January 11, 2016 04:48 AM
VICTORIA 5
LANGLEY 0
Brayden Gelsinger and the Victoria Grizzlies stayed red hot Sunday, picking up another win to stay perfect in 2016.
Thanks to Gelsinger’s 17th and 18th goals of the season — giving him five in his last two games — the Grizzlies cruised to a 5-0 win over the visiting Langley Rivermen at The Q Centre.
After a scoreless first period, Grizzlies captain P.J. Conlon opened the scoring just 1:38 into the second when he buried a nice feed from Cole Pickup. Then Gelsinger struck for two as the 20-year-old, who just accepted a scholarship to Lake Superior State of the NCAA, moved into a tie for 12th in league scoring with 48 points.
Jared Virtanen and Mitch Barker finished the scoring with late power-play goals after Langley’s Matt Graham was given a five-minute major for a blow to the head of Grizzlies defenceman Chuck Bennis.
Grizzlies forward Tyler Welsh finished with three assists, while Matthew Galajda stopped 22 shots for his third shutout of the season. Galajda (14-14-0-0) is now fourth among BCHL goalies with a 2.33 goals-against average.
The Grizzlies are now 2-0 in 2016 and improved their overall record to 16-20-4-0 on the season, three points ahead of Alberni Valley in the battle for the final playoff spot in the Island Division. The Bulldogs beat the Powell River Kings 6-1 in Port Alberni on Sunday.
Victoria now hits the road for four games beginning Tuesday night in Duncan against the Cowichan Valley Capitals. Then it’s up to Prince George for a Friday night tilt with the Spruce Kings, before taking on Chilliwack on Saturday and Surrey on Sunday.
LOOSE PUCKS: The BCHL trade deadline came and went Sunday night with Grizzlies GM/coach Craig Didmon just making one “depth move.” Didmon acquired 19-year-old centre Braeden Cross from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s OCN Blizzard for future considerations. Cross had two goals and eight assists in 10 games for the Blizzard. He started the season in the Saskatchewan junior league and had seven points in 20 games for the Nipawin Hawks.
