Bulldogs bite Grizzlies in opener
Victoria Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon said this week that the B.C. Hockey League playoffs are a long road and there’s always going to be speedbumps along the way.
His Grizzlies ran into one Friday night at The Q Centre — the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
The fourth-place Bulldogs finished 29 points below the Island Division regular-season champion Grizzlies, but you would never have known it Friday as the Bulldogs fought back from a 2-0 deficit to come away with a 5-4 overtime win in Game 1 and steal home-ice advantage away from the Grizzlies in the best-of-seven, opening-round series.
Twenty-year-old winger Cole Poliziani ended it at 1:09 of the extra frame, beating Grizzlies netminder Zack Rose with the first shot of OT for his second goal of the game.
“We played hard at times, but we didn’t play smart,” Didmon said after watching his team squander leads on three occasions.
“But tip your cap to Alberni. They executed their game plan, waited for us to make mistakes and scored when we did.
“The underdog just beat the overdog, so now we get back to work for Game 2.”
It didn’t help the fact that the Grizzlies’ top line of Jamie Rome, Ethan Nother and star rookie Alex Newhook, who returned after missing three weeks with an injury, was held in check all night.
Newhook, named the BCHL’s rookie of the year this week, drew three penalties in the first period, but couldn’t solve the Bulldogs the rest of the way. “They were out of sorts, sure,” Didmon added. “But that was to be expected. And they understand that. They will be better in Game 2.”
Veteran Justin Michaelian also returned from injury, missing the last four games, but he and his fellow American linemates T.J. Friedmann and Shawn O’Malley were buzzing all night with Friedmann scoring twice and Michaelian adding a goal and two assists.
“I was OK, but I need to be better. We all need to be better,” said Michaelian, who scored 24 goals during the regular season.
“They played their game and I think we have to spend less time worrying about them and focus on what we’re doing and get better in all areas, and we will be in Game 2.”
Rose kept the Bulldogs off the scoresheet until the second period when Bulldogs cranked it up and fired 20 shots his way in the middle frame. The rookie goalie wasn’t originally going to start the game, but Kurtis Chapman had to fly back home to Calgary on Friday morning for a family matter.
That sprung Rose into the spotlight and he finished his first BCHL playoff game with 32 saves.
John Hawthorne made 34 saves in the Bulldogs’ net.
Cam Thompson had the other Grizzlies goal. Michael Sacco had the game tying goal with six minutes left in the third, while Dawson Tritt had the other Alberni marker.
Game 2 goes Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Q Centre, before the series switches to Port Alberni for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Grizzlies were 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Bulldogs were 1-for-4 ... the Powell River Kings drew first blood against the Nanaimo Clippers, winning 4-1 at Frank Crane Arena.