In their first five B.C. Hockey League games of 2020, the Victoria Grizzlies (16-28) are 1-4 and have been outscored 30-10.
Brian Drewry / Times Colonist
JANUARY 11, 2020 10:30 PM
POWELL RIVER 3
VICTORIA 1
A woeful 2020 continued Saturday night for the Victoria Grizzlies.
After getting beat 8-1 by the Island Division-leading Cowichan Valley Capitals on Friday night, the Grizzlies’ response was nowhere to be found the next day as the young team was beaten 3-1 by the Powell River Kings in front of 1,205 fans at The Q Centre.
In their first five B.C. Hockey League games of 2020, the Grizzlies (16-28) are 1-4 and have been outscored 30-10.
And if Victoria had any chance of catching the Kings (21-21-2) for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Island Division, that all but ended Saturday.
The Grizzlies can still make the playoffs as the BCHL cross-over team by finishing ninth in the Coastal Conference, but trail the Prince George Spruce Kings by one point in the race to start the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Interior Conference.
The Kings owned the first two periods, despite giving the Grizzlies a five-minute power play when veteran Levi Glasman was ejected for a knee-on-knee hit on Henri Schreifels.
Michael Abgrall in the first period, and Jacob Badal and Ethan Schmunk in the second, put the Kings in control.
Grizzlies rookie Andrew Amousse gave the home team some much-needed life when he took a feed from fellow rookie Brendan Bowie and wired a wrist shot past Thomas Wardle with just three seconds left in the middle period.
And despite outshooting the Kings 25-4 in the final frame, Victoria’s lousy new year continues.
Wardle finished with 40 saves, while Liam Souliere made 26 stops in the Grizzlies’ net.
Next up for the Grizzlies is a home-and-home set with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs beginning Friday night in Port Alberni and finishing next Saturday night at The Q Centre.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Grizzlies were without injured forward Eddie Yan, who has been upgraded to day-to-day.
bdrewry@timescolonist.com
© 2020 Copyright Times Colonist
