The two Victoria Grizzlies with the most Game 7 experience showed everyone how it鈥檚 done Monday night in front of 1,992 boisterous fans at The Q Centre.
And now the Grizzlies have a ticket to the sa国际传媒 Hockey League鈥檚 final four.
Third-year Grizzlies Carter Berger and Marty Westhaver struck for goals three minutes apart in the first period to pave the way to a 6-1 Grizzlies victory over the Powell River Kings, sending Victoria to the best-of-seven Coastal Conference final against the Prince George Spruce Kings.
Blueliner Berger and winger Westhaver were among a handful of Grizzlies who were 2-0 in Game 7s coming into Monday 鈥� over Alberni Valley last season and Powell River the year before 鈥� and they shifted into high gear the moment the puck was dropped.
Berger, a North Vancouver native who鈥檚 headed to the NCAA and UConn next fall, wired a high wrister past Mitch Adamyk on a power play with six minutes left in the opening period. It was the 19-year-old鈥檚 14th point of the playoffs, tops among BCHL defencemen.
鈥淲hen you look at veteran guys having performances like that in the biggest games, you feel proud as coach,鈥� Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon said after his team bounced back from an emotional Game 6 loss on Saturday in Powell River.
鈥淥bviously, Berger led the way from start to finish tonight, and Marty was feeling ill this morning with the flu so he almost didn鈥檛 play. And then you see him come up with a performance like this, and he鈥檚 a local kid to boot, you just have to admire the effort and determination of this whole group.鈥�
Victoria product Westhaver has caught fire in these playoffs. He fired home a rebound off a Kenny Johnson slapper and the Island Division regular-season champs took a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
Westhaver wasn鈥檛 finished there. He tallied again in a third period dominated by the Grizzlies. Westhaver, the game鈥檚 first star, now has eight goals in 11 playoff games.
鈥淲e always knew Marty could score and he鈥檚 a big-game player, and you saw that tonight so we鈥檙e all happy for him.鈥�
The Grizzlies鈥� big line was also flying all night.
Didmon reunited Alex Newhook and Riley Hughes with fellow teenager Alex Campbell as Victoria got the news that assistant captain Ryan Nolan would miss the game after being handed a three-game suspension for an accumulation of hit-to-the-head penalties.
Newhook, expected to go in the first round of June鈥檚 NHL draft, finished with a goal and an assist. New York Rangers draft pick Hughes had a goal and two assists. Campbell, likely to go in the mid-rounds of the NHL draft, had one assist.
Grizzlies defenceman Nico Somerville rounded out the scoring with a late power-play marker.
The only blemish on Grizzlies鈥� netminder Kurtis Chapman鈥檚 record was a Neal Samansky goal in the second period that bounced in off blueliner Johnson鈥檚 chest.
The Grizzlies outshot the Kings 46-28.
Game 1 between the Grizzlies and Spruce Kings is expected to go Friday night in Prince George.
