The Grizzlies limped into Thursday night’s encounter still without captain Cody Van Lierop, speedster Keyvan Mokhtari and defenceman Nico Somerville. Joining them in the stands were starting netminder Matthew Galajda, Jamie Rome (who is set to head off to the CJHL Prospects’ Game) and Cam Thompson as the flu has ripped through the dressing room.
But the Grizzlies gutted out a 4-1 win before a crowd of 769 at The Q Centre.
After a scoreless opening period, Cole Pickup put the hosts on the scoreboard, corralling a fortuitous bounce, which rolled over a defenceman’s helmet at the blue line. Pickup then screamed down his off wing and buried the puck by goaltender Austin Roden, ala Mark Messier.
That gave the hosts the 1-0 lead at 4:01 of the second period.
It was Pickup’s seventh goal in the last five games and he also has 10 in his last 10 appearances.
Then newcomer Shawn O’Malley snapped one by Roden at 19:20 of the middle frame on assists from Justin Michaelian and T.J. Friedmann, his former Victory Honda teammates.
O’Malley, born in London, Ont., but residing in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since he was one, looked very mobile and fit in well with his new club, especially considering they were missing all those regulars.
“It was a good start. It helps being with two guys I played with last year,” said O’Malley. “You can’t start it off too much better than that.”
Ben Solin cut into the lead on a Nanaimo power play at 1:44 of the third period as the Grizzlies took a questionable too many men penalty. Friedmann got it right back at 4:18 and Lucas Clark upped the Victoria lead to 4-1 just 35 seconds later.
With Galajda out, Tony Rehm made his second straight start for the Grizzlies, who had outscored Nanaimo 22-8 in the previous five head-to-head meetings. He made 37 stops for the win.
Coming off a tough weekend road trip, in which they lost two of three (including two straight for the first time this season), the Grizzlies rebounded to improve their home record to 15-4-1-1 and their overall mark to 27-8-3-4.
“The guys did what they had to do,” said Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon. “It was a feeling of backs against the wall. The guys did all the little things to help the team.
“I thought he did stuff we brought him in to do. He was physical and he got us a goal,” he added of O’Malley.
Nanaimo slips to 15-22-5-1 and remains in a battle for the last playoff spot in the Island Division with Alberni Valley. The Bulldogs are 13-19-5-2 and just three points back, but with four games in hand on the Clippers.
The Grizzlies will now welcome the hard-charging Powell River Kings in Saturday and Sunday matchups at The Q Centre.
