Boasting the sa国际传媒 Hockey League鈥檚 second stingiest defence, the Grizzlies will face a tough test tonight at 7 at The Q Centre as the league鈥檚 No. 1 offensive team, the Wenatchee Wild, venture to Colwood.
It鈥檚 CFAX Santas Anonymous night as fans are asked to donate unwrapped toys for those in need.
That鈥檚 followed by the annual teddy bear toss game Sunday afternoon at 2 as the Nanaimo Clippers head to The Q.
The Grizzlies hope to play Scrooge in both games, especially against a strong Wenatchee club that features league-leading scorer Charlie Combs with 33 goals and seven others who have double-digit totals in goals compared with four for Victoria.
鈥淗aving the No. 1 offensive team in the league coming in, we鈥檙e going to have to be sharp defensively and make sure we eliminate their chances and finish on ours,鈥� said Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon.
鈥淭hey get tons of shots every game, the power play is good and all four lines can score. They have mobile defence, so they鈥檙e a real test for us.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a good measuring stick,鈥� he said of battling with another top-three club and one of the favourites to win a league title. 鈥淚 think our guys have a lot of pride and they see themselves as one of the top teams in the league and they welcome the opportunity to show that.鈥�
They鈥檒l have to do that with No. 1 goaltender Matthew Galajda away at the World Junior A Hockey Challenge.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 well deserved and I鈥檓 excited for him to go there and be the best goalie now,鈥� said Didmon, wishing Galajda well.
Victoria could still also be without injured centre Tyler Welsh, although there is a chance he could return for weekend play. The locals will have to be extra careful against a lethal Wild club.
Wenatchee, 24-5-2-0 for 50 points after Friday night鈥檚 4-3 double-overtime loss in Nanaimo, hammered Coquitlam 12-0 on Wednesday. The Wild had scored 164 goals heading into that Clippers matchup, 39 goals better than the Chilliwack Chiefs.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, have allowed just 73 goals in 32 games (a record of 21-5-3-3 for 48 points), the second lowest total to Penticton鈥檚 65 allowed in 30 games played. Wenatchee has now allowed 80 in 31 games.
Wenatchee鈥檚 power play is also clicking at 26.3 per cent, good for fourth overall in the league, while the Wild鈥檚 penalty killing is second at 84.7 per cent behind the Grizzlies鈥� league-leading 86 per cent, which presents another interesting matchup.
Wenatchee has a league-best 12 short-handed goals, to Victoria鈥檚 eight.
Combs leads the BCHL in goals, while teammate A.J. Vanderbeck is fifth with 19. Welsh leads Victoria with 17, but he has missed the last two games due to a lower-body injury. Colin Burston and Matthew Baker each have 14 goals for the Wild and teammate Brendan Harris has tallied 13 times after getting a goal against the Clippers on Friday.
Keyvan Mokhtari is next up for the Grizzlies with 13, while Cole Pickup and Nathan Looysen have 12 and 11, respectively.
Chris Jones has six goals from the defensive end for Wenatchee while Jake Stevens leads the Grizzlies from the back end with five.
