Playoff hockey can be cruel some times.
Case in point, the Victoria Grizzlies.
The Alberni Valley Bulldogs have the Grizzlies in a hole in their best-of-seven first-round sa国际传媒 Hockey League playoff series after the visiting Bulldogs won Game 2 on Sunday afternoon at The Q Centre to take a 2-0 series lead.
Yet, the fourth-place Bulldogs haven鈥檛 played a single second with the lead after getting an overtime winner for the second game in a row, this one courtesy Mitchell Oliver 3:56 into the first overtime period after an atrocious line change by the Grizzlies resulted in a 2-on-1 from the Grizzlies鈥� blue line.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an interesting stat, but that鈥檚 playoff hockey and they got the lead when it mattered and that鈥檚 what counts,鈥� Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon said after watching his team fall 5-4 for the second straight game.
鈥淏ut maybe that鈥檚 what this team needs now, some adversity that puts a little more urgency in their game.鈥�
Like Game 1, the Grizzlies struck first in Sunday鈥檚 game and never relinquished the lead until the overtime goal. They thought they had finally put the Bulldogs away when Justin Michaelian scored his second goal and fifth point of the series with 3:30 to go in the third, but the never-say-die Bulldogs again had some late bite left in them. With goaltender John Hawthorne pulled for the extra attacker, Michael Sacco was left alone in front of Grizzlies netminder Zack Rose and he one-timed it into the back of the net. In the series opener, the Bulldogs tied the game with three minutes remaining.
鈥淲e just have a group of players who don鈥檛 get too rattled when [the Grizzlies] get a lead and just keep plugging away,鈥� said Bulldogs GM and head coach Matt Hughes, whose club is now on a four-game winning streak having beaten Powell River in their final two regular season games.
鈥淲e got healthy late in the regular season and built some momentum on the last weekend and were able to carry it over into these playoff games so we鈥檙e proud of what we鈥檝e done so far.鈥�
What they鈥檝e done is held the Grizzlies鈥� top line of Jamie Rome, Alex Newhook and Ethan Nother in check for more than 120 minutes. Rome鈥檚 goal and assist on Sunday are the line鈥檚 only points of the series.
But picking up the slack for the Grizzlies has been the all-American line. Justin Michaelian, T.J. Friedmann and Shawn O鈥橫alley combined for six more points on Sunday. And Friedmann nearly made it seven, hitting the crossbar in the opening minute of overtime.
鈥淭hey are starting to play very well together again and working hard and seeing the benefits of that,鈥� added Didmon. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not seeing the other team鈥檚 checking line either and taking advantage of that.鈥�
Rose once again started between the pipes for the Grizzlies 鈥� and was busy making 37 saves and giving up a penalty shot goal 鈥� as creasemate Kurtis Chapman had to return home to Airdrie, Alta., on Friday after a close family friend was killed in a car crash last week.
Chapman and nineteen-year-old Morgan Simpson were friends since elementary school and Simpson was also a teammate of Rome and Grizzlies defenceman Cole Noble in minor hockey. The Grizzlies held a moment of silence for Simpson prior to Sunday鈥檚 game.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough situation, especially for Kurtis, they were best friends,鈥� said a sombre Rome, who鈥檚 from nearby Calgary.
鈥淚 played with Morgan鈥檚 twin brother in midget triple-A and Morgan would AP [get called up] to our team quite a bit and we would skate in the summers together so I got to know him quite well. He was an unbelievable person and he鈥檒l truly be missed.鈥�
At the time of his death, Simpson was playing for the Coaldale Copperheads of the Heritage Junior B League in Alberta.
鈥淗e had a real passion for hockey and was always smiling when you saw him around the rink. It鈥檚 just a really sad situation.
There鈥檚 no timeline for Chapman鈥檚 return as the Grizzlies head to Port Alberni today to try to keep from being in an even bigger hole.
鈥淚t鈥檚 back to one game at a time, one period at a time now,鈥� Didmon said. 鈥淲e deserved a better outcome than being down 2-0, but we move on and get ready for Game 3 now.鈥�
