The Grizzlies finished the 20-game pandemic season at 14-6 and celebrated with the obligatory champions’ group picture at centre ice. Shortened season or not, the players were not going to be denied that moment.
The second-place Bulldogs (10-5-4) have a game remaining, tonight against the Nanaimo Clippers (8-11), but can’t catch the Grizzlies. The Cowichan Valley Capitals finished at 7-11-2. There are no playoffs.
“I told the players to enjoy this and to appreciate it and that nobody can take it away from them,” said Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon.
“It was a tough season, considering the circumstances, but they stuck to it. They wanted this and deserved it. We had a strong team and deserved the outcome we got. It’s a testament to the players’ dedication and commitment. It’s an especially incredible moment for our six graduating 20-year-olds.”
Nick Rioux didn’t have to wait long to face off against his old team. The 20-year-old defenceman who was picked up Nov. 30 from the Quesnel Millionaires by the Prince George Spruce Kings will face off against his old teammates tomorrow night at the Coliseum at 7 p.m.
The Spruce Kings host the Mills and the Cowichan Valley Capitals for the final home games of 2006.
Rioux played a season-and-a-half for the Mills before being traded to the Spruce Kings.
“I was kind of expecting it with the situation in Quesnel,” said Rioux. “I was excited to know it was PG. I like it here. I knew Brayden [Penner] so it helped me. It will be good to see the guys again.”
The race for the Island Division title in the B.C. Hockey League is going down to the wire. The Victoria Grizzlies and Alberni Valley Bulldogs are neck and neck following action Wednesday as the Nanaimo Clippers outscored Victoria 9-6, with Liam Ryan counting twice, while Alberni Valley rode a Brandon Buhr hat-trick en route to defeating the Cowichan Valley Capitals 7-3. The Grizzlies (12-6) and Bulldogs (10-3-4) are tied atop the table with 24 points with the Bulldogs having three games remaining and the Grizzlies two. But Victoria, loser of two straight, still controls its own fate because its final two games are against the Bulldogs on Friday and Sunday. Alberni Valley closes out against the Clippers (7-10) on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies (12-5) remained two points ahead of the Bulldogs (9-3-4) in the race for the Island crown. Victoria has three games remaining and Alberni Valley four.
Cowichan Valley (6-9-2) has played Victoria tough this season and is 3-3-1 against the Grizzlies. The victory moved the Caps out of the Island basement, two points ahead of Nanaimo, although the Clippers have a game in hand.
Cowichan Valley goaltender Jayden Shull held the Grizzlies at bay with a 43-save performance to be named first star. Outshot 21-9 in the first period, the Shull and the Capitals finally gave up a goal by NCAA Div. 1 Northern Michigan-bound Grizzlies defenceman Isack Bandu on the power play at 2:16 of the second period. Tyler Leibel levelled for Cowichan Valley at 7:22. Tanner Komzak put the upset-minded Caps ahead at 12:29 of the third period on the power play and Sean Ramsay struck at 14:51 for what turned out to be the winner. Bandu scored his second power play goal of the night at 19:35.
“We’ve created a mindset where we want to beat each of the other teams four times to prove to ourselves we would be successful in a best-of-seven playoff series against them,” said Craig Didmon, head coach and GM of the Grizzlies.
That’s a victory of the mind. The real prize now becomes the title of the BCHL Island Division regular season, in which the teams are playing 20 games each in the Port Alberni hub.
In place of a post-season and year-end awards, a champion from each of the league’s five hubs will be determined based on total points in the table or winning percentage if the games played were not equal. Each hub will hand out individual awards for MVP, leading scorer, rookie of the year, best defenceman and top goaltender.