POWELL RIVER 3
VICTORIA 0
Powell River leads series 3-2
Home-ice advantage is only good when you actually take advantage of it.
The Victoria Grizzlies failed to do so on Thursday, losing for the second time in three home games at The Q Centre in the B.C. Hockey League’s Island Division final.
A costly 3-0 loss has Victoria down 3-2 to the Powell River Kings in the best-of-seven affair and the Grizzlies face elimination on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Hap Parker Arena.
Victoria has never led by games in this series, losing the opening and third matchups prior to this setback. The Grizzlies have had to bounce back in must-win scenarios in Games 2 and 4.
They will have to do so again and they’ll have to do it the hard way to force the seventh and deciding game, which would be played Monday at 7 p.m. in Colwood.
“They got a couple [of goals] against the grain. I think we were the better team tonight, you sometimes don’t get the results you want,” said Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon, who put on a brave face after a dressing down of his team in the dressing room that reverberated outside. “I loved our play. I loved how hard we played. I loved that we never quit.
“This series is long from over. We have a big game Saturday night and I’m looking forward to it,” Didmon said.
The Grizzlies have had to fight back all series.
“Yeah, I guess we let one slip away, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort or team play,” Didmon said.
Kyle Betts wasted little time giving the visitors the lead as he scooted down the left side and blew a slap shot by Grizzlies goalie Matthew Galajda, low, glove-side, just inside the goalpost 11 seconds into the game.
It stayed that way until 11:59 of the third period, when Jonny Evans doubled the advantage for the visitors. Curtis McCarrick added one with 3:57 to go.
“We’ve been our own worst enemy in the series. Today I saw more desperation and intensity from the morning onward. We hadn’t had that,” said Kings GM and head coach Kent Lewis, who has his team one win away from moving on.
“We weren’t perfect tonight. We need to be better in some areas, but we played with a playoff intensity I don’t think we’ve been playing with since the start.”
IN THE DEN: Chilliwack Chiefs staff were in the building scouting out their next opponent after sweeping the Wenatchee Wild in their best-of-seven series. The next series will start in Chilliwack.
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