They say there’s nothing worse in hockey than a two-goal lead. Well, a three-goal advantage apparently is even more unpleasant.
The Victoria Grizzlies will attest to that, gassing that well earned first-period advantage and dropping a disheartening 5-4 double overtime result against the visiting West Kelowna Warriors in B.C. Hockey League play on Friday at Bear Mountain Arena.
Jason Cotton scored at 2:30 of the second extra frame to end it after the referee looked like he was going to call a penalty shot the other way.
Undisciplined and sloppy penalties continue to cost the Grizzlies, who have now lost three of four outings.
A too many men on the ice penalty just 34 seconds in became a little more forgiving when Grizzlies’ captain Mark McLellan provided a short-handed effort 1:11 in.
Gerry Fitzgerald added a power-play goal shortly after at 7:42 before Garrett Forster fired his wrister off the goalpost and in at 15:33 and Victoria took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.
That’s when the trouble began as a satisfied looking group took a series of penalties in the second and the tide quickly turned.
Jordan Masters bagged a power-play goal at 3:21 of the period before Tyson Dallman added a second on the man advantage at 6:31. Just 25 seconds later Liam Blackburn knotted it up at 3-3 as the Grizzlies came out way too comfortable to start the middle frame.
Chris Albertini took a double minor for high sticking and Jaden Schmeisser was fingered for a cross check in the first 4:43 of the second to create havoc.
The Warriors made it 4-3 at 6:39 of the third as Reid Simmonds jumped on a rebound and buried it by Alec Dillon just after a Brandon Egli tripping penalty had ended. But Schmeisser, a former Warrior, tied it for Victoria 59 seconds later.
“Especially at the end of games, it seems like we’ve been taking some penalties. It cost us a bit in the Powell River game [a recent 5-2 loss],” McLellan said before the game started. “We’ve played well, we haven’t got bounces and we’re killing too many penalties.”
It wasn’t exactly a heart-warming welcome for former Grizzlies’ head coach Rylan Ferster, who now runs the Warriors. West Kelowna was the hottest team in the league coming into the matchup, having won four straight and 8-1-1 in its last 10.
“That’s for you media people to talk about,” Ferster said pre-game regarding the hottest team in the league reference. “We actually don’t talk about that much. Touch wood here, things have gone relatively well since the new year.”
Ferster was making only his second visit back to Victoria after coaching the local club for three seasons.
The Grizzlies will play host to Langley at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com
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