They’re going the distance.
The Victoria Grizzlies and Alberni Valley Bulldogs will meet up for the third time in three nights to determine an opponent for the awaiting Powell River Kings in the Island Division final of the B.C. Hockey League playoffs.
Visiting Victoria forced Game 7 — back at The Q Centre at 7:15 tonight — after pulling off a 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs at Weyerhaeuser Arena on Tuesday, fending off elimination for the second time as the best-of-seven series is knotted at 3-3.
Who will experience seventh heaven?
“It’s a good opportunity for us to come in and do it in our own barn now,” said Grizzlies head coach Craig Didmon. “If we can have success [today] it will platform us to doing great things.”
Momentum seems to be in the Grizzlies’ corner as they regained home-ice advantage, having won on the road for the first time in the series on Tuesday following a 9-2 shellacking at home on Monday.
“Having the night we had [Monday] and tonight we did all the little things right, so we’re feeling good and feeling confident and we feel like we’re back to how we’ve been playing all year,” added Didmon.
Victoria seems to have finally solved Bulldogs goaltender Connor LaCouvee as well, which may be a psychological advantage after the netminder had crawled under the Grizzlies’ skin.
Jaden Schmeisser opened the scoring Tuesday on a Victoria power play at 7:34 of the first period as he recorded a goal in his third straight game after missing Games 2 and 3.
Kurt Gosselin replied for the Bulldogs midway through the second period on a short-side shot that beat Nic Renyard. But goals 47 seconds apart from Mark McLellan and Jesse Schwartz, in the last two minutes of the middle stanza, gave Victoria a 3-1 advantage after 40 minutes.
“Game 7 would be unreal,” Grizzlies forward Leo Fitzgerald said prior to Game 6. “Winning in Alberni [his home town] would be amazing.
“We have to continue to be more desperate.”
Powell River won its series against the Nanaimo Clippers in five games, setting up the Island Division final which will start Friday in Victoria, should the Grizzlies win, or in Powell River if the Bulldogs move on.
IN THE DEN: Victoria lost Travis Stephens on a late hit from Bulldogs captain Tryg Strand who earned a major and game misconduct for the hit from behind, and will likely be suspended.
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