Victoria Grizzlies rookie starting netminder Zack Rose bounced back nicely from a disappointing 8-2 loss in Powell River last Friday with a follow-up 2-1 double overtime win in which he turned away 36 shots, including five in the first extra session.
He is expected back between the pipes tonight against the 0-1 Bulldogs at Alberni Valley at 7 before the Grizzlies move on to Nanaimo (2-0) on Saturday at 6 p.m. Victoria (1-1) is expected to split the weekend in goal between Rose and backup Shawn Parkinson, but those plans were not written in stone.
鈥淭he first one was rough, especially when they put in a couple early on you and you get pulled,鈥� admitted Rose, who came out 23:45 into the game, surrendering four goals on 14 shots. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 always tough, but you have to come back the second night and just forget about it.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of what happened. I relaxed and said, 鈥楬ey, it can鈥檛 get much worse than last night.鈥� I went on and played my game.鈥�
Not that he was totally to blame. Parkinson also allowed four goals, but on 29 shots as the Grizzlies struggled as a whole.
鈥淭here鈥檚 obviously a rivalry there between us and Powell River, and maybe the young guys or first-year guys didn鈥檛 fully get it,鈥� added Rose. 鈥淭he next night we took it to them. Everyone was firing. There were no weak links and the double-overtime win was a good result.
鈥淚 had to be the backbone for the team and give them the confidence,鈥� he added.
Two of his saves included breakaways.
鈥淭hey tried to go 5-hole, but I kept my stick there,鈥� he said.
Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon quickly went back to Rose in Game 2 and that was key.
鈥淚 think within 24 hours he regained his confidence and made some big saves late,鈥� said Didmon. 鈥淲hen we needed him early on those [penalty] kills, including an early 5-on-3, he made some big stops in that little segment and that gave us the confidence to move on.鈥�
Mental toughness is part of the game for goaltenders and Rose, who hails from Newfoundland but played last season for Lake Forest Academy near Chicago, displayed it.
鈥淚t just proved that, and that was the whole idea about putting him back in the crease the next night,鈥� stressed Didmon. 鈥淗elp him get him back into the saddle. He鈥檚 played goal his whole life, so it was just a matter of getting him comfortable real quick.鈥�
IN THE DEN: The Grizzlies lost Shawn O鈥橫alley in Game 1 when he crashed into the boards, getting shoved while unfortunately catching a rut. 鈥淲e hope to see him in a month. It was a tough injury. It seemed a lot worse at first so we鈥檙e real happy that Dave Warbeck [director of trainer and injury management] looked after him,鈥� said Didmon. O鈥橫alley has gone home for now, suffering some dental damage, stitches and a neck injury that could have been worse, said Didmon. 鈥� Defenceman Dayne Finnson is expected back for Victoria this weekend after missing the first two games due to injury.
