Depleted Grizzlies in Vernon to begin 3-game weekend
Going on the road to northern B.C. to begin three games in three days is tough enough.
Add to it the fact you’re losing three of your best performers for the final two games — and that makes this weekend’s venture an extreme test for the Victoria Grizzlies.
The 14-10-3-1 Grizzlies will face the 14-10-2-3 Prince George Spruce Kings tonight at 7 before moving on to tackle the league-leading Vernon Vipers on Saturday and the B.C. Hockey League basementdwelling Coquitlam Express on Sunday afternoon.
Starting goaltender Zack Rose and forwards Jamie Rome and Alex Newhook will play tonight, but then fly out to try out for Team Canada West for the World Junior A Hockey Challenge in Truro, N.S.
The Grizzlies, coming off a 7-3 trouncing by Powell River on Tuesday, will be a little thin.
“We’ve got three-in-three and you saw some fatigue on the guys [on Tuesday]. We have to dig deep,” said Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon. “This is a tough league to play in — you’re on top of the world one day and the next you’re facing adversity.”
And they will have to respond if they want to stay with the front-runners.
“We want to take off here and show that we’re an elite team in the league. These guys know what they’re up against. There are great players on this team. It’s a deep roster,” Didmon said. “They just have to have the habits. They have to behave like a champion every night.”
They obviously need to be better defensively.
“Unfortunately, we came in [to Tuesday night’s game] with six unanswered goals the other night and we were thinking offence, offence, offence. On the goals against, you can blame the goalie, but we were certainly stretched out in spots we shouldn’t have been in and giving up oddman rushes.”
With Rose out, Didmon will have to call up Bryce Scheibel from the Peninsula Panthers as a backup for Shawn Parkinson. He’ll also have other affiliated players on call, if required.
As for the three departing on Saturday, this could be Newhook’s second straight chance to don the Canadian colours. He recently competed in the World U-17 tournament.
“It’s a great opportunity for me and Rose and Rome. All three of us would like to get there,” said Newhook, of St. John’s, N.L. “I think it would be really cool to be back with Hockey Canada again and, hopefully, I get a chance to wear the jersey again in Nova Scotia, a little closer to home.
“We’re all excited for it and looking forward to it,” added Newhook, who knows this will be a gruelling trip for the Grizzlies. “It’s a long road trip, obviously, but the guys are up for it and, hopefully, they get three out of three [wins].”