PENTICTON 4
VICTORIA 1
Back-to-back games on the road against top-five teams proved too steep a hurdle for the Victoria Grizzlies to overcome.
Fresh off a 6-3 win over the Coquitlam Express on Friday night that pushed the Grizzlies鈥� win streak to five games, Victoria trekked into the Okanagan on Saturday and ran into a rested and talented group of Penticton Vees. The home team used a three-goal second period to help cool off the Grizzlies (16-8-0-1) by a 4-1 score in front of 4,256 fans at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Vees (15-7-1-2), with 16 players committed to NCAA schools, posted their fifth win in their past six sa国际传媒 Hockey League games and improved their record on home ice to 11-2-1.
After Grizzlies defenceman Carter Berger scored his 13th goal of the season late in the first period to open the scoring, David Silye and Massimo Rizzo scored goals 48 seconds apart midway through the second to give the Vees control.
鈥淭he game got away from us in the second. We made a couple of mistakes in our own end and they capitalized and that ended up costing us,鈥� said Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon, whose team remains in first place in the Island Division, seven points up on the Powell River Kings who were facing the Chilliwack Chiefs on Friday night.
The dagger into the back of the Grizzlies came courtesy Brendan Harrogate, who beat Victoria netminder Kurtis Chapman on a breakaway with 21 seconds left in the second period. Silye added an empty-netter with one second left in regulation.
The Grizzlies鈥� top line of projected 2019 NHL draft picks Alex Newhook and Alex Campbell and 2018 New York Rangers draft pick Riley Hughes was held off the scoresheet, but not for lack of trying. They were buzzing around the Vees鈥� net all night.
鈥淎lex, Alex and Riley actually played a good game and were unlucky not to score,鈥� added Didmon.
鈥淏ut to beat the good teams in this league you need more than just your top line scoring and I think some of our younger players who were playing here for the first time were a little bit in awe of the atmosphere.鈥�
Chapman finished with 27 saves, while fellow 20-year-old netminder Jack LaFontaine, a third-round NHL draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, made 30 saves in the Vees鈥� net.
The Grizzlies are back at it today as they head to Vernon for a 2 p.m. game against the Vipers.
鈥淰ernon is a team that has really been playing well lately and they鈥檙e a physical team so we鈥檙e going to have to be ready to go to battle,鈥� Didmon said.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Grizzlies鈥� made some changes in their crease on Saturday, sending backup Keenan Rancier down to the Nanaimo Buccaneers of the VIJHL and picking up veteran netminder Kyle Dumba from the Surrey Eagles for a player development fee. The 20-year-old Dumba has spent time in the Western Hockey League with the Calgary Hitmen, Everett Silvertips and Regina Pats. . . . LaFontaine spent the Past two seasons at the University of Michigan, but decided to come to the BCHL to get more playing time. He plans to return to Michigan next season.
