A Plan Is Only a Plan, Grizzlies Hit a Wall

Years ago when I was overseas in the Zhari-Panjway I heard this thing I never forgot.  At the end of a briefing concerning an upcoming offensive, the senior officer commanding the whole thing looked at us and said: "Now let's remember here folks, we all know that a plan is only a plan until first contact with the enemy, OK?  Remember that the enemy also gets a vote in how this whole thing rolls out, so let's stay focussed on the task at hand."

The enemy sure has had a vote in how things have been going for Victoria Grizzlies over the last while.  In the span of just a single week, the Grizzlies have suddenly and rather dramatically lost 4 straight games.  But it gets worse.

The Grizzlies have lost half of the club's No. 1 defensive pairing in Brett Stirling to what looks to be a fairly serious injury.  They have suffered serious injuries to upstart rookie forward, Tyler Welsh and veteran Centre Mitchell Barker as well.  For two games due to suspension, they lost the services of 6'3'' D-Man, Kevin Massy.  Meanwhile Captain PJ Conlon, who now looks a bit like Count Choclua, is sporting a bubble mask due to a Clippers high stick on Sunday which resulted only in a two minute minor.  And while he won't get any of his teeth back, he is forced to play the game in constant pain and with limited vision. There are other players with a raft of issues.  At least one is presently having severe difficulty in shooting the puck.  

In the 1970s we used to give kids pure sugar for breakfast.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the team is suddenly allowing the most SOG for its two rookie 18 year old goalies to deal with each night. Frankly, that's not going so well either if you catch my drift.

And that sums up for me what we seem to have forgotten during the club's 7-0 start to 2016.  The enemy also get a say in how this whole thing rolls out.

Just 24 hours after the biggest win of the season in Nanaimo on Friday, the Grizzlies were simply not ready to host the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and were quickly defeated 6-3 in front of a speechless crowd at the Q Centre.  Shots were 41-19 for AV.  With no Kevin Massy it wasn't even close and the Grizzlies were man handled by the Bulldogs.  Then, late in the 3rd, Brett Stirling went down in the south end of the arena and you were thinking, "Oh God not Sterling, not now."

Then on Sunday afternoon, without the services of Barker and Welsh, it got worse when Nanaimo rolled back into Colwood and promptly reminded Victoria fans why Sheldon Rempal is the best 20 year old in the BCHL. Suddenly the Grizzlies were on a two game slide since their improbable January run.  The game ended 7-2 and the Grizzlies were outshot 44-30 by the Clips.

Jared Virtanen now wearing #19 jersey in Salsa retro jerseys in the 7-5 loss to the Vees on Thursday

But the moment which said it all was Thursday night vs mighty The Penticton Vees on Salsa Jersey night.  After assuming the risk of travelling on the same day as a game, the Penticton Vees rolled into the Q Centre and proceeded to surrender the puck for two periods straight to seemingly every Grizzlies player who was fit enough to play in the contest.  Five straight unanswered 1st and 2nd period goals to Brayden Gelsinger (2), Braeden Cross, Cole Pickup and Alex Peck saw the Grizzlies enjoying a commanding 5-1 lead over the Penticton Vees.  At that point you were suddenly thinking that the Grizzlies were about to defeat the top Junior A team in North America.  It was the loudest I have heard the Q Centre since Game 7 in the 2014 Playoffs vs Alberni Valley.

I suspect that Fred Harbinson, (Vess Head Coach) may have been suddenly remembering indeed that the enemy has a vote in how this whole thing was to roll out.  Well it didn't take him long to remember that philosophy and by pulling his goalie late in the second period on the PP, the Vees struck and it was suddenly 5-2 over a very wobbly Grizzlies team.  You could have heard a pin drop.

In the 3rd period the Grizzlies were outshot 23-4 in the most lopsided period of hockey the team has suffered in several years.  A fan said to me after the game that it was like watching a train wreck, you didn't want to look but you could not help but stare in amazement at two hockey teams going in totally different directions.  On the one hand you had the injury depleted Grizzlies up 5-1 and trying valiantly to hang on to a large lead.  On the other bench though you had two future NHL First Round Draft Picks, Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbro who were frothing at the mouth every time Victoria made a mistake.  The game would end 7-5 for the Vees.  The Grizzlies after being outshot this time 47-33 were less than 24 hours away from facing Alberni Valley with equal froth spewing from the mouths of the Bulldogs at the prospect of playing such a wounded team in the Grizzlies.

And last night, you could almost feel it after the first goal with that Hudson Bay Train locomotive whistle blowing all the way to Bamfield on a Garrett Halls marker just 4 minutes into the contest.  It just wasn't going to be the Grizzlies night.  Outshot 35-24 this time, the Grizzlies really could not mount much of a fight and the Bulldogs skated away with a 4-2 win.  More importantly, they now sit just two points short of the 4th and final playoff spot in the Island Division.  With the tie break formula favoring the Bulldogs, a win tonight vs Penticton would vault the Bulldogs back into a tie for 4th spot overall. They would then need only another singular win in their remaining final 8 to take the final spot in the playoffs should both teams finish even in wins.  And this has all transpired in less that 7 full days time.  It is quite unbelievable. 

At the risk of crying over spilled milk, had the Grizzlies beaten the Bulldogs last Saturday, they would have extended their lead to 10 points on AV.  It would have put the proverbial nail in coffin for the Bulldogs' playoff chances.  Alberni's season would have been effectively over.  Now the Grizzlies will scoreboard watch and pray that the NHL Draft replete Vees can hand the Bulldogs a loss tonight in their final regular season visit to Vancouver Island.  Hopefully the Bulldogs enemy will get a big vote in this contest.

So now the Grizzlies will rest up, heal, likely watch Superbowl 50 and go to bed early on Sunday night.  Because when they board the 6am bus on Monday morning to head off to "The Rock" to face the nearly impossible to beat at home Powell River Kings, they will want to have a say in what is certainly a must win for this suddenly shaken club from Victoria.  I will look forward to talking to you at 2pm Monday from The Hap Parker in a game which could very well tell the tale of the tape for the Grizzlies playoff plans for 2016. -CC







     

Main Camp Report: Grizzlies Name 2015/16 Squad

With exactly one week to go before the league opener next Friday night vs The Caps at the ISC in Cowichan, the Grizzlies final roster was set Thursday morning. Yes Coach Didmon, possibly the most fecund of BCHL coaches has once again managed to replace last year's roster with what could be a team which is just as good if not better.  I won't bother to go through the specific names, because frankly it was pretty much covered in our last blog.  Hopefully I got it pretty close.  But while I am able to selfishly pat myself on my own back, I missed something pretty huge.  Over the course of watching the preseason games I began to notice something and it had nothing to do with player names or skills.  It was their ages.

Photo credit: Christian Stewart (ISN)

 Many years ago I heard a famous BCHL (and former Grizzlies coach BTW) make a pronouncement that "75% of all goals scored in the league are scored by 19 and 20 year olds".  I always promised myself that one day I would confirm that rather intriguing statement by tracking down the statistics and determining if it were actually true.  I tend to make a lot of promises to myself and not follow through.  But on this fact finding mission, I just might actually get on with it and here is why:  The 2015/16 iteration of the Victoria Grizzlies features a lineup with only 3 twenty year olds and 8 nineteen year olds. 

 

The league roster limit for twenty-year olds is set at six. The traditional wisdom is to make sure that your rosters features at least that number of seasoned BCHL gentry in your dressing room.  Is that a problem for the current Grizzlies?  I don't think so, but frankly I crunched a few numbers and it might surprise the reader to know that this year's Grizzlies have an average age of 18.5 and last year's team was a comparable 18.72, mind you that club carried its usual staple of six 20 year olds.  Last year's Fred Page Cup winners, the Penticton Vees had an average age of 17.86, with a full complement of 20 year olds.  So really I ask you again, is this really a whole lot to do about nothing?

 

That said, there can be such a thing as too many older players in the dressing room.  The up-island rival Nanaimo Clippers had eight twenty year olds still in camp this week, so they in fact have the opposite problem, too many twenty year olds.  Also, by carrying only three twenties, the Grizzlies now have the flexibility (unlike last year) to make a move with relative impunity, to add a twenty year old or two towards the January trade deadline. But its not always good news to load up with twenty year olds. 

 

I remember a former Jr.B owner once confiding to me that he owned a club many years ago which carried the league limit of eight twenty year olds and "the whole season was really just a night club on skates", so it is by no means a bad thing to be a young team hungry for hockey success.

undisclosed Jr.B Dressing Room circa (2009)

Now let's take a moment and break down this lineup and see what the Grizzlies have going for 2015/16.  The lines, at least for Week #1 will probably look something like this:

 

 

Pickup                   Gelsinger             Conlon

 

Iapalucci               Falconer               Visconti

 

Fleming                Guiney                 Peck

 

Hunter                  Welsh                   Mokhtari/Barker

 

                VanLierop          Stirling

 

                Stevens                Massy

 

                Pears/Krabben Walker

 

                                Galadja

 

                                Benson

 

One thing I really like so far is the upgrade in net.  Galadja and Benson are both solid and have been tested well so far in the pre-season, Benson facing 50 shots in a 2-1 win vs Nanaimo on Tuesday night was impressive.  This weekend's final tune up games vs Alberni Valley will no doubt give each goal tender the opportunity to play vs legitimate BCHL lineups and play behind their actual starting 6 D men, so I look forward to seeing that play out.  The trick will be for both goalies to bring down the team's dreadful goals allowed stat from last year, 210 goals against.  We leaked goals last year like the Titanic leaked water and if that improves, the team will be better, no question.  My prediction is that next to Front Office stability, goaltending will be the club's biggest improvement for 2015/16.

Photo credit: Christian Stewart (ISN)

Now for the D-Men, I will say this:  Last year the Grizzlies scored 40 goals from the blue line, which was one of the biggest goal outputs by defensemen in years.  I think that number will come down this season, at least a bit.  Frankly it just has to, 40 goals from the D Corps is just too much to ask for two years running, but here is to hoping.  What I am more happy about is the fact that Jake Stevens and Brett Stirling could end up being absolute beasts on the first two pairings.  Along with veterans Van Lierop and K-Mass my sense is that they will easily replace the departed D-men from last year, which is quite the statement of faith considering how good we were in 2014/15 in that position.  This will make life much easier for Walker, Pears and Krabben who are all BCHL ready as defensemen but will mostly see 3rd pairing duties.  My one worry though is the lack of left handed defensemen in the team, I would prefer one more.



Photo credit: Christian Stewart (ISN)

On offense, I see a bit of a mild downturn, but that is almost expected.  Again one has to remember that the 219 goals scored last year by The Grizz were the most since the 220 goals scored in 2009 and the 263 goals scored during the Jamie Benn and Tyler Bozak era of 2006/07.  No other teams have really been close.  That said, if our 4th Line of Hunter, Welsh and Mokhtari turns into what I am hoping and surprises everybody, it will be my pleasure to attach to them the mystery moniker of " THE _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _   _ _ _ LINE".  If they struggle like most rookie lines in the BCHL, no problem, I will simply delete this paragraph from the blog and never speak of my mystery "4th Line Name" ever again.  My guess is they will be fantastic.  And for those of you Poindexters who want to try and play a little Vana White on Wheel of Fortune, all I can say is "buy a vowel".

 

Until then, enjoy the rest of the pre-season and do come out and see the club on Saturday night at 7pm at Westhills Arena in Langford, BC. -CC

The Grizzlies Should Be The Unknown: A Weekend Recap

I am not a gambler, in fact I have never had much interest in such things.  Other than my $20 Playoff Hockey Pool and my Annual NCAA Final Four College Basketball Pool, I would say that I almost never lay a bet on anything for that matter.  When I was in Las Vegas a couple of years ago, I walked up to at a $5 Blackjack Table just for fun with a $20 bill in my wallet and walked away penniless in about the time I can hold my breath at the bottom of a swimming pool.  Get the picture?

 

I know nothing about gambling or odds or Vegas Bookies other than the fact that those guys sure know what they are doing and rarely lose money.  But one thing I do know is that the one fear for bookies is the concept of the unknown.  In sports, that’s the team who nobody can figure out, the golfer who suddenly gets hot  2 weeks before The Masters or the race car driver who suddenly catches lightning in a bottle at Daytona.

 

 

I always loved Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Colour of Money as he described to Tom Cruise's girlfriend in the film the concept of “the unknown” in gambling and the power of it:

 

As Fast Eddie sat watching Cruise's character cleaning up the balls on the pool table he remarked: “He should be the unknown. I mean that would be nice, that would be beautiful.  You could play around with that, you could control that. You know what I mean?”  In the scene you could see his mind racing at the thought of leveraging for profit the phenom Cruise's ability in 9-Ball.

 

What a weekend the Grizzlies had last weekend, two big wins and both featuring a bucket full of goals and tons of offense. First to fall were the Alberni Valley Bulldogs who fell 8-4 to the Grizzlies. The first period started with by both clubs exchanging Power Play goals, the Grizzlies Thomas Gobeil scoring his 8th as a Grizzly in only 11 games played for Victoria.  Jay Mackie and Ayden MacDonald would make it 3-1 in favour of the Grizzlies by the end of two periods and the vibe in the Q Centre was "two points on the way".  But the 3rd Period was when the gasoline would really get poured on the fire offensively for the Grizzlies.  Brett Gruber would score a hat trick, his second of the year and Dane Gibson, Cole Pickup (Shorthanded) and Zach Dixon would also all score. The game would end 8-4 Grizzlies. The debacle of the previous weekend seemed a distant memory.

 

There would be more of the same the very next night with a 6-2 victory over the Prince George Spruce Kings and it would be thanks to many of the weekend's usual suspects in the scoring.  In the 1st Period, Cole Pickup would bat a puck out of mid air in the crease to open the scoring and the Ayden MacDonald would score 11 seconds into the 2nd Period, all of which would setup the Grizzlies for a routine victory on the night. Dane Gibson who would eventually be named BCHL Player of The Week would score two goals in the second half of the contest as would Brett Gruber and Zach Dixon, each picking up a goal themselves.

 

The Victoria Grizzlies are two weeks away from the playoffs and without question they are the BCHL’s absolute #1 “Unknown Team”.  They are without debate the most dangerous team heading into the playoffs.  If Eddie Felson was the “Stakehorse” of the Grizzlies right now, he would be very exited about the prospect of what he might be able to do concerning controlling the unknown.

 

Here is my Top 10 List as to why the Grizzlies are the most dangerous team in the league heading into the playoffs. 

 

1)      The Grizzlies Powerplay performance is tops at 26.85% efficiency, a full 2 percentage points against their nearest competitor, Alberni Valley.
2)      The team has scored no less than 58 Powerplay goals on the season and now sits at #2 in the league in that category.  Alberni Valley has scored 60, but with 25 more opportunities.  
3)      The Grizzlies have no less than five players at 20 goals and potentially could finish the year with ten players at 10+ goals scored before the playoffs commence.  On any given night any of the 20 skaters can score.
4)      The Grizzlies have scored 198 goals on the season and with 5 games to go, that number could easily eclipse the figures of previous seasons including those of the entire “Fitzgerald Era”.  
5)      The Grizzlies possess the scariest set of offensively gifted D-Men in the BCHL with no less than 34 goals scored by the defensemen so far.  No other team is close.  Even the BCHL goal scoring champion Nanaimo Clippers have only scored 29 goals by their D-Men. 
6)      The Penalty Killers are the league’s best as far as I am concerned.  Not only can these PK specialists shut down the opposition during the man advantage, but they can score as well.  The Grizzlies are tied with Coquitlam in Short-handed goals at 12. 
7)      The supporting cast features a large number of players all of whom can and do contribute to the offense on a nightly basis.  In short this team can flat out put the puck in the net and on some nights, they look like they can score for fun, all four lines.
8)      The Grizzlies lead the BCHL with no less than 361 assists, while the Nanaimo Clippers who have scored 24 more goals on the season have registered only 357 assists.  What does that mean?  It means that the Grizzlies can pass the puck better than any other team in the league.
9)      Opposition Shots on Goal (SOG) have fallen all year.  The team which was being outshot 46% of the time under the old coaching regime is now being outshot only 25% of the time, a drop of 20 full percentage points in less than three months.
10)   The Grizzlies goalies do not lead the league in very many categories, but the team goals against average has been slowly dropping all year in spite of several lop-sided shocker losses games from earlier in the season.  In short they are far better now than they were in October. Far better.

 

The analytics look good, yes, but best of all is the radar scope.  The Grizzlies, through no fault of their own have managed to very quietly amass this incredible record.  And nobody is watching.  Walk around your average BCHL rink on  Friday night, I do.  You know what I hear?  "Penticton, its over, the Vees, they have it.  Nanaimo will finish second, they're too good." 

 

The Grizzlies have done all this largely by virtue of the fact that they have lost a good number of close games and also suffered 10 Overtime losses this season.  The good news on that is that 4 on 4 and 3 on 3 OTs do not exist in the Playoffs.  In any playoff games in which the Grizzlies find themselves tied after 60 minutes, both teams will play OT with 5 skaters.  That will help the Grizzlies who have frankly not been great all year in 4-4 OT. 

 

But back to that original point, the Grizzlies might just be getting hot at right about the perfect time of the year.  If they keep this up, they will be like a heavily armed supersonic attack aircraft travelling at tree top level, well under enemy radars, all ready to pounce on any unsuspecting target along the way.  Most BCHL pundits can’t see that.  But I can and I don't even play pool.

 

 

 

All I know is that if Fast Eddie was here, I think he would know exactly what to do in this situation.  I mean that would be nice, that would be beautiful.

What Goes Around Comes Around: Grizzlies v Clippers

Its been a little while since my last post and a few games have been played so I better just get right to it.

 

Remember that old saying: “What goes around comes around?”  Well a funny thing happened on the way to the Playoffs last night at The Frank Crane Arena, but more on that in a moment, we need to catch up on what has been going on over the last week in the Grizzly Nation.

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart (ISN)



Photo Credit - Christian Stewart (ISN)

After losing two straight games, including a season first ever 4-0 Shutout at home to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks two weeks ago, the month of January looked like it would come in like a lion but go out like a lamb.  Or so goes the saying as far as Grizzlies fans were concerned.  But the Grizzlies would surprise many with a series of major bounce back games with lopsided wins against the Chilliwack Chiefs (6-1), and two vs the Alberni Valley Bulldogs by scores of 8-3 and 4-0 respectively.  During that recent 4 game stretch, Michael Stiliadis recorded his second shutout of the season in the 4-0 win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday, but the bigger story for me was the offence.  In short, the Grizzlies offence has exploded in the last two weeks.  Last night was a 5-4 OT loss in Nanaimo, but 4 goals in Nanaimo vs the #1 Goalie in the BCHL, Guillaume Decelles, is still very good indeed.

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart (ISN)

So what is happening, just how and why have the Grizzlies acquired such offensive prowess all of a sudden?  The answer is that the offence was always there.  Its just that now with the likes of Tom Gobeil, Kevin Massy and Jay Mackie there has been a transformation a fantastic Top Line into an unstoppable Top Line.  The first line just plain scores every single night, full stop.  Couple that with Line #2, The Hands Line, Gruber, Kennedy and Dane Gibson and the Victoria Grizzlies suddenly have what might very well be the best top 6 forwards in the BCHL.  Don’t forget that they are achieving this in the absence of Garrett Forster, who is still out nursing an upper body injury.  When Forster gets back, which should be soon, that top line will get even better. 

 

Bottom line, the Grizzlies have outscored their opponents 22-9 in their last four games going 3-0-0-1.  Dane Gibson is now 3rd in BCHL scoring and Tom Gobeil has registered 10 points in 8 games, 7 of them goals. And who can forget Brett Gruber and his team leading 30 goals?  Gruber has been flat out fantastic in January/early February.  Jay Mackie and Matt Kennedy have also been offensively explosive, with the former on a four game point streak and the later with a pair last night in the OT loss at the Frank Crane Arena.  The defense has been solid and the goal tending has also improved.

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart (ISN)

 

Back to last night.  A franchise record ten overtime losses is not a good stat to quote, but I really liked what I saw last night and here is why.  Going into action yesterday, Nanaimo had won 4 of 6 games vs Victoria this season.  Each game was won by a single goal and while last night was no exception, the Grizzlies came back and tied the game on no less than three separate occasions.  And you could see the frustration in the Clippers.  By the second period, tempers finally boiled over. 

 

After a fight where Meirs Moore was jumped by Ryan Forbes at the Clippers bench, the seemingly nitro-glycerine fuelled Nanaimo Head Coach, Mike Vanderkamp, sporting a foot cast for some reason, finally started to crack.  Once Game Misconduct and Instigator penalties were handed out to Ryan Forbes, but not to Moore, who was clearly ambushed on the play, Vanderkamp looked on with incredulity.

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart (ISN)

 

 

Amazingly Vanderkamp seemed pleased that with his team up 3-2, he would see Ryan Forbes instigate a fight.  Even more miraculous, nobody in the building seemed to notice or care that Referee Zack Sletto appeared to completely re-write the BCHL rule book all on his own as he dolled out the penalties.  Incredibly and for the very first time in this hockey writers career, I along with the other 932 fans on hand witnessed a "3 Minute Penalty".  Incredible, I thought that only happened in my "Beer League" because beer leagues typically run the clock, but there it was for all to see, a 3-minute penalty, awarded to the Grizzlies.

 

Rather than get in a massive explanation, suffice to say, Sletto completely mis-understood and mis-applied the very black and white BCHL Refereeing Supplement which was well briefed to all BCHL officials prior to the start of the season.  That Supplement if it had been understood by last night's officiating crew would have seen a 4 on 4 situation for 4 minutes, followed by three minutes of PP time for the Grizzlies after the two Moore minors were completed.

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart (ISN)

 

Regardless, that butchered call really got the Nanaimo Coach going.  Strike #1 on Vanderkamp.  Then only 5 minutes later after Tom Gobeil and Cole Maier were both given 10 minute misconducts, with an extra 2 minutes to Maier for a Cross-Check, Vanderkamp got even hotter and the benches started passing pleasantries.  Strike #2 on Vanderkamp.  But only minutes later when the returning Moore fired a bullet shot tipped by Matt Kennedy tying the game at 3-3, the Nanaimo Head Coaching bundle of nitro-glycerin was finally forced beyond molecular stability and off went Vanderkamp for Strike #3.

 

Challenging Victoria Assistant Coach Scott Hawthorne to a fight at the bench, Vanderkamp was immediately ejected from the game.  But not before sharing with all in attendance a series of insults, profanity and expletives not heard during even the longest of sea going voyages by the hardest alcohol-fueled navy men know to travel the high seas.  Gone was Vanderkamp but not before appearing in the Grizzlies side of the tunnel, only to be restrained by arena security as he attempted to entice the far calmer Hawthorne to a fight.

 

Hawthorne would have none of it, likely for both the simple fact that he was far too wise to fall for such lunacy, but probably also for the fact that few have so assailed in single handed combat any credibility from fighting an incensed coach with a broken foot.

 

After a Dane Gibson PP goal, the Grizzlies would eventually take the lead in the 3rd period, a rare sight for Nanaimo at home this season, but the lead would not last and OT which you could sense was in the cards all night, became a reality.  Sadly the game would end on a poor line change with a partially screened point shot by ex-WHL and Clippers newcomer, Ryan Coghlan and the Grizzlies would collect their league leading 10th OT loss of the season. 5-4 was the final, but the Grizzlies outshot the Clippers 40-36 on the night.

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart (ISN)

 

In the meantime, what I liked once again were the multiple comebacks and the overall team response.  Best of all I liked the fact that the Grizzlies are a team which shouldn't be on the mental radar of the high flying Nanaimo Clippers, but they certainly are now.  And as evidenced by the multiple game ejections by the Clippers and lack of self-control, the Grizzlies are not just on their proverbial radar scope, but they are now firmly in their hockey minds and thoughts.  This Victoria team is an ever growing mass of blinking red video return in the psyche of The Clippers who suddenly recognize this new and very serious threat located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, a threat which the Grizzlies now clearly represent.  I would conclude only by saying that the secret is out.  Let's just hope that for Grizzlies fans, that "what goes around comes around" come Playoff time in March. -CC

 

 

 

     

Enough Is Enough: Grizzlies End Losing Streak 6-1 Over Chilliwack

You know I thought I saw something very different with the Grizzlies on Saturday night and it all seemed to start with the play of Michael Stiliadis.  His body language told me a lot and what it said, at least to me anyway was, "OK, enough of this garbage, I am sick and tired of losing, let's go boys!"  He was tracking pucks all night, he was aggressive, once skating to the top of the faceoff circles to beat an odd man rush.  His energy and aggressive enthusiasm was like a boiler on a low steam and the more he played, the better he got and by the end of the game he was literally unstoppable.

It was by far his best performance of the year.

And it was high time as well.  The Grizzlies entered competition on Saturday night fresh off their first and hopefully only shutout against on the season when Salmon Arm came into the Q Centre and skated away with a 4-0 win on "Heros Night" at The Q Centre on Friday.  Forget not that just 48 hours earlier in maybe the low point of the year, the Grizzlies forfeited 3 unanswered goals in the third period up in Port Alberni, losing the game 4-3.  Things looked grim and the shutout to Salmon Arm only put salt in the wound.

After taking the lead early on by virtue of a Chilliwack Powerplay goal, which was scored largely due to Stiliadis having had his stick dislodged from his hands, it looked like the Grizzlies were on their way to another struggling loss.  But there was Stiliadis, rising to the occasion, you could almost feel it in the Q centre, something seemed to snap in the veteran net minder.  It was as though he was saying with conviction those classic words: "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!"

And picking up on that energy was recent trade deadline acquisition Thomas Gobeil.  Gobeil, the hottest goal scorer on the team over the last several games was sprung free after a nifty bit of D to D work by Jake Emilio and Chris Harpur.  The steely eyed Emilio after breaking out of the D Zone, spotted the 20 year old French Canadian phenom at the far blue line and sent Gobeil free on a clear cut breakaway.  Gobeil carried the puck hard at speed to his forehand drawing Chiefs net minder David Jacobson to his left and then with ease pulled the puck to his backhand, firing home his 4th goal in a Grizzlies uniform in only 5 games, knotting the game even at 1-1.  The 867 fans in attendance went wild. 

Later in the same period on the Powerplay, Cole Pickup would make a sensational play of his own after batting down a Jay Mackie rebound with a borderline high stick and spinning to his right, his hand eye coordination did not fail him.  Pickup quickly dispatched his 2nd Powerplay goal of the season and 8th goal overall of the campaign.  The Grizzlies suddenly had a lead.

After the First Intermission, the Grizzlies and Chiefs would start the 2nd period with massive puddles all over the ice surface and the wet surface would play a role in the next goal of the hockey game as Brett Gruber would take advantage of a water arrested puck at the feet of the Chiefs right point man, Bennett Morrison.  The speedy Gruber would waste no time.  Seeing Morrison fan on his point shot with the puck stuck at his feet on the wet ice, the Wisconsin native would negotiate several puddles himself as he carefully set up a soft but ever so precise saucer pass to his line mate Dane Gibson.  Gibson would easily score his 21st goal of the season and suddenly the score was 3-1. 

Just moments later, Kevin Massy, playing Right Wing on the First Line for the evening, would make the score 4-1 after stealing the puck in the defensive end. Using Jay Mackie as a decoy, the 6'4'' Victoria "Defenseman-turned-Forward" would fire off a quick snap shot which found only the top right corner of the net beating Jacobson easily over the left shoulder.

Later in the period, Gobeil would fire a laser beam slap shot while on the Power Play, his second of the night and 5th goal in as many games in a Victoria Grizzlies uniform. Gobeil would earn the game's First Star.

But the unsung hero and story of the night was the play of Michael Stiliadis.  Probably few players on the Grizzlies roster have felt worse about the recent dip in form of the Victoria side than Stiliadis.  All night he was called upon to make the routine save, the tough save and by the end of the game even the miraculous save.  Each time Stiliadis was equal to the task and by the final whistle he had turned away 25 of 26 shots on net.  The only shot which beat him, did so while Stiliadis was without his stick.  So all in all it was a "Stick In Hand Shutout" for the Vaughn Ontario native by the end of the night.

In an interesting quirk in the game, the Grizzlies would score their 6th and final goal on the night via the Short Handed variety when Chiefs Head Coach Jason Tatarnic chose to pull his goalie from the net midway through the third period while on the Powerplay.  The tactic would boomerang on the first year Head Coach as Sean McBride would gain possession of the puck and fire home a long range empty net shorthanded marker, vaulting the Grizzlies alone atop the BCHL Standings in Shorthanded Goals at 11.  The Grizzlies registered only 6 Short Handed Goals last year.

And thus would end the weekend for the Grizzlies, who are 1-1 on the current short 4 Game Home Stand.  The Grizzlies are next in action on Wednesday night as they face the Alberni Valley Bulldogs for two in a row at the Q Centre vs the same team, first on the 28th of January and then again on 3 February hosting the Bulldogs with a short break in between for Superbowl Weekend.  The Grizzlies will then go on the road the very next night to The Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo to play the Clippers on Wednesday the 4th of February. -CC      

Grizzlies At The Final Turn: Four Hard Games On The Road

I always enjoy that moment in golf when you get to that portion of the round where you are at "The Final Turn on The Back Nine".  It is that moment in the round when you are farthest away from the clubhouse, usually at the 14^th Green or 15^th T-Box on most courses.  I reflect on it even more so when I am at "The Turn" while on the road.  I try and soak in both the moment, the round of golf itself and or the trip/business junket I am just about to complete.  I will often putt out on the 14^th hole and look around and say something like: “Boy this sure has been a long but very productive trip and man am I ever glad that I will be flying home tomorrow.”  That moment of solitary gratitude is usually quickly replaced by other thoughts like: “Man do I ever need to work on my short game though, I can’t hit my Sand Wedge to save my life.”

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

A couple of nights ago I was throwing some used pizza boxes into the recycling bin outside the Prince George Coliseum as the team bus was just moments away from starting its long, snow bound return trip south to Victoria.  As I looked at the bus full of happy Grizzlies players, fresh off a 6-3 dominant performance, I thought to myself, “Wow, you are actually standing on the 14^th Green for this season.”  That moment marked the absolute furthest away from home which any team in the BCHL can ever be during the season; that Victoria to Prince George trip is the longest in terms of travel distance and time and thankfully it is why the league only asks us to do it once per year.

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

But as I threw out the last of the pizza boxes and started back to our bus, I thought about the “first 14 holes on this 2014/15 Victoria Grizzlies Season” and wondered what the final few holes would bring. It also got me thinking to what shape the team would be in by the time it got into "the clubhouse".

 

Fast forward to last night at the Weyerhaeuser Arena in Port Alberni.  It was no longer the “Philosophical 14^th Green” I suppose, but it was the end of a brutal 4 game road trip for the Grizzlies, a road trip where the general theme throughout was Murphy’s Law: “If something can go wrong, the chances are, it probably will go wrong.”

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

 

And funny enough the game started great for Victoria.  Back to back Power Play goals by Dane Gibson and Tom Gobeil had the Grizzlies firmly in the driver’s seat at The Dog Pound just 2 minutes into this “Wacky Wednesday” game as we called it last night.  Best of all, the Grizzlies seemed to be getting the bounces, at least early on. Gobeil’s first goal was certainly proof of that as the Centreman fired a shot over Bulldog’s back-up goalie Nathan Warren, only to have the puck bounce square off his back, then off the crossbar and into the net for a 2-0 Grizzlies lead.  By late in the 2^nd period, PK specialist, P.J. Conlon would set up Gobeil for his second goal on the night, a shortie to boot and the Grizzlies were up 3-1 heading into the final frame.

 

And that’s when Murphy showed up.

 

With Kevin Massy, fresh out of the box just seconds into the final frame, Mitch Makin would make the Grizzlies pay for poor D Zone coverage and it was suddenly 3-2 only twenty-two seconds into the last period.  There were still 20 minutes of hockey left to play.  And it just got worse from there in what could only be described as the Grizzlies poorest 3^rd period of the year.  Michael Stiliadis who had been rock solid all game long, suddenly was leaving juicy rebounds around and nobody appeared ready to clear the puck and the rest was history. 4-3 to the Bulldogs was how it would end in front of a very healthy 931 fans on a midweek game in the BCHL.  But worst of all, the ice surface looked significantly tilted in favour of the Bulldogs in periods #2 and #3 and that hasn’t happened since the Trail game back in mid November.

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

Back up eight days ago as the Grizzlies started their four game road trip at the Island Savings Centre vs Cowichan Valley last week. They would ice the puck in the final minute of the game and give up a tying goal and then lose in OT.  Remember that in that game the Grizzlies were 4-4 going into the final frame. 

 

Then two nights later, with the shock and pain of that loss shaken off, the Grizzlies rolled into a packed Prospera Centre with 3,007 fans on a Friday night in Chilliwack.  They would score the first goal of the game midway through the second period on a classic Dane Gibson tip-in off a gorgeous Brett Gruber pass.  Once again you would think, the Grizzlies are flying, they will win a road game, we got this.  They went into the 3^rd period with a lead once again, this time up 1-0 and Stiliadis was looking at a possible Shutout.

 

Nope, Murphy’s Law was lurking in the rafters of that beautiful hockey building on the banks of the Fraser River.  The Grizzlies would give up 4 third period goals and end up losing 4-2.  They were outshot 13-5 in that 3^rd period.

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

Then the Grizzlies went up to Prince George on Saturday night and boom went the dynamite. They recorded a massive road win by stepping on the proverbial “throats” of the Spruce Kings and at one point in the hockey game scored 5 unanswered goals, two by Brett Gruber who ended the night at 28 goals on the season.  That was quite a performance.  You started to think, maybe those late losses in Chilliwack and Cowichan were simply anomalies.  But they were not.  It happened again last night.

 

Here is a fact which might surprise you, Victoria when leading going into 3^rd periods this season have lost no less than 7 of those hockey games. With 44 games played so far that means no less than 16% of the team's games end in losses after leading going into the final period.  And that statistic does not reflect how many losses occur when tied after two periods, trust me its a big number as well.

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

So what do we make of this?  The Grizzlies really need to bear down on team defence and support the goaltender much better down the stretch.  The goaltending also needs to improve, especially in terms of tracking the puck.  I called for this several weeks ago in my mid-season report card and it improved in December.  But surrendered 3rd period leads in Chilliwack on Friday and again last night in Alberni Valley have re-ignited that dangerous trend.

 

Is it repairable, can the team overcome this trend?  Of course they can, but time is running out on the regular season and the Grizzlies simply can't afford to keep shipping these free points to the competition, especially Island Division teams.  So the Grizzlies do make the proverbial "Final Turn" and start to head towards the clubhouse with only four holes to play.  My hope and my belief is that the Grizzlies won't reflect too much on their successes this season and what a great ride its been so far, but rather will spend a little bit more time working on the Sand Wedge. -CC

 

Preview Of Big Northern Road Trip

First of all, before I even talk about last Tuesday or even contemplate discussing the two upcoming games this weekend vs the Chilliwack Cheifs Friday and the Prince George Spruce Kings Saturday, I want to take a moment to pause here and reflect on Kyle Horesman and his family in Sechelt, BC and his extended hockey family in the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

There is no way to properly express my sadness and regret at the news which we all heard Tuesday night about the tragic passing of the Capitals Team Captain's father just the night before we faced the Caps at The Island Savings Centre on that night this week up in Duncan. A moment like that transcends the game and puts into perspective what we do in the BCHL every day.  Kyle lost the man who brought him to the rink every morning, the man who along with his mother, brought him into this world and I want to take a moment to express my sincere condolences to Kyle, his family and anyone in the Cowichan Valley Capitals in this profound period of sadness. My prayers and thoughts are with you all at this time.

While a loss, especially one in OT, is certainly painful, I must admit that I probably felt a lot different leaving the rink Tuesday night than many other Grizzlies fans did in many ways.  First of all, there were far bigger things going on in the Cowichan Valley Capitals organization that night and a hockey game, at least for this sports writer, was just what took place, it wasn't the whole story on the evening.

But look, let's face facts, its was yet another 1 goal game in a year just full of them and this time it was yet another tough heartbreaker of an OT loss.  WE have seen way too much of that this year, no question.  I wrote a blog many months ago about the fact that the Grizzlies are going to be a very different and fun team to watch come February and I still maintain that point. Heck they are a joy to watch now but the team has not yet figured out how to step on the throats of their opponents, when they have them on the ropes.  That will come in time.

The Grizzlies were chasing the Capitals all night at "The Stick" on Tuesday, let's not mince words. Yes, Brett Gruber had a beautiful Hat Trick his first of the season and first for the organization as well and yes the Grizzlies did score a Short Handed marker and looked dangerous at times but for me you could just sort of feel the moment in the rink.  This night was all about The Capitals trying to win a gutsy one for their Captain who of course was back in Sechelt, BC attending to his family.  The 650 Capitals fans who did come to the game went home happy of course but I want to make one quick point about the Capitals here before I go on to set up this weekend's action.

I said several weeks ago that I felt that the Capitals would move up and grab that final playoff spot in the Island Division standings.  People I know, many people all said I was crazy and maybe I am.  But I see trends, I see the game, I see what is happening and let me tell you this: Any team that can find a way to get a lead at home, lose that lead and then tie the game very late and eventually win it in OT, all while one of their top players, let alone, their Team Captain is away bereaving the loss of his dad, any team that can do that, can and will make the playoffs.  I know they are way down on points from the Alberni Valley Bulldogs who have a tone of games in hand on them, but remember, the Bulldogs just lost Evan Tironese to season ending shoulder surgery and that will hurt them badly down the stretch.  Mark my words, The Cowichan Valley Capitals will sneak into the playoffs on the last day of the BCHL's Regular Season and knock out the Bulldogs.

OK, enough about the other teams, let's get back to the Grizzlies.  Its a big road trip this weekend and there are two very big road games vs opponents who just happen to really be struggling at the moment and that's good for you Grizzlies fans reading this and here is why.  These games can serve as the first true look and test of "The 2014/15 Victoria Grizzlies".  We got a bit of a glimpse of them on Sunday vs the Express at The Q Centre, but make no mistake, the 22 players which you see now are now the team which is either going to win The Fred Page Cup this year and suprise everyone except me, or they are going to die trying.  This is your team.

The roster is now set and the contractual clauses which kept Tom Gobeil out of the lineup on Tuesday vs his former club are now complete.  Gobeil, who I liken to a young Mark Messier (more on that in a later blog), is full of pro talent and I expect him to make a major mark on the club this weekend.  I haven't yet seen the lineup cards for tonight yet and I don't want to say too much because I don't have all the info about some potential injuries at the moment, but I will say this: Tom Gobeil, #25 in a White Victoria Grizzlies shirt will have his coming out party on the road this weekend and I can't wait to see it.

But best of all, is what a player like Gobeil can do for the 3rd and 4th lines, along with the defensemen and goalies that I am most looking forward to seeing in Chilliwack and Prince George.  Remember, this is your team now. I suspect that he will make a potent First Line even more dangerous. The impact of that is that it will allow the "Hands Line" to see more space on the ice as the Second Line. Best of all, that will allow the Cycle Line, Line 3, Conlon, Pickup and Barker or even Guiney, even more room to play and score.  The defensive pairings which used to be able to shut down a line or two will now have 2-3 problematic offensive lines to deal with for the very first time this season.

I also think that the stronger offense will help the D-Men who let's face it have been the best 7 Defenseman in the BCHL this year bar none.  That in turn will add confidence to the goal tending pair of Stiliadis and Cleary, one of whom is nursing a lower body injury at the moment.

We actually saw glimpses of that on Sunday when Gobeil was in the lineup, but with Justin Tai in net for Coquitlam, putting up what I can only describe as maybe the best goal tending performance which the Grizzlies have faced all season, Victoria could only must 5 goals.  That won't be the case vs two struggling Mainland Division foes who are either full of injuries or full of poor recent performances or full of both.  I am picking the Grizzlies to come away with all four points this weekend so that they can return to the Island and relax for a change and maybe watch the Seahawks win their second straight NFC Championship en route to their own version of The Fred Page Cup, the Lombardi Trophy.

Talk to you Friday night at 6:45pm (PST) for the Pre-Game Show.  It should be a good one folks. -CC



 

Grizzlies vs Alberni Valley: The Drama Kings Strike Again in a 5-2 Win

     A lot of people come up to me at The Q Centre on game nights and ask me why I call this year's version of the Victoria Grizzlies, The Drama Kings. "Isn't that kind of mean Clay?", the fan will often ask me. "Isn't that kind of disrespectful, I thought you liked them?".  I do like them, in fact, if you listen closely, you will understand as I explain the huge difference between the terms "Drama Queen" and "Drama Kings". Trust me, there is a massive difference and Drama Kings is a term of endearment.

     Anytime your team wins a game in which you never trailed, especially on the road, you rarely leave the rink saying "Phewf, that was a close one, that one was full of drama."  But that very well may have been the thoughts of a number of the Grizzlies players, coaches and Booster Bus fans who were on that long bus ride home to the Q Centre late last night. I suspect that many people on those two Victoria bound buses were likely thinking that very thing while most of us other Grizzlies fans who failed to make the long trip to the Dog Pound were probably only thinking about bed and that extra hour of sleep we were all going to get.

     But I was in that group who were feeling very fortunate to be returning from the team's only game over this Halloween Weekend with a big fat road win for the good guys. So why would you feel fortunate for a 5-2 road win, how could that possibly have been full of drama?  Well I watched the game and I saw a tied contest late in the 3rd period with a buzzing and dangerous Bulldogs team which, had they scored and they nearly did (if not for some fine Micheal Stiliadis late saves), the Grizzlies may not have been so fortunate.

     Yet, the Bulldogs failed to score in those final minutes and instead gave up a number of empty net goals, thus creating the misleading score line at the end of a hockey game which on paper looked vanilla. But this game was hardly devoid of high drama.

     A rough affair it was, complete with an uber rare BCHL fight.  Yes you heard me right, there was a fight in a BCHL game last night. Storm Wahlrab v Zak Bowles, with the decision to big #27 who started the bout with three hard connections to the head of Bowles before the Bulldog fell on Wahlrab to save his dignity. This was early in the first period in a game which oddly enough didn't feature a whole lot of penalties. In front of 1,089 fans, right on the league average for attendance, the Grizzlies took an early lead on a beautiful Matthew Kennedy goal. It was set up by a clever backhand pass by Dane Gibson after a faceoff win by Jay Mackie deep in the Alberni end. The goal set the tone of the hockey game and forced the Bulldogs into chasing the game all evening.

     Alberni Valley would answer early in the 2nd period on a bad giveaway in the identical spot on the ice as the earlier Matt Kennedy goal and a quick wrister by the Bulldog Mitch Makin would make it 1-1. Then things got a little testy. Late in the period, Grizzlies defenseman Cody Van Lierop would somehow become entangled near centre ice with Bulldogs forward and leading scorer Evan Tironese. That would be the night for the stalwart Victoria defenseman as Van Lierop would receive a 5 minute major for slashing plus a Game Misconduct. With Tironese rolling around in pain at centre ice and unable to put any weight on the left leg as he went straight to the dressing room, there likely was something to the call. This was even though few in the building actually witnessed the slash it as it was well away from the play, so much so that the call was made by one of the two linesmen in fact. But the Bulldogs would fail to score on the ensuing five minute Power Play and each team retired at the end of the 2nd period with the score tied at 1-1.

     Though the play of the game, for this sports writer occurred half-way through the final frame and few will remember it later in the year but it was largely due to what I often refer to as an "Assist to the Dreaded Discarded Stick". Why the officials never pick up dropped sticks is quite beyond my ability to understand, however that stick helped lead to the eventual Victoria go ahead goal. And Cole Pickup didn't mind as he gloved down a pinching Kevin Massy shot which had caromed off the glass and ended up in front of the Grizzlies hottest scorer as of late. Pickup made no mistake, quickly firing a wrist shot at the net and finding the twine with his 4th goal of the season and sixth point in three games, a goal which made it a 2-1 Grizzlies lead.

     It looked like the game would end that way until Victoria finally committed the one mistake they have managed to avoid all year, giving up a Short Handed Goal. After a neutral zone give away, Bulldogs forward Darian Henry stole the puck and took a long, hard slap shot from the right point just as he entered the offensive zone. I know Micheal Stiliadis would have wanted that one back. The puck somehow managed to get through his equipment and then trickled ever so slowly over the goal line. This occurred before the sprawling Grizzlies goalie could dive on the puck and avert the goal light flashing with the famous "Dog Pound Train Horn" informing every living soul all the way to Ucluelet that the Bulldogs had indeed scored. After a short conversation with the Goal Judge, Referee Mike Christians, who was injured in the wrist earlier in the game, wisely awarded the goal. While the puck did appear to just cross the line, he likely allowed the goal to stand if for nothing else to avert a certain riot at the Weyerhaeuser Arena. And after pointing to the centre ice circle, off went the old Hudson Bay Rail train whistle for the third time on a two goal night and even the townsfolk in Bamfield probably knew that the Bulldogs had levelled the score. At that moment most people in the building, not to mention the population of Barclay Sound likely thought we were headed to OT.

     But just seconds later, Matt Kennedy would silence that crowd, along with that annoying train whistle with what would eventually be the game winner after deflecting a beautiful backhanded pass from the left half wall by Dane Gibson. By virtue of that pass, Kennedy would score his second personal tally of the evening. It was Victoria's third goal of the night from the exact same location on the ice as the previous two Grizzlies markers. 

     Thus it would prove the Zamboni End was a tough section of the ice to defend for both goalies on the night, but you can't blame Bulldogs net minder Billy Christopoulos for the final two at the far end of the rink. Both final Victoria goals came via the empty net for both Mitchell Barker and Kevin Massy. Interestingly, new signee, #26 Ayden MacDonald would pick up a helper on Barker's empty netter, his first point in a Grizzlies uniform for the former Richmond Sockeye.

     So that is how the game would end, 5-2 for the Grizzlies, now 2-1 vs Alberni Valley this season.  It was a night full of big hits, an actual hockey fight (I am still in shock), an ejection, an injured referee along with a banged up Bulldog or two, a strange goal line leaker which went to review and lots of late drama for a team which can even find tension in a 5-2 win. Only the Drama Kings could manage that. Remember that Kings, without exception always rule their land and these 2014-2015 Victoria Grizzlies rule the "Kingdom of Drama."

     The Grizzlies host the BCHL league leaders, Penticton Vees at the Q Centre this coming Friday 7 Nov, 2014 at 7:00 pm. And folks, if you suffer from any heart ailments, please consult your doctor before attending, LOL! See you Friday night. -CC