Going into this season, the Victoria Grizzlies biggest question mark was where were the goals going to come from.
GM and head coach Craig Didmon knows he has good goaltending and a great blue-line unit, but other than veteran winger Cole Pickup, the forward group is unproven at the sa国际传媒 Hockey League level. So the head coach is counting on the likes of Tyler Welsh, Nathan Looysen and second-year speedster Keyvan Mokhtari to take their games up a notch this season.
After a quiet season opener on Friday night, Mokhtari answered his coach鈥檚 challenge Saturday at The Q Centre and was one of the best players on the ice in notching two goals and an assist to lead the Grizzlies to a 5-4 double-overtime win over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
After Welsh opened the scoring just 54 seconds in, Mokhtari notched his first of the season just 29 seconds later to send the Grizzlies on their way to their second straight win. They had to wait a little longer for this one as rookie Justin Michaelian notched the winner in the final minute of 3-on-3 overtime.
Mokhtari, a product of the Burnaby Winter Club and whose parents are from Iran, finished the first period with a goal, a goalpost, two penalties and he drew one penalty. He added his second goal of the game on a shorthanded breakaway midway through the third period to get the Grizzlies back on even terms.
鈥淲e want to get Keyvan鈥檚 motor running because he has a great skill package and you saw that tonight,鈥� Didmon said. 鈥淗e was the best player on the ice tonight and, when he learns how to produce consistently in this league, he鈥檒l have a great career.鈥�
Mokhtari finished last season with 11 goals and 19 assists and he鈥檚 determined to better those numbers.
鈥淸Friday] was kind of a rough game with nerves and rustiness being the first game of the season but tonight I felt great from the start, got a goal early and went from there,鈥� said Mokhtari, who was named the game鈥檚 first star. 鈥淚 want to be a go-to guy on this team this year, whether it be power play, penalty kill or whatever it takes.鈥�
Despite going down 2-0 before the game was two minutes old, the Bulldogs wouldn鈥檛 go away and got a good road point to go with their opening victory in Nanaimo on Friday night. Auggie Moore was credited with the go-ahead goal seven minutes into the third, although all 800 fans in attendance and most of the players on the ice thought it hit the post, but the referees ruled it a goal. Ryan Steele, Connor Welsh and Cayden Kraus were the other Bulldogs to beat Grizzlies netminder Mitchell Benson.
Pickup had the other Grizzlies goal on Alberni goalie Brody Claeys.
The Grizzlies now hit the road for the first time this season, visiting Duncan on Tuesday to take on the Cowichan Valley Capitals, who won their home opener on Saturday with a 4-2 win over the Powell River Kings.
LOOSE PUCKS: Following Tuesday鈥檚 game in Duncan, the Grizzlies return home for a pair of games next weekend. Victoria will host the Surrey Eagles on Friday night at The Q Centre, followed by a Saturday night tilt with the Capitals.
