Call The Plumber, Grizzlies On a Roll

How much do you want to bet that when the Surrey Eagles coaches were preparing for the Grizzlies on Sunday, Joey Visconti wasn't a huge part of the pregame speech?  I doubt you would have heard:  "And no matter what, watch out for #17, Visconti.   He is flat out crazy good and he can kill any team, sometimes almost single handed on any given night.  That's Visconti V-I-S-C-O-N-T-I, #17"  My guess is that the Eagles coaches failed to mention Visconti or for that mater, any of the Grizzlies Plumbers.  The truth is that they probably should have.  That's because if they had bothered to read any of the team's recent box scores they would have noticed that as of late, the Grizzlies have had no issue in picking up the phone and calling the plumber.

Caps Killer Visconti has 3 goals this season vs Cowichan

In the span of just 20 minutes of play from the 3:47 mark of the first period, the white hot Visconti, who scored at the ISC last Tuesday would score two goals and set up two more vs Surrey.  That was just for starters.  By the third period Visconti would score his third of the game and give his Grizzlies team its third Hat Trick in 5 games.  Moments later he would make another of his trademark slick moves on the PK.  He would steal the puck and go in all alone on Surrey net minder Justin Laforest, and nearly score his fourth goal of the game.  In the broadcast booth, the Eagles' score keepers were inconsolable, pounding on the table in disgust as Visconti nearly single handedly broke the spirit of their club in front of their home town fans.  Visconti would earn his first ever BCHL First Star of the Game honours in the decisive 7-2 win.  It was a big weekend for The Plumbers.

On Sunday vs Surrey, Visconti was 3G, 2A and a +3

SNL back in the 1970s used to run this great skit where Dan Aykroyd would play the role of this hilarious and incompetent plumber.  Aykroyd would always find the most horribly grotesque ways of bending over in pants and t-shirts which were far too tight to inspect a broken appliance like a fridge or a stove.  "Look at that, an old Nord!  I haven't seen one of these babes quite in a while."  I am sure that through the magic of YouTube you can probably find some of those old sketches, but if not the Grizzlies have a bunch of plumbers themselves you may want to check out.  The difference is that these are highly competent Grizzlies plumbers and they are contributing to recent team success in ways Dan Aykroyd would be most proud of.

Aykroyd in 1976 would have made a fine Plumber for the Grizzlies

It was a big weekend for The Plumbers as I like to call the 4th Liners.  It was a weekend full of offense which came from all sorts of unlikely sources in fact.  On Sunday just two days after finishing off the Prince George Spruce Kings with a long range EN goal, Mitchell Barker would open the scoring for Victoria.  Barker put the Grizzlies ahead leading the attack vs Surrey in the first frame.  Then it was Dante Hahn's turn on the backhand and Tyler Welsh on the PP.  Both players, much more used to scoring, would add 2nd period goals for Victoria and it was 5-0 when play started in the 3rd period. 

Defenseman Cody Van Lierop would exit the game early after laying out one of his patented trademark hits.  Unfortunately as he finished the check he would somehow earn a nasty cut to his lower lip and require a short visit to a local area hospital for repairs.  But the Grizzlies would just keep pouring on the power with a massive shot advantage along with both strong physical and finesse play.  Later Conlon would score his 14th goal on the season from Brayden Gelsinger and Kevin Massy.  But The Plumbers were the story on Sunday night with Alex Peck, a 2nd Game Star earning a pair of assists and Jared Virtanen having a great night himself.  Mitchel Benson would earn his 3rd victory in net turning aside 27/29 Surrey shots.

About 25+ Grizzlies fans travelled to Surrey to cheer on Drayson Pears and the Grizzlies

On Friday night, the Grizzlies were also able to rise to the challenge of a road game with their one and only trip to the Prince George Coliseum in a 4-2 victory.  Tyler Welsh playing well on that top line would score after only 6:34 from a resurgent Cole Pickup and the BCHL's Player of the Week, Captain PJ Conlon.  But it was another night of unlikely scoring for the Grizzlies as Brett Stirling would fire home a hard shot from the point on the man-advantage, tying the game at 2-2.  This would come only moments after the Sprucers had gone ahead in front of their 1,087 fans.  Van Lierop would restore the lead for Victoria late in the 2nd period from what looked like a fairly benign shot from the point which somehow found the back of Liam McCloskey's net.  The goal would come after more fine passing from the Langford connection of Massy and Pickup, both of whom are putting up some serious points since the New Year. 

The always trusty Stirling would be called on late to help hold the 3-2 lead for his goalie, Mitchel Benson with a defensive stand facing an empty Prince George net with just seconds remaining in the contest.  Stirling would help fight the puck off the boards for his centreman, the aforementioned Barker who had just pulled off yet another of his Guy Carboneau like draws and fire home the insurance goal via the empty net. The game would finish 4-2.  Benson, who got the start would earn his 2nd victory in the win.  Benson was solid all night and was 2-0 on the weekend and now sits at 3-10 on the year.

#31 Benson has owned the Spruce Kings (2-0) in 2015/16

Don't look now but the Victoria Grizzlies are 5-0 in the calendar year of 2016 and are now the only team in the league who can boast that perfect record.  So while many fans were obviously disappointed with the cancellation of Saturday's game vs the Chilliwack Chiefs due to a broken bus in Boston Bar and a road closure, one very good thing might have come out of the experience.  With rookies Keyvan Mokhtari and Drayson Pears both down with illness on Friday night vs Prince George, their participation in the Chilliwack game was very much in doubt anyway.  So really, maybe not playing the Chiefs on Saturday wasn't such a bad thing after all, an unscheduled night off may have helped in the big picture.

The Grizzlies are certainly a different team in 2016 and it harkens back to some hopes and predictions which I made a few blogs ago about the prospects for this plucky team.  In the Mid-Year Report Card, I talked about the balanced scoring, the fantastic goal tending along with big but equally mobile and gifted defensemen.  I also talked about the Plumbers.  I discussed the fact that I felt that should they get even a modest amount of offensive support from The Plumbers that the bigger scoring lines would continue to perform well.  That along with the excellent goal tending would prove vital to future success.  I suggested that a combination of all those factors could make the Grizzlies a potential Cinderella in the run up to the playoffs. 

While there are many games left to play, the Grizzlies are very quietly starting to sneak up on their Island Division opponents, the Powell River Kings and the Cowichan Valley Capitals.  Surely both clubs must sense the Grizzlies approaching in the distance.  Just a month ago, there were very few who gave these Grizzlies much respect. Fewer gave them a chance of doing very much in the playoffs, if in fact they even made the playoffs.  But things rarely stay the same very long in the BCHL.  Now suddenly opposition coaches are perhaps thinking about mentioning the names of Grizzlies players in pregame speeches whom you might not have heard a few months ago, names like Virtanen, Peck, Barker and Visconti, The Plumbers.

Is There a Most Improved Award? Grizzlies On a 4-0 Roll

It never seemed to matter what year it was for me, I always loathed the moment.  Nearly every year it was the same thing, winning the dreaded Most Improved Student Award. The school would even phone my parents to make sure that they were in attendance.  The whole student body would be sitting in the auditorium and all the smart kids and all the athletic kids would get trophies and awards.  Eventually near the end of the ceremony, they would present a blue ribbon for the student who showed the most improvement for that year. And each year they would call up this awkward looking idiot savant to collect his ribbon.  And trust me back then, there was way more "idiot" than there was "savant".

The Victoria Grizzlies in my humble opinion may just end up at the end of the year being the BCHL's most improved team.  And while there are no blue ribbons, that team more often than not is the one that goes on a nice playoff run.

When we last talked, the Grizzlies had gone 1-2 on a very average road trip to the Interior.  There was improvement, but it was hard to spot.  The team were being called Team Ikea by some of the young people and fans I talk to outside the Q Centre after games.  "I tell ya Clay they're Team Ikea, all hard work and fine craftsmanship but no finish."

Then the Grizzlies travelled up to Nanaimo two weeks ago and experienced what I will refer to as "The Mid Island Meltdown".  Even after Scotty Didmon's stirring and motivational pregame speech as the bus unloaded at The Frank, the Grizzlies still lost.  Leading 4-3 with 35 seconds to play, they would somehow end up losing 5-4 in regulation.  It may have been one of the worst losses in franchise history.  In many ways it was the Grizzlies' Chernobyl.



Frank Crane Arena as seen from the air on 28 Oct, 2015

What was missed however was how well the Grizzlies played in the first 59 minutes and 25 seconds of the game. I saw an offensively challenged team suddenly erupt with 4 goals over one of the best teams in the entire league.  Sure it was a bad loss, but I saw it as a positive sign in many respects.
The following night back at The Q Centre the Grizzlies outplayed and outlasted the Powell River Kings.  They won 3-1 on the strength of an early lead, great team play and outstanding goaltending by Matthew Galadja.  The next night and it was the Cowichan Valley Capitals. Once again it was a nice tidy 3-2 win with only two unfortunate short handed goals to blame on an otherwise picture perfect night of balanced hockey.  Then on Friday the Grizzlies would win a 2-1 squeaker at The Q Centre on Parents Night.  Suddenly the Grizzlies were 3-0 since the Mid Island Meltdown.

And just hours ago, the Grizzlies blew away a very frustrated Prince George Spruce Kings team 7-3 and it is now 4 wins on the bounce.  What is going on in Grizzlies Land?



Parents Weekend pre-game ceremonies for The Grizzlies on Friday

Before I answer that, I want to explain why I used to dislike so intensely that award for Most Improved Student in Middle School.  Even as the Principal read out the award, it always translated in my head like this:  "In September this young man was without question the #1 worst student in school.  This student was an absolute grease fire when it came to math, English and science.  In fact, this student was so bad, many on the faculty wondered if maybe there wasn't a village somewhere looking for its requisite idiot."  Then they called my name and I walked past Barb Graham who used to like me when I was the class clown, but not so much since I changed into Dudley Do Right.  I climbed up on the stage to receive that blue ribbon from our school Principal with my parents snapping photos and looking so proud.  To me the whole thing was a humiliating episode.  I remember secretly promising myself that one day, I would burn the ribbons.  Remember, I was only 12 and I had a crush on Barb Graham at the time.

The Victoria Grizzlies are doing a lot of things really well at the moment and that starts in goal.  I believe that the Grizzlies possess the best "One-Two Punch" in goal in the entire league.  While Matt Galadja is universally excellent, Mitchell Benson is perhaps the best kept secret in the BCHL.  I think he may even be the most under-rated player in the entire BCHL.  On the nights when he starts, he is flat out fantastic in net.  The Grizzlies are also playing very well defensively.  Van Lierop, who at times can keep the puck in the zone by simply using the back of his trailing skate, has been outstanding.  But so too has the rest of the D-Corps who are now all beginning to add a goals and helpers from the point.

Cody Van Lierop high fives his adoring fans at The Q Centre

Maybe best of all are the forwards.  Everybody is contributing now.  "The Senior Line" of Pickup, Conlon and Barker are routinely +1 each night.  "The Smoothy Line" with Hahn, Gelsinger and Livingstone score goals and cause fits in the offensive zone.  Then there is the fan favorite "The Shock and Awe Line" of Welsh, Mokhtari and Guiney.  The line has quickly become one of the most fearsome line combinations in the league and they seem to improve each night.  There are PGA golf balls which fly through the air slower that Mokhtari when he gets going.

In short the Grizzlies have made a serious turn on their season.  With three lines capable of scoring and doing so on a regular basis, suddenly the pressure is coming off the leaders in the Dressing Room.

But much work is still left to be done.  To say that the Powerplay has issues is a bit like saying that Dr. Phil's guests may need to "do a little work on themselves."  The Grizzlies PP is currently dead last at 17th in the league with a 12.24% efficiency rating.  But if you calculate in the 8 Short Handed Goals Against, that stat drops to 4.081% in terms of overall effectiveness.  The good news is that the PK is second only to that of the Penticton Vees.  The PK is solid and was a big part of the recent 4 game win streak.

Dr.Phil recently discussing the Grizzlies Powerplay and SHGA

So while they don't hand out little blue ribbons at the end of the season for "The BCHL's Most Improved Team Of The Year", the Grizzlies can take solace from the fact they are slowly pulling themselves out of a very deep hole. This slow improvement could pay off huge come playoff time.

One last word about those humiliating "Most Improved Student" blue ribbons.  You know those little boxes/chests people keep usually in their garage or attic with mementoes and pictures from days gone by?  Well I just went downstairs to have a look at mine. 

There's a whole pile of report cards in there and some high school football pictures.  At the bottom are these three blue ribbons and you will never guess what they say?  There's even a picture of me and Barb Graham at the Grade 8 Graduation Dance.  I guess sometimes even Dudley Do Right can get a second chance.  Talk to you in Powell River on Tuesday Night. -CC

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

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

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

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

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

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

 

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

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

 

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

 

And that’s when Murphy showed up.

 

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

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

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

 

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

 

Photo Credit - Christian Stewart ISN

 

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

 

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

 

Preview Of Big Northern Road Trip

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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