GRIZZLIES READY FOR A DOG FIGHT IN PLAYOFF OPENER

Winning is contagious — the Victoria Grizzlies have proven that over the last two B.C. Hockey League regular seasons in which they have ridden very respectable 33-13-0-10 and 37-15-3-3 records to back-to-back Island Division titles.

But it’s a league championship that the West Shore-based club wants, not just for the organization, but for the diehard fans who have stuck through the good times and the bad.

And or that reason the Grizzlies look to get the 2013-14 post-season started on the right foot. It all begins tonight at 7:15 at The Q Centre in the best-of-seven first-round series as Victoria attempts to avenge a second-round loss last year to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.

“The boys are so excited,” said Grizzlies head coach Craig Didmon. “It’s fun. Playoff hockey is fun and it’s why we play the game and why we coach the game.

“We’re going into battle now. We hope that we can do something that makes the city take notice. We have the tools to win four rounds, so that’s the goal. We’re going to try and be our best for the next two or two-and-a-half more months here.”

On paper, this matchup isn’t even close. But as they say, the game is played on a sheet of ice, not loose-leaf.

The Grizzlies, with 80 points, were 16 wins and 29 points better in the standings than Alberni Valley (21-28-2-7 for 51 points). Head-to-head, the Grizzlies also collected six wins, a loss and a tie against the Bulldogs, out-scoring the opponent 33-19 in the process.

Victoria had 19 wins at home, almost as many victories as Alberni had all season (21) and added another 18 on the road. The Bulldogs managed just six victories away from Weyerhaeuser Arena, but — if last year was an indication — will bring a strong fan base with them.

“It wasn’t easy for us securing first place in the division and home ice through the first two rounds,” said Grizzlies sniper Myles Fitzgerald, who had three points in Saturday’s regular-season finale to tie for the league lead in points scoring. “It’s really important for us, and not only us, but for our fans as well.

“It’s nice to see the fans back and they deserve to see some good hockey. We know the rink, we play well here so, obviously, it’s an advantage.”

But playing in Port Alberni also brings about joy for Fitzgerald and his triplet brothers Gerry and Leo, who hail from the area.

“It should be fun for me and my brothers, but they’re a hard-working team, so we can’t take them lightly,” said Myles, who along with his Grizzlies teammates were trumped 6-2 in Alberni just two weekends ago, the last time these two teams met. Victoria needs only to look at that last performance to understand how tough this will be, even though they do have more depth.

“You know what, we have to get them back, not only for that one, but for last year as well,” said Myles, recalling a 3-2 series loss to the 2013 Bulldogs, who will be just as excited for the post-season after securing the final post-season position with a 3-0 win Saturday over Powell River, which will be playing Nanaimo in the other divisional matchup.

The Bulldogs were excited to edge out the Cowichan Valley Capitals for the final Island Division playoff spot, but they know there’s plenty of work to be done yet.

:The real season starts now, and it’s great for the guys. They understand that we haven’t won anything yet, but it shows them what we can accomplish when we play together as a team,” Bulldogs assistant coach Adam Hayduk told Scott McKenzie of the Alberni Valley Times of the team’s 6-2-1 stretch drive.

“The guys have been doing such a great job of reducing turnovers and making smarter decisions and capitalizing when we need to get those big goals.”

Both teams will have to do their talking on the ice now, starting tonight and continuing with Game 2 on Wednesday in Victoria before the scene shifts to Alberni for Friday and Saturday.

LEADERS:

Victoria

• Myles Fitzgerald 27 goals and 83 points (tied for 1st overall in scoring)

• Gerry Fitzgerald 35 goals and 81 points

• Top defenceman: Brandon Egli 11 goals and 35 points

• Goalies: Nic Renyard 16-11-1 record, 2.71 GAA, .911 Sv Pct (10th overall in league); Alec Dillon 21-7-2 record, 2.76 GAA, .910 Sv Pct; 1 shutout (11th in league)

Alberni

• Justin Georgeson 19 goals and 53 points

• Hunter Stewart 47 points

• Top defenceman Darian Henry nine goals and 28 points

• Goalies: Connor LaCouvee 23-16-0 record; 2.76 GAA, .920 Sv Pct; 4 shutouts (12th in league); Nathan Warren 1-3 record, 3.36 GAA, .898 Sv Pct

POWELL RIVER VS. NANAIMO

Powell River: 36-16-2-4 78 pts (2nd division); 4-5-0-1 in last 10; 22-6-1-0 at home; 14-10-1-4 away

Nanaimo: 27-28-1-2 57 pts (3rd division); 4-5-0-1 in last 10; 14-14-0-1 at home; 13-14-1-1 away

• Head to head: Powell River 7W 1L 1OTL 36GF 24GA (one loss at home and one OTL on road)

Leaders:

Powell River

• Jarid Lukosevicius 26 goals and 59 points (tied for 15th overall)