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T.J. Friedmann is a man on a mission.
And the Victoria Grizzlies are reaping the benefits.
Friedmann had a goal and an assist Friday night at The Q Centre to pace the Grizzlies to a 5-2 win over the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
Friedmann is one of several Grizzlies being watched closely by NCAA scouts as the St. Louis, Missouri, product has yet to commit to a school. But Friedmann is now 19 years old, so he knows time is of the essence for a scholarship.
鈥淸A scholarship] has been my goal from the beginning. It鈥檚 why I came to Victoria,鈥� Friedmann said after boosting his point totals to four goals and three assists in nine games.
鈥淎nd I鈥檓 getting close. Talking to more schools now and even going for a [school] visit next week.鈥�
Friedmann, in his second season with the Grizzlies after coming over midway through last season from the USHL, will depart Sunday for a trip to Albany, New York, to visit the campus of Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute.
鈥淪hould be fun. I鈥檓 really looking forward to it,鈥� Friedmann said.
The speedy 6-foot-3 centre stood out at the recent BCHL Showcase and hasn鈥檛 missed a beat lately.
鈥淔rieds is doing it all lately,鈥� said Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon, after seeing his team improve to 6-3 on the season.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a big, fast centreman who can play the power play and the penalty kill so he鈥檚 a big part of our team.鈥�
Friedmann helped set up linemate Justin Michaelian early in the second period for the game鈥檚 first goal as Victoria started slow against the last-place Capitals (1-8).
鈥淭hey鈥檙e hard to play against because they work extremely hard,鈥� said Didmon.
鈥淚t took us half a game to figure out how to get our offence going but once we did we just kept pushing and wore them down.鈥�
Jamie Rome buried a breakaway past Caps netminder Adam Marcoux midway through the second to send the Grizzlies on their way.
Ethan Nother stretched the lead midway through the third and then Friedmann beat Marcoux with a high wrister a couple of minutes later. Marty Westhaver rounded out the Grizzlies scoring with his third in the last two games.
Shawn Parkinson picked up the win in goal for Victoria, making 28 saves.
Raphael Gosselin and Andrew McCann had the Cowichan goals.
The Grizzlies are back it tonight when they head up the Malahat to take on the Clippers in Nanaimo at 6 p.m. The Clippers edged Alberni Valley 2-1 on Friday night. The Grizzlies then make a trip to Trail next Friday to face the Smoke Eaters. That kicks off a three-games-in-three-days road trip that sees Victoria also make stops in Penticton next Saturday and Surrey next Sunday.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Grizzlies are facing some early-season injuries. Forwards Shawn O鈥橫alley and Cam Thompson and defenceman Jacson Alexander all missed Friday鈥檚 game with ailments. Alexander could return tonight. . . . Following the road trip to the Interior, the Grizzlies return home Oct. 18 to face the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
