The second-year Victoria Grizzlies blue-liner from Naperville, Illinois, who was named yesterday as a finalist for the league鈥檚 top defenceman award, has his eyes on Island Division rival, the Nanaimo Clippers.
The Grizzlies will close out the regular season with a pair of games against those very Clippers starting tonight in Nanaimo and ending Saturday with fan appreciation night at The Q Centre.
鈥淎t least for me, I would rather play Nanaimo and if we beat them twice this weekend that鈥檚 who we will play,鈥� said Stevens, who was excited about his selection as the Island Division鈥檚 top defenceman after the league announced its nominees for the annual awards Thursday. 鈥淐owichan is a more physical team that can wear us down a bit more, so I would prefer to play Nanaimo in the long run.
鈥淓ither way, you don鈥檛 want to be too high or too low. You just want to be ready to go and wanting to win.鈥�
Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon 鈥� who is also a finalist for coach of the year while goalie Matthew Galajda is one of three finalists for most valuable player 鈥� is wary of selecting a preferred opponent.
鈥淏oth Nanaimo and Cowichan are good teams, they bring different elements,鈥� said Didmon, who might elect to rest some players over the final two games in preparation for the commencement of the playoffs next weekend at home.
Nanaimo is currently one point behind Cowichan Valley for third place on the Island.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to pick up any bad habits,鈥� Didmon stressed of the final weekend. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to get passive. You want to stay intense and keep improving as a hockey club. There are six more periods and we want to finish off the season strong.鈥�
Their first series will start at home March 3 and 4.
So far this year, Victoria has not lost to Nanaimo, winning all six times.
There are also some individual goals on the line this final weekend as Cole Pickup needs just one more point to become the all-time leader in points for the franchise (as the Grizzlies, not including the Salsa). He is currently tied with Myles Fitzgerald at 154.
Stevens, with 51 points, is also three shy of tying the Grizzlies鈥� record for points in a season by a defenceman. That mark (again as the Grizzlies franchise and not the Salsa) is held by Lee Baldwin, who recorded 54 in 2008-09. Stevens is tied for second with Jordan Heywood鈥檚 51, set in 2009-10.
Jason Kean managed 60 points from the blue line for the Salsa in 1998-99 and Jeff Mushalak recorded 55 for the Salsa in 1999-2000.
鈥淥f course I鈥檇 like to reach that mark,鈥� Stevens said Baldwin鈥檚 54 points. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 just focusing on this weekend. If I can catch the guy, that would be awesome.
鈥淚 had a goal higher than that to start the season and I think that鈥檚 what kind of helped me along. I鈥檓 happy with it and I鈥檓 even happier that I was able to help the team get to where we are,鈥� added Stevens, who will head to St. Lawrence University of the NCAA next fall.
Stevens鈥� eight goals and 43 assists is currently second in league scoring among defencemen, four points back of Langley鈥檚 Cameron Ginnetti and three up on both Tyler Anderson of Prince George and Trevor Cosgrove of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Former Grizzlie and current Cowichan Valley Capital, Chris Harpur, is fifth among rearguards with 38 points.
Anderson is also up for the top defenceman award, but not Ginnetti.
Galajda, meanwhile, is 24-10-0-2 on the season with a goals-against average of 2.34; save percentage of .926; and has three shutouts. He is a finalist along with fellow goaltender Mat Robson of Penticton and high-scoring forward Brendan Harris of Wenatchee.
Didmon is up against Bliss Littler of Wenatchee and Fred Harbinson of Penticton.
LOOSE PUCKS: Grizzlies forward Keyvan Mokhtari officially committed to the Colorado College Tigers of the NCAA on Thursday. Mokhtari visited the campus in Colorado Springs last week and he鈥檒l join the Tigers in the fall of 2019.
