The Christmas break would be a whole lot merrier if the Victoria Grizzlies could manage to unravel their last two parcels before heading out on their separate ways for the holidays.
Currently on a two-game sa国际传媒 Hockey League slide, the Grizzlies venture to Port Alberni tonight for a critical four-point Island Division matchup at 7 p.m. at Weyerhaeuser Arena.
The Bulldogs, winners of their last two games (and with points in four of their last five), sit just a point back of Victoria for the final divisional playoff spot. The 鈥橠ogs do have three games in hand on the Grizzlies, whose pre-Christmas schedule has resembled a dog鈥檚 breakfast.
Victoria 鈥� currently 13-19-0-4 鈥� will have played 38 games by the seasonal break that begins Sunday, following a Saturday home date with the division-leading Nanaimo Clippers. The Grizzlies have played more games than every BCHL team except Vernon.
Post-Christmas break, the Grizzlies do not return to action until Jan. 8 while the 13-17-2-1 Bulldogs and 22-12-0-1 Nanaimo will both have played four games by that date upon their returns.
Needless to say, these two outings are must-win scenarios.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 meet our expectations from last weekend, so these next two games are huge,鈥� Grizzlies veteran Cole Pickup said of 2-0 and 5-3 losses to Wenatchee and West Kelowna. 鈥淲e want to get those points lost back, and obviously, against two Island teams it鈥檚 even bigger, considering we鈥檒l be going into that long break.鈥�
In five previous outings against the Bulldogs, the Grizzlies are now 2-3, having won their last two by 4-2 scores. It鈥檚 a different story against Nanaimo as Victoria is winless in five, including one overtime loss.
鈥淎lberni is obviously the more important one because they鈥檙e right there with us,鈥� said Grizzlies defenceman Jake Stevens, who has five goals and seven assists in 32 games this season. 鈥淲e might not be able to catch Nanaimo, but we can still catch the others.鈥�
Nanaimo is 15 points up on Victoria, having played one fewer game. Cowichan Valley is nine points ahead of Victoria with two games in hand, while Powell River is seven points ahead of the Grizzlies with five games in hand.
In the five games against Nanaimo, Victoria has been out-scored by 11 goals.
鈥淢y dad has always said, you can鈥檛 beat a team 15 times in a season, [but] you鈥檙e going to eventually get one, so why not give it to them now,鈥� said Stevens, speaking of Saturday鈥檚 7 p.m. home date at The Q Centre against the Clippers.
The last thing the Grizzlies want is to go into the break on a four-game slide.
鈥淣ot at all, especially with having all those days off during the break,鈥� said Pickup. 鈥淭hose teams will be playing earlier than us and it鈥檒l be tough to watch them play and possibly tighten or stretch the gaps. These next two games are going to be playoff hockey and those teams know we need the points and will want to steal them from us. We can鈥檛 let that happen.鈥�
