For the Victoria Grizzlies, the only thing better than having Myles and Gerry Fitzgerald on the ice is having all three of the triplets terrorizing the opposition.
After three months on the injured list, Leo Fitzgerald is close to returning, and was a thrilled spectator on Saturday night, as the Grizzlies put an exclamation mark on first place in the B.C. Hockey League, defeating the Powell River Kings 3-1 at Bear Mountain Arena.
“It was a lot of battling,” Leo said, singling out the performance of goaltender Alec Dillon, who was outstanding.
“We’re the best team in the league right now. It feels unreal.”
The Grizzlies are now 26-9-3-2, and Powell River 25-9-2-2 in the scrum at at the top of the league.
With first place on the line, the teams set a blazing pace on Saturday, and a scoreless draw became a 1-1 tie quickly in the second period. Powell River’s JJ Coleshaw beat Dillon just 14 seconds in, and Brandon Egli answered for Victoria less than a minute later. With the man advantage, Gerry Fitzgerald, who scored twice in Friday’s 4-1 victory over Alberni Valley, put the Grizzlies up 2-1, at 7:42.
Barely into the third, Cole Pickup made it 3-1, blocking a shot, then going the distance to score on a breakaway. It was almost 4-1, but Myles Fitzgerald hit the post on a penalty shot.
The Kings pressured hard, but Dillon and the Grizzlies held tough, proving they deserve their top standing.
The return of Leo Fitzgerald will only add to the excitement.
“I’m just trying to [get] my skills back where they’re supposed to be, so when I’m back, I’m not a negative asset to my brothers,” Leo said.
That’s highly unlikely, given the sibling blend of skill, chemistry, vision and puck sense. And being brothers, they’re not afraid to take each other to task.
“We’re not scared to yell at each other.”
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