BCHL

Grizzlies close out weekend with a split

Written by BCHLNetwork Staff on

The Victoria Grizzlies came into the weekend having won two straight games, and seven out of their last nine. The Grizz kicked off the weekend with a road game on Saturday in Cowichan Valley before heading back home to face off against the Powell River Kings on Sunday afternoon.

Grizz fall short against the Capitals

Victoria entered Saturday’s tilt against Cowichan Valley looking for its third consecutive win while the Capitals were looking to win five of their last six games. The Grizz got two key forwards back in the lineup as Eddie Yan and Brendan Bowie both made their return.

The Grizzlies hoped to get off to a quick start on the road, however, it was the home team who drew first blood. Capitals forward Luc Wilson put home his 19th goal of the year to put his team ahead just 2:05 into the game.

With 3:19 remaining in the opening frame, Andrew Amousse helped the Grizz draw even and gain back some momentum going into the first intermission. The goal was Amousse’s 11th of the year, with James Davenport and Isack Bandu drawing the assists.

Just 42 seconds into the middle frame, Caps forward Cruz Cote scored his 10th goal of the season on the power play to give his team the lead, while Tyrell Boucher and Brady Lynn drew the assists. With less than eight minutes remaining in the second, Brady MacDonald got his third goal of the season, also on the power play, to tie the game at 2-2. Vincent Nardone and Alex DiPaolo drew the helpers on the tying goal.

The final frame was close as both teams battled hard to try and get the next goal. It wasn’t until late in the game when forward Cole Broadhurst notched his seventh of the season to give the Caps the lead. With less than a minute remaining in the third period, the Grizz pulled the goaltender in a desperate effort to tie the game. Victoria was unable to get the equalizer as Cowichan Valley walked off with a huge 3-2 victory.

Grizzlies netminder Liam Soulière stood on his head throughout the game, as he made 43 saves on 46 shots and was named the game’s second star. Next up for the Grizz was their final home game of the year, as they prepared to take on the Powell River Kings on Sunday afternoon at The Q Centre.

Grizzlies dethrone the Kings

Coming off a tough loss in Cowichan Valley, the Grizz were looking to close out their home schedule on a positive note. In front of a crowd of 1,577, the Grizz came out firing on all cylinders against Powell River.

Just 6:15 into the first period, Victoria forward Trevor Bishop beat Kings goaltender Thomas Wardle to give his team an early lead. Henri Schreifels and netminder Liam Soulière drew the assists on the opening goal. Just 1:42 later the Grizz extended their lead as Cody Monds put home his 22nd goal of the season to put Victoria up 2-0.

In the middle frame, the Grizzlies continued to add to their lead. Following a holding penalty by Kings defenseman PJ Garrett, Brady MacDonald fired home his fourth goal of the season on the power play to extend Victoria’s lead to 3-0. Monds and Alex DiPaolo drew the helpers on the goal.

Just when many thought this game was out of reach, the Kings turned up the heat in the final frame. Powell River forward Levi Glasman notched his 20th goal of the season to get the Kings on the board, but that momentum didn’t last long. Andrew Amousse, who has been on fire as of late, responded just 46 seconds later, as he scored his 12th of the season to restore Victoria’s three-goal cushion.

At 17:04 of the final frame, Kings forward Devin Leduc netted his 18th of the season to get his team back to within two goals, but that was as close as they got. Soulière made 37 saves to backstop his team to a huge 4-2 win. For the second straight game, Soulière was named the second star of the game. Monds was named the first star of the afternoon as he put up one goal and one assist.

Up Next

The Grizzlies wrap up the regular season with back to back games against the Kings in Powell River on February 21st and 22nd. Both teams will look to close out the regular season on a high as the BCHL playoffs are just around the corner.