup’s goal came on a 5-on-3 advantage.
