The Dogs have a crazy week coming up with four games in six days. Action kicks off Tuesday with the Victoria Grizzlies at the Pound. Thursday night the Dogs are at home again as the Langley Chiefs make their second and final visit of the season. The next morning the Dogs hit the road for a Friday night game in Powell River. Saturday morning the Dogs hit the road again as they race to the Lower Mainland for a 3:30pm start time in Surrey against the Eagles
It?s just the second Tuesday game for the Dogs this season, with the other one also seeing Victoria at the Pound on December 9th where the Grizzlies were 2-0 winners. It was the only game this season where the Dogs failed to score a goal. The season series favours the Grizzlies, with the Dogs picking up just two points in the previous 10 games with one overtime loss and one tie. The last time these teams met was January 9th at Bear Mountain Arena, a 5-2 Victoria win.
The Grizzlies enter this week with a record of 32-12-1 and 3. They were last in action Saturday night at home where they beat the Merritt Centennials by a score of 6 to 3. The Centennials got off to a good start in this one, scoring on the power play before the game was two minutes old. Before the period was out the Grizzlies got the equalizer, also on the power play, as Justin Courtnall found the net. The Grizzlies came out and owned the second, scoring four times. Brian Nugent made it 2-1 just 15 seconds into the period, before Courtnall got his second and third of the game for a 4-1 Victoria lead. Sam Higgins would add one more late in the period for a 5-1 Grizz lead after 40 minutes. The Cents would trim the gap to 5-2 with a power play marker with nine minutes to go in the period, before adding one more three minutes later to make it 5-3. That would be as close as they would get though, as Myles MacRae added an empty netter for the 6-3 final.
Shots favoured Victoria 47-24, with Alex Peck picking up the win in net. The Grizzlies were 1 for 6 on the power play, while also adding a shorthanded marker. The Centennials were 2 for 5.
Plain and simple, it will take nothing but the Dogs best effort to date if they hope to pick up their first win of the season against the RBC Cup hosts. Points are valuable to the Grizzlies, as they lead the Cowichan Valley Capitals for tops on the Island by just two points. They do have four games in hand though.
Tuesday?s pregame show from the Pound kicks off at 6:45 with the puck dropping at 7:00 on 93.3 The Peak FM and the BCHL Fanzone
Thursday the Langley Chiefs pay their second and final visit of the season to the Pound. They last travelled to Port Alberni on October 3rd. These teams have met three times already this season, with the most recent meeting being a 5-1 Chiefs win November 28th at the George Preston Recreation Centre.
The Chiefs enter play this week with a record of 28-20-1 and 1, good for 58 points and second in the Mainland Division, 11 points behind the Powell River Kings . They were last in action Saturday night at home where they lost to the Kings, 3-2 in overtime. The game started well for the Chiefs, as they led 1-0 after one period on a Jessie Tresierra power play marker in the final five minutes of the first. The Kings would get the only goal of the second for a 1-1 tie into period three. Before the third was a minute old the Chiefs took the lead back with a Trevor Gerling goal, but the Kings again evened it up quickly, making it 2-2 before the five minute mark of the period. The Kings would get the winner on a power play goal 1:56 into overtime.
Final shots favoured Powell River 33-29 with Joe Rodwell taking the loss in goal. The Chiefs were 1 for 8 on the power play while the Kings were 1 for 4.
Thursday?s pregame show is on the air at 6:45 with the play-by-play following at 7:00pm on 93.3 The Peak FM and the BCHL Fanzone.
The Dogs get up Friday morning and hit the road to visit the Powell River Kings for the second and final time this season. While the only meeting of the season in Powell River wasn?t a pretty one (a 7-1 Kings win November 16th where they scored 5 power play goals and outshot the Dogs 59-16) the two games at the Alberni Valley Multiplex early in September were great games to watch, with the Kings winning one 5-4 in double OT, before the Dogs won the next one 3-2 in regulation. September is certainly a long time ago when February is right around the corner – but so is November.
The Kings enter this week with a record of 32-15-1 and 4, good for 69 points and tops in the Mainland Division. They also top the Coastal Conference, with a one point lead over Victoria. The Grizzlies have four games in hand. The Kings were last in action Sunday afternoon in Surrey, where they won their second in a row by a score of 4 to 1 on the strength of four power play goals. Mat Bodie made it 1-0 Kings just 2:57 into the first, before Clay Harvey made it 2-0 with just over two minutes left in the period. After a scoreless second period the Kings went up 3-0 on an Erik Vos power play marker before the third was even a minute old. Just 16 seconds later Clay Harvey found the net for a 4-0 Kings lead. The Eagles would spoil Carsen Chubak?s shutout bid with just 20 seconds left in the game with a Darnell Dyck goal.
The Kings outshot the Eagles 4
