Numbers Never Lie: The Victoria Grizzlies Heading Into The 2015 BCHL Playoffs

I always liked math, there was some sort of honesty thing there for me I seemed to find.  Numbers are funny.  You can always count on them.  They may not always mean everything, but they almost always mean something.  On the eve of the playoffs, there are a lot of things going through my mind but most of all its the simple adage that numbers never lie.

 

I noticed a recent trend with the Grizzlies and it might not be what you think.  Everyone is of course very pleased with the team’s recent 7 game win streak. Its the longest of the year for the team and the longest current win streak in the BCHL.  When I crunched the math, I noticed that since the coaching change on 30 Nov, the Grizzlies have only lost 8 games in the “Outright Loss” column.  That is 8 losses in 32 games under Coach Didmon or exactly 25% of the time.  Under the old coaching regime, the Grizzlies were losing games via the outright loss stat at 38.46% of the time.     

 

Thus prior to December, there was almost a 40% chance that a Grizzlies game would end in a loss and not even get to OT.  Since that time, that figure has been cut almost in half.  And most of all, for large chunks of that time, the Grizzlies have been doing it without the services of Thomas Gobeil, Garrett Forster or Matt Kennedy.  Frankly, I find that astonishing. 

 

Here is a fun and  great trivia question for you: Who was the last player in BCHL history to record back to back Double OT game winning goals?  The answer is of course Kevin Massy of the Victoria Grizzlies.  Yes, "K Mass" as I like to call him is a lot of things: The Undisputed Captain of The Bus, a dominant power forward and crushing D Man, but he is now the answer to a great BCHL trivia question which I will assume could stand for a long time.  A long time.  Numbers, especially crazy numbers do that sometimes, they linger.

 

So the Grizzlies enter the 2015 BCHL Playoffs in less than 24 hours and we know who they will face, the Powell River Kings.  The Kings are team the Grizzlies haven't fared well against all year, let's be honest.  But I don't think any of that matters right now to anyone who will be wearing black on the ice tomorrow night at the Q Centre.  Nope, not with the week they've just had.  Not with these numbers.

 

The Grizzlies did have quite a week.  On Wednesday it was up to The Island Savings Centre where they dispatched the Cowichan Valley Capitals in a relatively routine performance and they even trailed 1-0 early. Chris Harpur showed flashes of his not yet fully tapped future pro talent again with a goal and a helper while Dane Gibson scored a pair and so did the resurgent Ayden MacDonald.  Most significant and sadly for Caps fans however was the signature moment of the game.  That of course was Thomas Gobeil, their former star stamping out any hope with an Empty Net goal to close out the night.  It was a seminal moment where you could actually see two hockey organizations going in two completely different directions.  But that's hockey, that's math.

 

Then on Friday night in Nanaimo, with about a minute left in the game, Gibson would set up Meirs Moore with a clutch game tying goal and keep that "8 losses in 32 games" stat safe for the time being.  Then in Double OT, Kevin Massy would remind everyone why he should shoot more, booming a one time slap shot from Team Captain Sean McBride past one of the top goalies in the entire league. The goal brought the magic number from half a game to zero for the Grizzlies to earn home ice advantage in Round 1. That was a reality which seemed impossible when Didmon took over in December.  Yes in November the math looked impossible, at least it did for me.

 

One night later, with 3 AP players in the lineup, Massy would do it again, score in Double OT, setting a BCHL record in so doing.  But not before the lightly heralded supporting cast around the club brought a packed Q Centre to its feet on numerous occasions. At times it was the quick hands of Nick Guiney stealing pucks and feeding Penalty Kill Specialist P.J. Conlon.  At other times it was Spencer Hunter doubling his season goals tally in a single game, scoring two goals, one in the North End of the rink and then a second goal in the South End.  It was the proverbial coming out party of the year for Hunter, his confidence brimming, the 14 and 15 year old girls in attendance all swooning each time the handsome winger tapped the glass in elation after his goals.  Those numbers, the  swooning numbers, they actually mean something.

 

Back to Kevin Massy.  His Double OT winner was huge and for a somewhat and perhaps unimportant but nevertheless significant footnote on the season.  It marked the Grizzlies 219th goal on the Regular Season placing the team alone in 2nd Place in the league in goals scored.  Only Nanaimo had more goals scored at 235.  Had the season gone on another week or two, the Clippers would likely have fallen behind the Grizzlies in that category as well.  And in assists, the team finished the season with a league best 392 "apples", more than even the Clippers at 378.  Maybe its not just another number.

 

Meanwhile in net Michael Stiliadis was excellent on his two nights of work as was Sean Cleary on Saturday in a game which on paper didn't mean much in terms of points, but in terms of maintaining playoff momentum, it might have meant the world. 

 

So off we go into the bright blue yonder of the Playoffs tomorrow night at the Q Centre.  There won't be a Matt Kennedy in the lineup, although every day that goes by however, his shoulder gets stronger.  In the meantime, the team is peaking at exactly the right time.  Not even in the 2000/2001 Fred Page Cup Championship Season did a Grizzlies/Salsa/Warriors franchise go into the post season this hot.  I haven't seen this once since 1991 when I first started watching the Warriors out at The JDF.

 

And that brings me to my final stat of the night, before I sign off and put the 2014/15 Regular Season officially in the books with the most important number of them all. That is the number zero.

 

There are literally now twenty two players all pulling on the same rope, night in and night out of this Grizzlies hockey club.  There are zero passengers on this hockey club.  Zero.  Everybody matters, everyone, even the 4th line players have a voice in this team and each player will have a verse or two to write in this post season.  Each know they will have a chance at "their moment" when the time comes.

 

And that in the end I think is the number Coach Didmon has been seeking all year, the number zero.  If he could get that "passenger number" to zero and get everyone to buy in to his way of playing and his system, the team could maybe pull off one of the most remarkable comeback seasons in league history.  That is of course if its true what they say about numbers.

 

You know?  How numbers never lie.

 

 

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 Edged In 2OT By Clippers

     The Victoria Grizzlies headed up to the Frank Crane Arena on a brisk Friday night on the heels of a dissapointing 5-2 loss to the Cowichan Valley Capitals earlier in the week. The Grizzlies looking to get some traction after ending their hot streak of three wins in four games. The Grizzlies would be without Quinn Thompson, as he was released by the team earlier this week. The Grizzlies didn't have it easy, taking on the Island Division leaders, the Nanaimo Clippers. This would be the sixth game between these two teams this season with the Grizzlies sporting a record of 2-3-0 against their rivals from up-island. This will be the last meeting between these two teams until February 4th, 2015 when the Grizzlies come back to Nanaimo late in the season before a home and home to close out the regular season.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

Head down to #THEFRANK tonight to stay warm folks! @VicGrizzhockey in town as well as our school cheer off. It's going to be electric!
— Nanaimo Clippers (@ClippersHockey) November 29, 2014

     Both teams came out strong, but it would be the Grizzlies getting the better of the home team early. It would be Jay Mackie opening the scoring in the first period, as Dane Gibson left a perfectly placed drop pass on the rush right on the tape of Mackie who snapped one glove side on Guillaume Decelles to give the Grizzlies an early 1-0 advantage. The Grizzlies would get some luck near the end of the first period after a big hit by Clippers captain Brendan Taylor on Matt Kennedy. It would be Justin Sadler dumping the puck in on a change, and Nanaimo defenceman Jordan Low would go back behind the net to start the breakout for the Clippers. Unfortunately, Decelles was out of his net a ways and Low didn't notice, as he tried to fire a cross-ice pass, but the puck deflected off the skate of Conlon and then his netminder and into the net for a (somewhat) own-goal. P.J. Conlon would be credited with his 5th goal of the season and a 2-0 Grizzlies lead heading into the locker room.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

And that's the end of the first period here in Nanaimo. The @VicGrizzhockey hold a 2-0 lead over @ClippersHockey Shots 9-8 for Clippers.
— Victoria Grizzlies (@VicGrizzhockey) November 29, 2014

     The Clippers would cut into the Grizzlies lead in the second, as it would be Jacob Hanlon on a 2-on-1 shorthanded sniping one past Sean Cleary, his second straight game with a shorthanded goal to make it a 2-1 Victoria lead. The Clippers would find the equalizer midway through the second after a Dane Gibson shot found the post, as Jake Jackson's centering pass from the corner went into traffic, and Cole Maier would find the loose puck in front and fire one past Cleary to knot the game at two a piece. The Clippers would press late, but some timely stops from Cleary would keep the game knotted at a 2-2 tie heading into the second intermission.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

Better period for the Clips, shorty by Hanlon as well as a goal by Maier ties the game at 2-2 after two periods. School cheer off is LOUD!
— Nanaimo Clippers (@ClippersHockey) November 29, 2014

     The third period would kick off with a bang, as both teams traded high-quality scoring chances in the first few minutes of the period. Both teams turned on the afterburners and the game began to open up offensively. Sean Cleary had to be sharp midway through the frame, as he fended off a deadly Clippers power play unit to keep the game knotted at two. It was nearly 3-2 late when Jay Mackie got open in front with a sprawled Decelles but the Grizzlies couldn't convert, but they did draw a late powerplay opportunity. The Grizzlies tried to convert on the man advantage, but couldn't manage to setup and get any chances. A timely stop by Sean Cleary on Sheldon Rempal point blank would keep the game tied with only two minutes remaining to force sudden death overtime.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

And we will have overtime here in Nanaimo as @ClippersHockey and @VicGrizzhockey tied 2-2. Shots after 3, 25-23 for Grizzlies. Hero time!!
— Victoria Grizzlies (@VicGrizzhockey) November 29, 2014

     In overtime, both teams had multiple chances to seal the deal. Sheldon Rempal had another point blank opportunity, but a sprawling Cleary was able to make the save and the Victoria defenders were able to clear the rebound. Shawn McBride came the other way with a good chance, but found no dice. Jake Jackson was the next Clipper with the opportunity to put the game away, but he put the shot over the top of the net to end the first overtime period without a winner with both teams having multiple chances to win the game.

Wow! Glorious chances at both ends but stay tied at 2-2 & headed to second overtime. @VicGrizzhockey @ClippersHockey @BCHLLive at its best!
— Victoria Grizzlies (@VicGrizzhockey) November 29, 2014

     It would be the home team finding the final goal in three-on-three overtime just 49 seconds in, as Sheldon Rempal worked through the middle, took a shot, grabbed his own rebound at the side of the net and somehow put the puck past Sean Cleary from an awkward angle to complete the comeback and give the Clippers their third straight win with a 3-2 victory in extra time.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

What another exciting battle here in Nanaimo. @ClippersHockey pull out 2OT 3-2 win over @VicGrizzhockey Superb hockey game on both sides.
— Victoria Grizzlies (@VicGrizzhockey) November 29, 2014

     The Grizzlies manage to salvage a point in the loss, but the team really wanted this win, especially being up 2-0 after twenty minutes. The Grizzlies fall to 2-3-1 against the Clippers this season. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies don't gain as much ground in the Island Division standings as they could've and have to swallow a difficult loss to the best in the division. The Grizzlies will now get a full week's rest, as their next game isn't a week from today up in Cowichan Valley, as they seek revenge against the Capitals. It was a difficult loss for the Grizzlies, but they'll take the single point and move on. -TB