All Grizzlies want for Christmas are their two last wins of the year
The Victoria Grizzlies have two games to lay it all on the line before they get to enjoy the holiday season.
General manager and head coach Craig Didmon wants nothing more than to add two more ticks to the win column in the B.C. Hockey League standings as the locals entertain the Cowichan Valley Capitals tonight at 7 and then the Prince George Spruce Kings on Saturday at The Q Centre.
After Wednesday’s 3-2 victory in Port Alberni, the Grizzlies are 17-14-3-1 and in second place in the Island Division. They’re one point up on Nanaimo, which has two games in hand, and two points back of Powell River, which has four games in hand.
The Capitals are a dismal 5-22-3-2, but have won their past three outings, scoring 14 goals in the process.
Victoria has also won three straight, after losing five in a row — including a 5-3 setback in Duncan against the Capitals. Cowichan Valley is winless on the road at 0-16-1-0, scoring just 28 times and allowing 97 against for a minus-69 goal differential.
“We’re feeling confident in our own barn and we owe Cowichan one,” said Didmon. “They’ll see a different team, no question, but they are on a good run right now and it’ll be a battle.
“Against Prince George, we need to do to them what they did to us: catch them with the weary bus legs and throw 60 minutes of hard hockey at them,” added Didmon, whose crew lost 2-1 in Prince George as part of that five-game losing skein.
The Grizz want to see their current streak extend into the holiday season before they come back Jan. 2 for a home-and-home against Cowichan Valley.
“We have three games here this week that we think are all winnable,” Grizzlies forward Jamie Rome, who is enjoying plenty of success with linemates Alex Newhook and Ethan Nother, said before Wednesday’s victory. “If we can get these three [wins] before the break, we would be sitting well in the standings.”
Newhook has been spectacular of late. Should Wednesday’s winning goal be changed from Carter Berger to Newhook, who Didmon said tipped in the puck, that would give the 16-year-old 13 points in his last four games.
Should that official change be made, through video review, Newhook will have jumped into a tie for seventh place in league scoring with 38 points, including 14 goals.
“There’s some good chemistry there,” Didmon said of the trio. “Jamie is getting better every day and, obviously, Nother and Newhook are finding the back of the net. Those are three skilled guys, and if you put them all on one line, they’re tough to play against.”
Didmon is impressed with Newhook, but not surprised in what he is accomplishing as a rookie.
“He’s not surprised either. He wouldn’t say it, but deep down he wants to lead this league in scoring,” Didmon said. “He’s a great competitor and he raises his game when he needs to.”
Not making the Canada West team for the World Jr. A Hockey Challenge — where teammate Zack Rose is right now — has given Newhook extra motivation.
“He’s that much more vested in showing Hockey Canada how good he is,” Didmon said.