Saturday, September 12, 2015 – Submitted by Cleve Dheensaw / Times Colonist
Think of any asphalt cliché you want — road warriors to kings of the road — and the Victoria Grizzlies will have to be it to start the B.C. Hockey League season.
The Grizzlies are beginning the campaign as nomads, not appearing at The Q Centre until Oct. 1 because of the Mann Cup national lacrosse championship, and the Kraft Hockeyville NHL festivities surrounding the NHL exhibition game between the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks on Sept. 21.
The odyssey began with a short excursion without leaving the Island. The Grizzlies dipped over the Malahat on Friday night to open the season with a 3-2 loss against the Cowichan Valley Capitals at the Island Savings Centre, also known simply as the Stick.
Kade Kehoe’s short-handed goal made it 3-2 for Cowichan Valley at 2:51 of the third period and held up as the winner.
Goals by Matthew Hudie of Cowichan and Cole Pickup of Victoria had the first period deadlocked 1-1. Pickup’s second goal gave Victoria the lead early in a penalty-saturated second period before the Capitals leveled it 2-2 at 6:14 through former Grizzlies player Ayden MacDonald.
Matthew Galajda played in goal for the Grizzlies, while Storm Phaneuf from Gatineau, turning 20 later this year and with four years of experience in the Quebec Major Junior League, started for Cowichan Valley and was a difference maker.
Kehoe, Pickup and Phaneuf were named the game’s three stars.
The Grizzlies graduated their eight leading scorers from last season and there were concerns about offensive production heading into the opener. Pickup gave some promising indication in that regard but nobody else was able to break through for Victoria. Yet head coach Craig Didmon came away generally pleased, despite the result.
“We played well considering we had 15 new guys in the lineup playing their first game,” said Didmon, after the loss.
“We out-battled them in the third period. I also thought we controlled the game overall, but came up short.”
Meanwhile, head coach and GM Bob Beatty is trying to improve the Capitals from a 20-33-3 2014-15 season and is using a trio of former Grizzlies to help do it — MacDonald, Mitch Meek, Chris Harpur — along with captain and third-year BCHL veteran Osczevski from Martensville, Sask., who assisted on Kehoe’s winning goal.
The Grizzlies are in Nanaimo next Friday to take on the Clippers.
