The race for third place has suddenly turned into a battle to stay afloat for fourth.
Such is life in the Island Division of the B.C. Hockey League where the previously surging, and now sagging, Victoria Grizzlies found themselves just two points ahead of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs prior to Saturday night play.
A playoff spot is far from a given as the Grizzlies prepare to head to Powell River to face the Kings in a holiday Monday start at 2 p.m. at Hap Parker Arena.
Victoria has, in a week, gone from a seven-game winning streak to a four-game losing slide, looking to get back on track and fend off the Bulldogs for that fourth and final post-season berth.
“It’s the way it’s been all year. Every game, we need to play our best hockey,” said Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon, less than a day after Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Bulldogs. “Alberni is playing well and I watched some of the highlights from the Cowichan game on Friday. They’re playing well, too. Even though they lost 4-0, they’re playing hard.
“It’s a tough division,” added Didmon, who was still without Brett Stirling, Tyler Welsh and Mitchell Barker on Friday. “We’re going to be a little more healthy as we move along here, and the guys are going to have to be able to put in those back-to-back nights.
“I think that’s where we are right now — having strong emotional games and then the next day having to get right back at it and not having the same fire in the belly.
“I just think that we didn’t play our best,” Didmon said of Friday’s setback, in which they were out-shot 35-24, and followed a crushing 7-5 loss to Penticton on Thursday. “When you’re down players, you have to make sure everybody has a good game. I didn’t think our top guys had the game they needed to in Alberni.
“They were trying hard, but didn’t have the reactions needed. There was a little bit of hoping out there instead of good structure and habit. Once we get away from the way we need to play, we’re not the same team.”
Now it’s become a race to the finish, mixed with scoreboard watching on off nights, like Saturday.
“We’re well aware of the schedules, for sure, but we’re just looking at each game in front of us. That’s why we were ready for Penticton.
“If we could have had two points out of that game … they were probably worth more than two,” Didmon said, referring to a 5-1 lead that turned into the heart-breaking 7-5 loss on Thursday, which led to even more emphasis on Friday.
After Monday’s road game, Victoria is home both Saturday and a week from today to Merritt and Chilliwack, respectively.
mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com
Twitter/tc_vicsports
