The Victoria Grizzlies continued their inexplicable level of road success on the weekend by gaining three of a possible four points.
On Friday night Myles Fitzgerald, Matt Martin and Garrett Forster all scored for the Grizzlies, as the league's hottest team for the past month earned a hard fought 3-2 victory in front of goalie Nic Renyard.
Victoria coach Bill Bestwick was ecstatic with the win.
“I love my team right now,” said the veteran bench boss. “Nic Renyard was excellent in net, and it was a huge win.”
The win solidified the team's lock on second place in the BCHL.
On Saturday night the Powell River Kings, the league's first place team and perennial regular season juggernaut, awaited the Victoria squad.
When all was said and done, the score ended 1-1.
Garrett Forster, with his 7th goal in six games since being signed by the Grizz in early November, score the game tying goal with 39 seconds remaining to give the Grizzlies the tie.
Alec Dillon, the 17 year old rookie, got the tie for the Grizz.
Incredibly, the Grizzlies have been saddled by a heavy amount of attrition during their most successful period in years, with up to half a dozen out of the lineup on any given night.
Bestwick says that the team's ability to succeed despite tough circumstances is very rewarding for him as a coach.
“We are obviously very proud of the young men in our room who continue to represent our program with great effort and determination.”
RANKINGS SUCCESS
The Grizzlies entered into Canadian junior hockey talk with an honorable mention in the CJHL's top twenty rankings and are certain to gain consideration to crack the top 20 this week.
DYNAMIC DUO
When teams are winning, individual accolades begin to flow in. No position gains as much attention throughout the course of a hot streak. Alec Dillon has committed to RPI in the NCAA division 1 ranks, and Nic Renyard is beginning to prove himself as a division 1 scholarship candidate.
