Saturday, September 5, 2015 – Submitted by Mario Annicchiarico / Times Colonist
Following in the footsteps of older brother Jake Stirling, Brett Stirling is settling into his role as a rookie defenceman with the Victoria Grizzlies.
The six-foot-two, 205-pound blue-liner took to the ice in the team’s final pre-season game, a 7-2 win against the visiting Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Saturday night at Westhills Arena. Brayden Gelsinger, Nick Guiney, Kevin Massy, Drayson Pears, Joey Visconti, P.J. Conlon and Mitchell Barker scored for the Grizzlies.
The two teams had played to a 1-1 double-overtime draw the previous night in Port Alberni.
As for Brett Stirling, the Aurora, Ont., native is looking forward to the start of the regular season on Friday in Duncan against the Cowichan Valley Capitals after two championship seasons with Salisbury prep school in New England. “We’re starting to get structure in place and things are starting to click,” he said of the Grizzlies. “I’m just trying to do the best I can and hopefully get something done with a scholarship down in the States.”
Brett played a season with Jake at St. Andrew’s College in Ontario in 2012-13 before the younger sibling headed south and Jake headed west for half a season with Victoria. “He was a big influence on me coming here. I did my own research, but I definitely talked to him and got his opinion. He had only great things to say,” Brett sad of Jake, who is now out of hockey and enrolled at the University of Guelph.
Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon is glad Brett took the same route.
“He’s a big kid and he’s mobile. We haven’t seen anything that he doesn’t do well,” Didmon said of Brett. “The big thing for him and us is to keep him confident and have him realize that he can be an impact defenceman.
“He can be that type of player now. He’s getting some power-play time, he’s killing some penalties, so he’s a big player for us,” Didmon added of Stirling, who turns 19 in December.
The intention was for Stirling to team up on defence with veteran Cody Van Lierop, who is temporarily out of the lineup due to an injury sustained Friday.
Stirling is also a physical presence, which should go a long way to grabbing the attention of NCAA scouts. “My physicality is a big part of my game and I try to finish checks on everyone when I can. Just play hard in general,” he said.
