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

Grizzlies Season Post Mortem 2014/15

 

Well, its good to be back talking to you all again, but I owe you all a quick explanation about the long delay.  I deliberately avoided the temptation to write a post mortem on the 2014/2015 Victoria Grizzlies season until the entire Jr. A season was over.  I wanted to wait until the completion of the 2015 RBC Cup, which of course was a goal of the club.  Some reading this might scoff at the thought of that goal and think it a bit lofty, but not me and perhaps by the end of this, you might feel the same way.

 

But before I get into a dissection of the season I want to acknowledge the loss of several players from the roster and wish them all well in the future.  At the time of the writing of this blog, we have just recently learned in the last few hours that the Grizzlies will be giving up Forward Ayden McDonald (96) and Defenseman Chris Harpur (96) to the Cowichan Valley Capitals in exchange for the futures in the Thomas Gobeil (94) Jan 10^th trade.  The acquisition of Gobeil instantly made the Grizzlies better and I still think it was the right move for the club; the deal took guts by both organizations.  But I also remember at the time quietly thinking to myself that one day that deal will cost the club and now that day has come.  Two weeks ago we saw the leader of The Hands Line, Brett Gruber (96) drafted #2 overall in the USHL Draft by the Green Bay Gamblers.  Gruber will move back to his native state of Wisconsin next year and play out his Junior Hockey career as a forward with the Gamblers. 

 

With Shawn McBride (95), Jay Mackie (95), Dane Gibson (94), Meirs Moore (94), Matt Kennedy (95) and Jake Emilio (94) all off to respective 2015/16 NCAA scholarships and with a few more likely on the way for next season, the Grizzlies will no doubt have a few open spots at Training Camp which is just 90 days away if you can believe that.  And forget not that Gobeil is off to play Pro Hockey possibly in the ECHL next year.  Add to Gobeil, the loss of Team Leader in Plus/Minus, Zach Dixon (94) on defence and suddenly the task of Grizzlies Scouts and Coaches just got even bigger.  Last but not the least is #1 net minder Michael Stiliadis who has aged out and suddenly the Grizzlies will face an August Main Training Camp with the task of filling a minimum 12 roster spots.  That is a tall order, but not an impossible one for Coach Didmon and his staff.

 

But before we get to August Training Camp, let’s look back and do a proper post mortem on this past, tumultuous 2014/15 Season.

 

After losing Game 6 of Round 1 in OT to the Powell River Kings, I think we all felt a sense of profound disappointment, especially considering the manner in which the Grizzlies came back so late in that game and nearly pulled off the miraculous comeback.  Had the Grizzlies won that game in OT, a game which saw Zach Dixon hit a post just moments into OT, perhaps the story would have been different.  My guess is that the Grizzlies would have gone on a bit of a run in the playoffs, but in the end, we will never know.  That’s hockey.

 

In the meantime, I want to reflect for a moment on what I consider to have been a transformational year for Grizzlies.  The pink elephant in the room and the knock on the Victoria Grizzlies for years has been the front office.  You only need to go as far as the nearest BCHL Blog site and you will find many vilified comments about the club’s struggles in terms of ownership, management, a litany coaches and multiple behind the scenes dramas.  Right or wrong, that has been the narrative of the club for years. The truth is that you will find many of the same issues in most Junior Hockey clubs anywhere. 

 

What I try and remind people when they spout that narrative about the Grizzlies is this: The Victoria Grizzlies were the only team in the BCHL to see a change in Head Coach/GM during the course of the Regular Season and it was a highly successful change in essentially all respects.  Next, the Grizzlies took major steps in early December to reset the ownership model and set firmly in place an ownership team which featured the fans, the community, the club and local business/sponsorship all on the same page.  The fans responded and a lot less of those burgundy seats at Q Centre were visible on game nights.  The team started winning immediately and climbing in the standings.  Things were looking up.  By January at the trade deadline, the Grizzlies pulled off the biggest player move I have seen the club make since the Steve Sigaty deal way back with the 2000/2001 Salsa.  The team acquired the aforementioned QMJHL phenome, Thomas Gobeil from Cowichan and with the undisputed #1 Power Play in the league it started to look like the Grizzlies might be ready to go on a run in the playoffs.  The Hands Line was firing on all cylinders with Brett Gruber, Matt Kennedy and Dane Gibson almost unstoppable on certain nights.  The team boasted what I have long said was the best defensive core in the history of the organization going back to 1991 when I first started following the Victoria Warriors out at the old JDF Arena.  The PK was very solid this year as well.  And the goaltending, while not tops in the league, certainly was coming along to the point where you started thinking, maybe…maybe.

 

In short, by season’s end, in spite of the crippling loss of Matt Kennedy to a season ending shoulder injury, the team went on a 8-0 run down the stretch and many considered the Grizzlies as the most dangerous team in the BCHL heading into the Playoffs.  Well it didn’t quite work out that way and in the end the Grizzlies had to shake hands with Powell River at the Q Centre and wish the Kings well on their way the Second Round.  So I thought that we would give the team its year end report card in terms of where it ended up.  This time I chose six basic team categories to sum it all up: Goal, Forwards, Defense, Special Teams, Coaching, Ownership/Management.  Here is how I saw it at year’s end:

 

Goal: C+

 

Goaltending was good, but it never became great as it did under Alec Dillon the year before, which in the end was what it needed in order to be successful in the playoffs.  One of my few criticisms of that position was what I saw in terms of a lack of using the backup.  I felt down the stretch and even into the playoffs that the Grizzlies never really managed the position as well as they perhaps could have.  I would have liked to have seen Sean Cleary (next year’s prospective #1) just a little bit more, if only to take a bit of the pressure of Michael Stiliadis and provide him some rest.

 

Forwards: A

 

The Hands Line along with Jay Mackie, Garret Forster (95), Shawn McBride (95), Kevin Massy (95), Cole Pickup (96) and Ayden MacDonald were but a few of the names who were key to providing the Grizzlies with one of the highest flying offences (219 goals for) the club has enjoyed in years.  Every night the Grizzlies had three lines, each of whom who could score and the 4^th Line was never a liability no matter where we played on the road.  In short, the forwards were excellent all year.

 

Defense: A-

 

You might think with me singing the praises of the D Corps being the best in club history, they would be worthy of a grade of A+.  Don’t get me wrong, “D Corps” as they liked to call themselves was fantastic all year.  If you count Kevin Massy’s goals when he played as a D-man, they scored the most goals as a corps of defensemen in over twenty years at 40.  But unfortunately, the one major knock on the squad all year was the high number of goals allowed, (210 goals against).  A small part of that was the responsibility of the defensemen.  Also, as we saw in the playoffs, the team often skated with just five defensemen with Massy used primarily as a forward with Kennedy out of the lineup.  This tells me that the team wasn’t 100% settled in terms of that position, so as great as the D corps was all year, they never fully hit their stride in terms of personnel.  While I loved their overall play, that sixth defenseman’s spot was empty at year’s end and I think that fact came back to roost to some degree.

 

Special Teams: A-

 

The Grizzlies lead the league almost wire to wire during the season with the top Power Play in the BCHL.  The PK was also very good and was consistent all year with players like PJ Conlon (95), Mitch Barker (96) and Jay Mackie as key pieces to playing shorthanded.  The Grizzlies scored 12 times shorthanded last year which was double from the 6 shorties in the 2013/14 season.

 

Coaching: B+

 

Under Craig Didmon the Grizzlies were flat out fantastic and fought to win every night.  Over 100 more fans came to home games under Didmon as well.  In December, the team went from a distant 4^th place in the Island Division to 2^nd place and managed to finish the year in that spot with a game to spare.  Under the old regime which was changed out at the end of November, you simply could not say the same and for only that reason, the coaches get a lower grade.  If it had been Didmon and Scott Hawthorne all year long, I can only imagine how well the team might have fared but we will never know.  So on the balance of the entire season, which included the team’s former Head Coach receiving a three game suspension after a Merritt Centennials road game, the bench only deserves a B+ in my opinion.

 

Ownership/Management: A-

 

By the end of the season with the new ownership group fully on board and committed to keeping the club not only competitive but remaining in Colwood, the Grizzlies are looking very good going forward.  The Grizzlies season and maybe their future was saved in my opinion when John Wilson and the rest of the new owners stepped forward in early December.  They made the hard decisions they needed to make in order to be successful.  With local businesses back on board and with a firm commitment to supporting the West Shore, I would say that this is by far the most responsible and stable ownership model the club has enjoyed in the club’s history.  Time will tell if that can continue, my guess is that yes it will continue.  Last week’s scare involving Q Centre tenancy negotiations going temporarily off the tracks was in my opinion an example of a steady hand at the helm and not to be interpreted negatively.  These owners mean business and that is good for all Grizzlies fans and players.

 

To sum up, this past season was indeed a transformative one for the Grizzlies.  What lies ahead in terms of replacing the many missing pieces still remains very much to be seen.  The loss of the entire Hands Line plus 4 out of 5 key defensemen will no doubt be a challenge moving forward.  The good news for the Grizzlies is that recruiting talent to come to the jewel of British Columbia has never been a problem.  The next three months of recruiting and Main Camp will no doubt be key.  As long as the Grizzlies are competitive, the new business model and ownership group will support this club like it never has before.  The Coaching Staff and leadership group is not only solid, it represents a major positive contrast to where the club was just a year ago.

 

So come on out to the Q Centre and join us this Fall for the 2015/16 Campaign.  I know it will be a lot of fun. - CC

Survive and Advance: Grizzlies v Kings Games 1 & 2

A couple of years ago the surviving members of the 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack were getting together to have a 30 year reunion from their National Championship season and it occurred to ESPN Films to make one of those 30 for 30 documentaries about the iconic event.

If I was ever asked, I would often say that the only thing which could ever instantly bring me to tears was the final 15 minutes of To Kill A Mockingbird.  Well in 2013 when ESPN 30 for 30 released Survive and Advance, I had to add that film to my short list.  It's still the finest documentary I have ever seen.

The Wolfpack's Head Coach in 1983 was a funny and outgoing young Italian American from Queens New York named Jim Valvano.  Jimmy V was a lot of great things, but what he was most known for was his ability to trust his convictions and lead his team in the only way he knew how, by being himself.

Literally against all odds, the 83' Wolfpack won College Basketball's most coveted prize, the NCAA Men's National Championship.  The 30 for 30 Episode which commemorates that moment talks about the highs and the lows of that entire 82'/83' season, but most of all it captures Coach V's constant pre-game message during that Final Four:  "Survive and Advance".

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

Just survive the next game and then advance to the next one.  That was his message.  Just find a way to win and we will advance, somehow, some way and we will worry about the next game when it comes.  That 83' Wolfpack team saw him invent tactics in the spur of the moment.  He called timeouts and issued instructions for his players to commit intentional fouls.  It was done only to get the ball back and put pressure on the opposition.  It had never been done before.  Yes Coach Jimmy V invented the intentional foul.

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

The Grizzlies in many ways are right in the middle of their very own "Final Four".  Well actually the BCHL somehow managed to invent a "Final Three" but I think you get what I am getting at.

After a miserable 7-2 opening game loss in front of a sparse crowd at the Q Centre on Tuesday night, the Grizzlies looked like a truly emotionally beaten team.  Nothing went right.  Pucks bounced off sticks, passes went wide or were too long and ended up in an icing call, shots were deflected into the Q Centre netting by the dozens all night.  With only 6 games left in the series and the Grizzlies needing to win 4 out of the 6, the task was looking tall going into the Hap Parker Arena for three straight games this weekend.

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

And that's when I started thinking about Jim Valvano.  After a one year fight with cancer, Coach Valvano would die in 1993 shortly after the 10th year anniversary of the 83' Championship.  On Tuesday night I started to think about what he would if he were alive to the Grizzlies during this treacherous road to the Fred Page Cup.  I started to think long and hard about Survive and Advance.

Down early in Game 2 on a Powell River Johnny Evans goal, the Grizzlies looked like they were on their way to another long night.  But before the period was out, Ayden Macdonald, fresh off a two game suspension, would tie the game at 1-1 on a beautifully crafted play by Kevin Massy.  Best of all, the tie game held firm as both goalies turned away shot after shot.

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

With less than 3 minutes to play last night and with the score all knotted up at 1-1, I literally saw first-hand the principles of Survive and Advance.  Michael Stiliadis faced Brent Lashuk literally 5 feet in front of his crease, alone with the puck. One shot, a save, a second shot up higher, another save, a Grizzlies defenseman to the rescue, a sudden clearance and the danger had passed.  Or so it seemed.  Only moments later another wide open blistering shot, this time from the left D man and another huge stop by Stiliadis.  Survive and Advance.

With overtime looming the Grizzlies went to their Dressing Room with a 32-25 shot advantage.  No matter what happened in OT, the players would be able to look in the mirror with the full knowledge that they could do it, they could compete and play with the Kings.  The chances on net, not only the shots were far more in favour of the Grizzlies.

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

The Overtime literally played out almost in slow motion. Three minutes in, facing the Kings top line of Keats, Lashuk and Lukosevicius and under serious pressure in the Grizzlies end, Cole Pickup would tip a pass to the point and through the legs of Tony DeVito.  The play would see Pickup stretched at arms length and sprawled on the ice in a full extension to knock the puck free.  Using every inch of his 6'1'' frame, the Langford native would get just enough of the puck to send it down the right side of the ice and down towards the Grizzlies bench.

Seizing the moment, PJ Conlon who had been stymied numerous times in both games would sprint down the ice at full stride and beat the Kings defenseman Colton Sandberg to the puck.  After battling to retain possession, Conlon would pass the puck back to the point to Pickup who had re-joined the play.  It was at that moment that Chris Harpur would power his way into the offensive zone and yelling for the puck, Pickup would oblige the Niagara On The Lake born defenseman with a smooth saucer pass.  Taking his time, Harpur would quickly fire off a trademark left handed wrist shot high and over the left shoulder and glove of Kings goaltender Brett Magnus.  The puck found the top right corner of the net.  It was the biggest goal of not only Harpur's career but the biggest for the hockey club all season.

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

The Q Centre erupted and the series was tied 1-1.  Survive and Advance.

With Games 3, 4 and 5 all set for this weekend, the Grizzlies will travel to the Hap Parker in an attempt to accomplish something which they have not done all series and that of course is lead.  Heck the Grizzlies have yet to actually lead in an actual game.  Yes, the Grizzlies have not yet won a game this year at The Hap, but that's OK, they seem to have a new mentality going and it is serving them well.

Survive and Advance.  Jimmy V would be proud. -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



 

The Fortress In The Forest

For those who have never had the pleasure of visiting Hap Parker Memorial Arena in Powell River I will do my best to describe it in a few short words. It sits tucked away in an old growth BC rain forest in the upper escarpments of the tiny town of Powell River on BC's Sunshine Coast. "The Hap" as it is known to locals was built in 1974 when the Pulp and Paper Industry was strong an the company owners had the cash on hand to build a two sheet building for local hockey and skating.

If 1974 seems like a long time ago to some, I will remind the few readers who may remember that the year's significant stories included the Patty Hurst kidnapping, Streaking, Watergate and the Vietnam War. Oh and how could I forget?

That summer while "The Hap" was being erected in Powell River, a middle-aged daredevil by the name of Evel Knievel attempted to ride a rocket sled over Idaho's Snake River Canyon. It was at the time the world's largest ever pay per view audience for a performance. I was 6 years old and I cried like a baby that day in August when my dad wouldn't take me to the $20 showing of the jump. It was being shown that day on a massive screen on the rink floor of the OHL's Ottawa 67s rink in the nation's capital. I stood on my driveway all afternoon waiting for my dad to come home so I could find out if Evil had made the jump, a stunt my father told me "would probably kill the poor bastard."

Old enough for ya?

Well after visiting the Hap Parker twice this past weekend and thrice in the last week, the Grizzlies would leave the old girl winless in four attempts on the regular season. But it provided this sports writer with a little name for The Hap which I coined on the bus ride home last night: The Fortress In The Forest. And that is precisely what "The Hap" has become to almost any Island Division team who must visit this somewhat anachronistic image of small town BC Junior Hockey. Did you know that during a recent visit to the Hap Parker this past season, The Cowichan Valley Capitals recorded their first away win in over seven seasons?  Seven seasons x 4 away games = a lot of hockey games. You may not like the building, but you sure have to respect it. The Hap truly is The Fortress In The Forest.

The Hap Parker would be the initial setting for the Grizzlies first major test of 2015, along with the team's next major series of internal changes, but what else is new?

Have you ever heard the saying that all big things in life usually come in threes? Well it was a weekend of threes for the Victoria Grizzlies. In the past three days, the Grizzlies would play three games, earn three points and make three major roster moves. If there was ever a single word to describe the past 72 hours in the Grizzlies Nation it would be the word transformative.

Friday started with the long bus trip from Victoria, to catch the 3:15 pm ferry and on to the Hap Parker where the between period intermission plan was a $50,000 give away to a lucky fan. But by game time, the promised sellout crowd proved as disappointing as the result on the night for Grizzlies fans, a 4-3 OT win tot he Kings. But it was not for a lack of effort as all in attendance would agree that the game was a very fast and competitive affair with high speed hockey being the order of the day. And so, contest #6 was in the books and the team retired to the hotel for the night. But importantly, the Grizzlies secured a single point on the night all by virtue of the OT.  Nevertheless, it was one of those games you just didn't deserve to lose.

The Grizzlies would awake Saturday on what is also known in the BCHL as Trade Deadline Day. They would awake amid a flurry of phone calls and text messages from player agents, parents and even ex-coaches all of which made the already impossibly challenging day even more difficult for all concerned. By the pre-game meal, the coaching staff had briefed the team on the details concerning the player moves which were met with respectful silence. Released and traded were Storm Whalrab and Justin Sadler respectively and joining the club was Thomas Gobeil of the Cowichan Valley Capitals. It was the most significant set of Trade Deadline Day transactions by the hockey club in recent memory. But such is the nature of Junior Hockey, its a business. And any sense of innocence felt by the remaining players was shed that drizzly day, all of which steeled the team towards the prospect of their final regular season visit to The Fortress In The Forest.

Unfortunately in spite of another excellent performance by the Grizzlies including a first ever BCHL goal by Campbell River Storm AP call-up, Tyler Welsh, the Grizzlies would fail to hold off the Kings and would loose the game 6-4. It would mark the fourth and final visit to "The Hap" until the playoffs which look everyday more and more likely to feature a Victoria vs Powell River first round matchup. A coach on the ferry later that night was heard to remark while in the heads, "It will be a long time before this team loses again."  Prophetic words indeed and much easier to say with The Fortress In The Forest in the rear view mirror.

Sunday's game was very different. It would offer a chance to return the favour to the Coquitlam Express who beat the Grizzlies in the final second of Double OT back on 19 Dec, 2014 during the Grizzlies' 3 game pre-Christmas road trip to the Lower Mainland. That heartbreaking loss was a distant memory as the Grizzlies dominated play, but not the score, due to the incredible goaltending performance by Express net minder, Chris Tai. Tai stopped all but 5 of the 43 he would face in the afternoon matinee matchup at the Q Centre on Sunday. The 5-3 Grizzlies win would mark the only home game the Q Centre for Grizzlies in this current span of  nine games from 2-23 Jan, 2015.

It was Thomas Gobeil's first game in a Grizzlies jersey and he looked very dangerous all night in the #1 Centre's role. Gobeil, while held pointless on the night, nevertheless he was involved in no less than an even twelve soild scoring chances. If not for the athletic Tai, Gobeil could have easily recorded the team's first Hat Trick of the 2014/15 season.

In conclusion, the Grizzlies find themselves in a safe but familiar place in the Island Standings looking way up at the Nanaimo Clippers who look to have disappeared with the Regular Season Island Division Title. But they are also looking down at the Alberni Valey Bulldogs and Cowichan Valley Capitals, neither of whom appear at this stage to pose any major threat to the Grizzlies position in the standings.

The question most fans are now asking is where Game 1 of the Playoffs will start for the Victoria Grizzlies. Will it be at the Q Centre or at the The Fortress In The Forest?  Either way, I suspect the series will live up to the drama an intensity of that aforementioned famous stunt attempt which took place in the year in which the iconic "Hap" was first built.

Oh and if any of you kids or players are reading this story and are wondering what ever happened to Evel Knievel on that infamous day at The Snake River Canyon in 1974. I suggest that you stand at the end of your driveway for four hours and wait for your Dad to come home and tell you himself.  That's how we got our news back in the day.

Or I suppose you can always Google it on the ride up to Cowichan Valley on Tuesday night.  I hear that the bus will probably have WiFi. -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
   

Victoria Grizzlies Mid-Season Report Card

     It's hard to think we're basically at the midway point of the 2014-15 BCHL season, but with half of the season in the books, it's time to look back at what was the first half of the Victoria Grizzlies season. Head Coach / GM Brad Knight had a lot of work to do when he came into the job, and the team needed a big overhaul after the departure of the Fitzgerald triplets. The Grizzlies currently sit with a record of 11-10-4, good for 26 points and 4th in the Island Division standings. It's been and up and down season so far, but let's give the Grizzlies a report card for their efforts in the first half of the season. And yes, I'm a tough marker.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

Offence: B

     Coming into the season, the offence was the biggest question mark undoubtedly. With the gaps to fill with the Fitzgeralds aging out, it left those wondering who would step up and "fill the vacuum" for Victoria. Luckily, the three veteran forwards in Jay Mackie, Dane Gibson and Garrett Forster stepped up to the plate and became true leaders offensively for the Grizzlies. A good supporting cast is always helpful, and the veteran forwards have gotten just that from newcomers such as Matt Kennedy, Brett Gruber and Mitch Barker. The defence has also chipped in with potting goals, especially the Grizzlies top pair of Meirs Moore and Zach Dixon as part of a brand new defensive end. The return of Jake Emilio brought much more offence to the back end, and he's looked sharp since returning from his October injury. The Grizzlies have had patches where the offence ran dry, and they've also had stretches where they've scored at will. On the whole, the team has combined for 84 goals this season, which stands as average amongst the rest of the league. If the Grizzlies want to move up in the standings in the second half of the season, their offence will need to be more consistent.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

Defence: C+

     The Grizzlies came into the season with a brand new defensive unit that took a while to get clicking, but the majority of Victoria's struggles comes down to team collapses in their own end and some breakout troubles. While they've improved drastically since the beginning of the season, the Grizzlies have had times where the passes get sloppy and the feet stop moving, allowing for the opposing team take advantage. The Grizzlies have had some nice defensive efforts from forwards like Storm Wahlrab, Brett Gruber and Cole Pickup, but the Grizzlies forwards have lost too many battles down low leading to scoring chances, and most of it comes down to sheer size. If you look at the Grizzlies goals for/against differential, they currently sit at -10 on the season, which isn't ideal if they want to move up in the standings. Again, there's been patches where the Grizzlies defence has been outstanding and stretches where Victoria gets trapped in their own end for long periods of time. For the Grizzlies defence, it comes down to being more consistent as they move forward.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

Goaltending: A

     In this case, numbers lie. Although they both sport save percentages under .900 and goals against averages over three, the goaltending duo of Michael Stiliadis and Sean Cleary has been outstanding for the Grizzlies this season. While Stiliadis has been given the majority of the starts playing against playoff contenders, coach Knight isn't afraid to switch it up with Cleary against any opponent in the league. The Grizzlies netminders have made some highlight reel saves night in and night out and kept the Grizzlies in the game numerous times throughout the season. Between a sprawled out Stiliadis stopping a barrage of shots and Cleary diving left and right to make miraculous stops, the Grizzlies have relied on their goaltending heavily thus far. It's a common hockey code that you never blame your goaltender, but there's no sugar coating when it comes to the Grizzlies netminders, they have been the real deal this season.

Photo Credit: Tony Burrows

Overall: B-

     With a massive turnover both on and off the ice, the Victoria Grizzlies have handled their new personnel very well and in doing so have entered the mid-way point of the season with a record over .500. However, looking at the bigger picture, the Grizzlies currently sit in fourth in the Island Division and must move up in the standings if they want to make a serious push in the post season and get home ice advantage. For the Grizzlies, they should be satisfied with their position due to the amount of new faces and rust. The second half of the season brings a lot of opportunity for this Grizzlies team to make a move on the top teams in the league. There's been patches of unmatched glory, 10-goal collapses and everything in between for the Victoria Grizzlies, and the second half of the season should prove to be just as entertaining as the first half. It's been a rollercoaster season for the Victoria Grizzlies, and this rollercoaster isn't slowing down any time soon. -TB

Subtle Change or Hardly Subtle? The Grizzlies 5-4 Road Win Over Nanaimo

There is only one true constant in life, and that constant is change. I can't remember who said that first, it might have been Albert Einstein, but frankly I am too tired to Google it, so there you go. But its a famous saying nonetheless and most will agree with its accuracy. What is lost on most people however, is how subtle that change is most of the time. Oh we have terrible and often watershed, defining moments like, Pearl Harbour, the Kennedy assassination and 9/11. Events where at one moment we were one thing and seconds later we were something else. But most change comes in small little doses, like the little pills we often are prescribed by doctors take to ward off illness or disease. The change they tend to produce is often very slow and can be hard to notice. In a word, change is usually quite subtle.

I have been thinking that way about this year's Grizzlies for a long time now. I have been thinking about how this band of mostly rookies is very slowly changing and growing into something very special, but more to the point about how slow they are changing their narrative. That changing narrative is at times is almost imperceptible to the naked eye. But today I also thought about it in my own circumstances in that today also just happens to be my birthday. Yes, I know, its a problem we all have once a year I am afraid. Well tonight I got my birthday present, which I may have mentioned the last time we spoke. So thanks there boys, but let's get down to what you read this blog for, not about a sportswriter's birthday plans: let's talk about tonight's game and what I think it all means.

You know here is why I just love the BCHL. Only in this league do you get a team like Victoria to come into a building like the Frank Crane Arena, fresh off a 3 game losing streak and while on the last game of a very tough 4 game road trip, you see the underdog Grizzlies pull off an away win to hand the mighty Clippers a 5-4 loss. That doesn't happen in many other leagues anywhere, but it happens in the BCHL. And why? It is because this game is played by brave young men from the ages of 16-20 and they are each about as hungry for success as a pack of starved dogs are for a bite to eat.

What league can see the Grizzlies with their #1 Power Play go 0 for 6 on Sunday, drop to #5 and only three days later, they score 3 on the PP and move right back up to #1 in Special Teams?  And they do it all during that stretch without power forward and PP specialist Dane Gibson. Instead they do it with heart and they do it with a total team first approach.  I will tell you what league sees that kind of madness, it is the British Columbia Hockey League.

And what kind of team does it take to give up two late goals in the 3rd period against a statistically superior opponent like Nanaimo and set themselves up for, let's be honest, yet another heartbreaking loss in a season with too many so far?  No its not the Grizzlies, its the "Drama King Kids From The Q!"  I just like the way that sounds and kind of jingles off the tongue, Drama King Kids From The Q, lots of great "K" sounds in there. 

The Drama King Kids, just keep turning a page and somehow, just when the naysayers are starting to say that they can't get the job done, they go ahead and score a Power Play goal in the final minutes of the 3rd period. Watch out BCHL fans, the Grizzlies are changing the narrative on the season, one page at a time. Yes, they have given up a lot of leads and lost games late this year, but they keep getting better. They don't lose games and then subsequently fail to learn from the experience. They give up leads from time to time and then learn how to avoid doing that, maybe not the very next time, but eventually.

But its very subtle you see. You really have to read between the tea leaves to see it.  Here let me try and give you an example.

Sunday 26 Oct, the Grizzlies give up a 3-0 lead at home and lose to a "better on paper" West Kelowna Warriors team. They lose 6-5 and the team is incredulous at the prospect of what had just occurred.  Then, a mere eighteen days later, this past Saturday, they hold off the same team with a narrow lead until the 60th minute of the contest when the Warriors score to tie it with 20 seconds left and force an unfair OT where the Grizzlies lose yet again. Subtle improvement?  I can see it, but just barely. Can you?

Now look at how subtly they are closing in on the #1 offense in the league, the powerhouse Nanaimo Clippers. This same Grizzlies team loses no less than 3 straight, one goal contests vs the Clippers over a two month period, coming into tonight's game in Nanaimo. 27 Sep, Grizzlies lose 4-3 at the Crane, then 4-3 again on 11 Oct this time at the Q Centre. Then one week later another 5-4 loss, this one again at the Q Centre. All regulation losses to a dreaded and powerful divisional opponent. Tonight, they go down a goal and everyone is thinking, oh boy, here we go again, we have no Dane Gibson, its curtains.  But change can be subtle sometimes remember.

And the Grizzlies answer back.  They get a break on a routine Chris Harpur point shot for his first of the campaign and its 1-1. Then they go down 2-1 and you are thinking, its the Clippers, put a fork in it, this game is over. But before the period is out, Jay Mackie scores on the PP. The Power Play?  I thought we were 0 for 6 or something in Vernon and dropped out of the league lead?  We did, but change can be very slow and deceiving at times. Game tied 2-2 at the break.

Period #2 starts and before you know it, Zach Dixon scores his first of the night on the PP no less. Then Ayden MacDonald with King Kong on his back scores a sublime marker to record his first goal in the BCHL. Funny, I never saw anybody grab him the puck. Oh well, I wouldn't worry about it #26, there will be many more where that came from. So the Grizzlies are up 4-2 and for me, what occurs next is the most subtle moment in this season long series so far: Nanaimo coach Mike Vandekamp, elects to pull Goaltender, Guillaume Decelles after Ayden MacDonald's 4-2 marker. As he does this, the Joliette Que native throws his stick down the Clipper's tunnel with words and epitaphs that would make a sailor cringe and trust me, I am a sailor and I was cringing. And so in goes his back-up, rookie Jakob Severson. OK, maybe not all change is that subtle.

But the Grizzlies would not be the "Drama King Kids From The Q" if they didn't have a little drama would they? The Clippers claw 2 goals back in the 3rd period and half way through the frame you are thinking, its either going to be another OT loss or we just cave late. Sorry but that's what you're all thinking, I know it. But the Grizzlies are one day at a time, one period at a time, one Special Team's play at a time, slowly evolving into that team you just pray you don't have to face in the playoffs.

First hint of Nanaimo trouble: Nanaimo hits a post late and then Clipper's Forward, Ryan Forbes (who is a Penalty Killer Expert but wait for it) gets a misconduct call by saying a naughty word or two/nine to the referee. Subtly getting under the Clippers' skin are these Grizzlies, they just keep getting a little better. Every game, every period. Oh they are so infuriating these Grizzlies! And those uber loyal visiting fans! Good grief shut it would you!

And then it happens, Nanaimo's Sheldon Rempal, with his team leading 29 points, loses his head and hits Meirs Moore hard from behind. Referee Jeff Eden has no choice but to call a minor for Boarding with just under 3 minutes to left to play. Brett Gruber then does what he and the other Centres have been doing all night, he wins the draw cleanly back to Meirs Moore and with a soft neat pass over to Zach Dixon, the right handed Dixon, playing on the left point no less, fires home his second of the night and 3rd on the season and the Grizzlies are up 5-4. Significant improvement, subtle, yes, but unmistakably there for all to see.

And that's how she would end folks, the Grizzlies finally shake off the Clippers in what I am calling the best overall win of the year so far. Ayden MacDonald and Chris Harpur each score their first goals of the campaign. And now, after removing the large primate which had been residing rather uncomfortably on Big Mac's rear loins, he enters the Grizzlies Rookie Forwards Goal Scoring Race with the likes of teammates Spencer Hunter and Quinn Thompson. 

And here I stand on my birthday, looking into the mirror, one year older than I was last year, brushing my teeth before bed. Just a middle aged man, reflecting on another glorious Grizzlies win at The Frank Crane Arena. But all the while, ever mindful of that little fact which I like to hide in denial just a little bit. That would be the fact that my "Movemeber" mustache this year has one or two more grey hairs in it compared to how it looked the last time my calendar read the 19th day of November. Oh well, I guess its a good thing after all, that most of the change we tend notice in life, is thankfully rather subtle. -CC

  

  

The Long Trip Home: A Recap of the Three-Game Interior Road Swing

     We have all experienced that strange feeling after a long trip. That sensation of not enjoying nearly as much the return journey as the outbound leg. There is just something a bit more special about any trip anywhere, whether by plane, train or automobile when its the first day. The car smells fresher, the clothes feel better, even the flight attendants seem nicer on the trip to London rather than the flight home. And no matter how much fun we had on the vacation, business junket, or Junior Hockey Road trip, that final leg home is always the least memorable. It just is. Well I didn't travel with the team this past weekend, so I can't say for certain, but my bet would be that the trip down the Coquihalla tonight for the Grizzlies will be an extremely quiet one as they try to make that last ferry to the island.

     Trust me, that is what a team bus sounds like after it has been outscored 18-7 in three straight road games, while the team collects 48 mins in penalties including 3 Game Misconducts and your leading scorer gets a two game suspension. Those bus rides are not very fun. They rarely feature team pranks with players being forced to sing Ariana Grande songs out loud at the front of the bus, in front of giggling fellow team mates and coaches. You know those fun acts of good natured personal humiliation in support of adding to the growing sense of high team morale, those ones? No, my guess is that the only Ariana Grande tunes on the bus were being played very quietly in a headset.

     It would have been so much better a trip home had the Grizzlies found a way to pull out a win or even a tie in Vernon today, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. 5-1 to the Vipers was how the final score read at the Kal Tire Place today before that aforementioned homeward journey began for the Grizzlies. Even the skate sharpening machine feels heavier than usual as you load it under the bus after a weekend like that.

     So what happened on a weekend of nine periods of hockey whereby the first period in Trail on Friday night ended with the visiting Grizzlies holding the home team to only two shots on net? If you asked me to assess how it was going at that point on Friday evening with the score at 0-0 in Trail and with the Grizzlies up 5-2 in the shot count, I would have told you that I thought the Grizzlies were on their way to having one heck of a great road trip. That's what I would have told you.

     But something funny happened on the way to a great road trip this past weekend and it happened right when everything was going just ducky too. That would be the moment that referee Ward Pateman put Cody Van Lierop in the box for a minor penalty for Holding after only 27 seconds of play in the 2nd period. The ensuing penalty kill for Victoria wasn't good enough but neither were the next twenty minutes of play, easily the worst period of hockey for the organization this campaign. It was a period of collapse for the Grizzlies, ending with a score of 8-2 for Trail and one which featured an Ayden MacDonald 5 minute major penalty and a Game Misconduct for a Blow To the Head.  Not what the coaches drew up in the game plan to be sure.

     The Trail game was effectively over at the end of the second period and while the contest included another inspiring Matt Kennedy shorthanded goal for the Grizzlies, it was little consolation for a team which was facing an opening night of a road trip with an ugly 10-4 loss on the books. The other long term issue though was Storm Wahlrab. He would not play on Saturday night vs West Kelowna or feature on Sunday vs Vernon due to an apparent injury picked up during a on ice hit in the Friday loss. So the plan was to get to bed, call it a night, shrug off the loss and look to West Kelowna on Saturday.

     A push back effort indeed was not only what the doctor ordered but what the Grizzlies delivered early on Saturday night at Royal LePage Place. The Grizzlies opened the scoring, just a minute and a half into the game with a beautiful Dane Gibson stickhandling no-move play in the crease to beat West Kelowna goalie Andy Desautels. The lead was soon extended to 2-0 by Jake Emilio. Fresh off two points in Trail on Friday night, the 20 year old defenseman scored after a long but accurate point shot on the Power Play, a shot which somehow found the back of the net. The Grizzlies were rolling after the first period, up 2-0 on the Warriors. And just like Friday night after one period, all looked well.

     But it would not last. The Grizzlies would once again get into penalty trouble in the second frame. By the end of the period in spite of 21 minutes of Grizzlies penalties and Game Misconducts to both Dane Gibson and Chris Harpur, Sean Cleary would turn away all 15 of West Kelowna's shots and the score would remain intact at 2-0 Grizzlies.

     However, the third period was better than the last time these two teams met on 26 Oct at the Q Centre. That was the day when West Kelowna stormed back to steal a win after being down 3-0 early. The 3rd period in West Kelowna on Saturday night would not see a home goal until almost 14 minutes into the final frame. At that moment Jordan Masters would strike after a scramble in front of Cleary. Masters who was victim to the previous Chris Harpur Checking From Behind penalty, had recovered from an apparent knee injury from the hit to grind out the 3rd period goal and put West Kelowna in a position to tie the hockey game.

     Sadly, with the net empty and only 20 seconds left on the clock, an away win in regulation was denied to Victoria as Jonathan Desbiens managed to beat Cleary with yet another mad scramble goal. So off to OT once again were the Grizzlies. In the first OT, after a hopeful P.J. Conlon rush was stopped, West Kelowna would end the contest when former WHL player and Team Captain Andrew Johnson repeated what he did to Victoria on that fateful 26 October home loss. He scored the game winning goal, this time in OT and for the second time in less than three weeks, he broke the hearts of the Grizzlies. But the performance as a whole was inspiring and Victoria could easily say that they deserved better, especially after the debacle in Trail the night before. In all honesty, even a heartbreaking OT loss, did not seem that bad, the Grizzlies played with heart.

     So off to Vernon on Sunday afternoon and a chance for the Grizzlies to face former players and Victoria natives, Mitch Meek and Brandon Egli, now dressed in the bright bumble bee yellow and blue 3rd Jerseys of the Vipers. Yuck! But remember, by then the Grizzlies were without the services of power forward Dane Gibson who had been handed down a BCHL 2 game suspension for his Blow To The Head penalty from the night before on Warriors forward Kylar Hope.

     Without the services of both Gibson and Wahlrab, the Grizzlies suddenly were facing a quick skating Vipers team without both its leading scorer and one of the team's primary Penalty Kill experts. And it didn't take long to notice the two big missing Victoria forwards. Not only did Vernon score first on a first period Power Play goal by TJ Dumonceaux, but earlier in the period two big hits on Grizzlies players Matt Kennedy and Jay Mackie went largely unchallenged and really set the tone for the rest of the game.

     Then in a scoreless second period, at the 14:40 mark, Colton McCarthy in a Vernon jersey for the very first time since being picked up off the Prince Albert Raiders, showed no signs of rust despite not playing in a competitive hockey game for over a month. McCarthy would make it 2-0 Vipers on a rebound off Michael Stiliadis from a Mitch Meek point shot. The goal would stand up as the only scoring in the period and the game still hung in the balance with the visitors only down 2-0 after two periods.

     But any question of a Grizzlies comeback was soon dashed early in the 3rd period as the Vipers would score just minutes in by way of a Trevor Fidler tally with a totally defensive Stiliadis off his feet in the crease. That would make it 3-0 and effectively finish off the game. But Vernon wanted more and they very soon added another, this time by Luke Shiplo at the 4:10 mark. After all five Grizzlies skaters found themselves at one point on the left side of Stiliadis's left face off dot, each chasing down Liam Finlay and Mitch Meek, Shiplo suddenly found both the puck and loads of room. He moved in from Stiliadis's undefended right side to pull off a toe drag move which launched Jake Emilio's stick into the crease and the ensuing goal put the Vipers up 4-0. Then just seconds after the faceoff, recent acquisition and former Penticton Vee, Finlay, would score as the "3rd man in" on an easy 2 on 1 after a Grizzlies giveaway in the Vipers end. The rout was on again.

     The Grizzlies would at least deny Vipers goalie Jarrod Schamerhorn his second shutout in as many games, with a tap-in back door goal by Brett Gruber. The goal would be Gruber's team leading 10th goal of the year after a nice bit of passing in the offensive end by PJ Conlon, Zach Dixon and Meirs Moore. But it was a case of too little too late and while the goal would make the score 5-1, that would be how it would eventually end. Incidentally, the Grizzlies went 0 for 6 on the PP on the night, which dropped the team out of 1st place in PP percentage and all the way down to 5th in the BCHL on the man advantage.

     So now you know how the weekend went, not good obviously but what trends and what lessons can the Grizzlies learn from this sour Interior swing? Three Game Misconducts in as many games and a two game suspension to anyone, let alone your top point getter is simply unacceptable. But what was more worrisome was that aside from a single Zach Dixon assist on that final Brett Gruber goal on Sunday, all the offence this weekend came from only 7 Grizzlies players. Each of those 7 players enjoyed multiple points over the three game stint, so that might be a positive and it is of course. But just remember that one of those players was Dane Gibson who had two goals and an assist, which is very good but he only played in five periods of hockey due to his Saturday ejection and follow-on suspension.

     So what does all this mean?  Well Homer Simpson once famously remarked: "You know Flanders, you can use statistics to prove any point you want, heck 3 out of 5 Americans know that", but the fact remains that no less than 12 Grizzlies skaters failed figure in any of the weekend's scoring. More to the point, none of those players were able to contribute offensively themselves and that must improve. And that is my point. 7 goals in 3 games averages out to only 2.3 goals/game. And yes, while it is a small sample size and all occurring during an Interior Division road swing, that kind of offense, just won't get the job done.

     So that sounds pretty bad, what's the good news coach? 

     The good news is that the road trip revealed the fact that this Grizzlies team has a short enough memory to quickly let a 10-4 loss go. They did that well and were able to get on with playing hard against a statistically superior opponent the very next night. That is good news and leaves me with lots of hope. The fact is that this team is vastly better than what they demonstrated this past weekend. But the lapses of self discipline must stop immediately. The Grizzlies simply cannot afford to lose points leader, Dane Gibson for any length of time. In only one and a half games this weekend, he figured in 43% of the team's offense. And guess what, he still has one game to sit for his suspension and you'll never guess who we play next?

     Which reminds me, I kind of glossed over a pretty major point. The road trip we just finished, well it isn't really over yet. Don't forget we play the powerhouse Nanaimo Clippers up at the Frank Crane on Wednesday night. And that's a Clippers team who just posted a score of 10-2 today on the strength of no less than 6 PP goals against an "Honourable Mentioned" Chilliwack Chiefs team in this past week's CJHL National Rankings.

     So one more bus ride on this road swing and a crucial Island Division matchup to boot. What the heck, Wednesday is the 19th of November and its also this sports writer's birthday. I do get one wish for my birthday don't I? So maybe after they shake off this weekend (remember they are good at that) they can beat the mighty Clippers Nation and I can enjoy a good singing of Happy Birthday here at home from my kids. And speaking of singing, maybe after the win, the Grizzlies can demand that Dane Gibson serenade the whole bus on the ride home to Victoria with some embarrassing rendition of an Ariana Grande song. I hear its good for team morale. -CC