Rookie goaltender Blake Wood has won five of his past six starts in the Grizzlies net this season.
Photograph By DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST
Brian Drewry / Times Colonist
DECEMBER 19, 2019 10:30 PM
The Victoria Grizzlies have three goalies on their roster right now, and two of them have accepted scholarships to NCAA Div. 1 schools.
But recently, it has been the netminder without a U.S. college commitment who has been stealing the spotlight.
Blake Wood is fresh off being named the B.C. Hockey League player of the week, thanks to a pair of wins over the Island Division-leading Nanaimo Clippers.
And it just so happens to be those same Clippers (23-10-3) who the Grizzlies (14-23-0) will wrap up their pre-Christmas portion of the schedule with games tonight at Frank Crane Arena in the Harbour City and tomorrow night at The Q Centre in Colwood.
And like he has been doing for the last month or so, Wood just plans on working hard and having fun.
“It has been a good few weeks for me, but mainly because the team in front of me is playing unreal,” said the 18-year-old Wood, who takes a 7-9 record and 3.39 goals-against average into tonight’s game.
“The guys are working hard in our own end, clearing pucks and just making my life easy.”
Wood, who has won five of his last six starts between the pipes, also hails from Nanaimo and actually played one game for the Clippers — which he won — before being traded down-Island when the Grizzlies lost 20-year-old netminder Liam Souliere, a Penn State commit, to a knee injury in the preseason.
So turning the tables on his former ’mates and standing tall in his hometown, just comes naturally.
“It’s just a good little rivalry we got going [with the Clippers] so that adds a little intensity to the games and makes it a lot of fun to be in,” said Wood, who played most of his minor hockey in Nanaimo before moving over to the Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford for bantam and midget.
While Wood is now attracting the attention of NCAA scouts, his teammate between the pipes, fellow 18-year-old Joe Howe, recently committed to Cornell University. And Wood says it’s great having someone his own age around so they can push each other.
“Joe’s a great teammate and great goalie so we just try to push each other to get better.”
With Souliere due back off the injured reserve list in early January, the Grizzlies’ crease will become a little too crowded, and all the goalies know it.
“We just try to focus on the game at hand and what ever happens, happens,” said Wood.
Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon knows he has a tough decision looming with the BCHL trade deadline of Jan. 10 just around the corner, and Victoria will not continue to carry three goalies.
“Blake knows our goaltending situation and I think he has used that as motivation and you’re starting to see he is capable of being a No. 1 goalie in this league,” said Didmon, whose club is coming off a victory over the Chilliwack Chiefs last Sunday and is riding a three-game winning streak.
“Obviously, someone is going to have to go, that is the tough part of this business, and we’re still waiting to hear about Souliere’s health, but we have to do what’s best for the hockey club.”
Didmon expects a charged-up Clippers team tonight, after losing both games to the Grizzlies last week.
“They’re a good hockey club and I’m sure they’ll come back stronger. They have a lot of older players who have top-end skill so we’ll have to be at our best again because it’ll be tougher this time around.”
LOOSE PUCKS: The Grizzlies will again be without Souliere, defenceman Brady MacDonald and forwards Eddie Yan and Trevor Bishop as they all nurse injuries. . . . Following the Christmas break, the Grizzlies hit the road for three games in Wenatchee on Jan. 3, Penticton on Jan. 4 and Surrey on Jan. 5.
bdrewry@timescolonist.com
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