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The Victoria Grizzlies say they鈥檙e not ready to pack this season in just yet and are focusing on bringing the best-of-seven Island Division championship series against the Powell River Kings back to The Q Centre for Game 7 on Monday night.
To do so, they have to claim Game 6 today at 5 p.m. at Hap Parker Arena, where they won Game 4, 5-4 in overtime, on Tuesday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 what we live for. I know that most of our guys in [the dressing room], if not all of them, love this,鈥� Grizzlies鈥� captain Cody Van Lierop said after Thursday鈥檚 disappointing 3-0 loss that has left Victoria on the brink of elimination. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 get up for a battle like this, then you shouldn鈥檛 be playing the game.
鈥淚 think all the guys are regrouping right now, realizing what happened, and they鈥檒l be ready for a good battle in the Hap on Saturday.鈥�
Asked if he thought this team had what it takes to win the next two games, Van Lierop didn鈥檛 hesitate.
鈥淲hen it comes down to it, I think we have more heart than them and I think we鈥檙e going to pull this out,鈥� he said.
鈥淭his is the tightest group we鈥檝e had in the three years I鈥檝e been here and probably in my minor hockey days. I think we have what it takes.鈥�
They didn鈥檛 have it on Thursday, failing to get a single puck past Kings goalie Brian Wilson, despite outshooting the visitors 34-26. It was a night of missed opportunities as Keyvan Mokhtari fired a puck wide of a gaping net and Jake Stevens also lifted one over the iron, which he surely wanted back.
Brett Stirling rang a shot off the goalpost and had Wilson snare another offering with his glove, but both those came while down 3-0 and in the last few minutes of the game when it was already decided.
That doesn鈥檛 have GM and head coach Craig Didmon down, however. Far from it.
鈥淚 thought we were real dominant in their zone and that their goalie had a good night,鈥� he said. Like his captain, Didmon reiterated his belief in his team鈥檚 ability to come back.
鈥淲e have to go in there in Game 6 and dominate and be excited to come back for Monday,鈥� he said of the challenge in Powell River. 鈥淥ur backs are against the wall 鈥� let鈥檚 respond.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to live to see another day,鈥� he said of his 20-year-olds following the Game 5 loss. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to go play Saturday night to get another game in this barn [The Q Centre] and I don鈥檛 think anyone thinks this is going to be our last one.鈥�
Kings GM and head coach Kent Lewis said his team will have to play another desperate hockey game, like they did Thursday, and unlike their Game 2 and 4 efforts, in which they failed to secure two-game leads (no team has won two straight in this series).
鈥淲e had a good Game 1, a terrible Game 2. I liked our Game 3 a lot, out-chanced them by a wide margin, but ran into a very good goaltender, which he is,鈥� Lewis said of Matthew Galajda. 鈥淚n Game 4, I should have never watched the video because I didn鈥檛 sleep for almost a full day. We obviously have to learn from that and play from that desperation.鈥�
His team has also flatlined on the power play, where the Kings are now 1-for-16 in this series.
鈥淭hat鈥檒l be something we鈥檒l continue to get better at. But, again, kudos to them and we just have to keep with it,鈥� said Lewis, who is stressing focus for Game 6.
鈥淚 always prepare for a seven-game series,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 know our fitness level and our maturity level. We don鈥檛 and we will not take anything for granted.
鈥淲e鈥檙e prepared for seven games. We know Game 6 is back home in a building where we鈥檝e played well, but we also know we gave them one in the last game [Game 4] and we have to be sharper.鈥�
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