VICTORIA 5
COWICHAN VALLEY 2
Ayden MacDonald couldn’t have picked a better time to get hot.
The Victoria Grizzlies’ winger scored his fourth goal in five games — and the game-winner — on Wednesday night to pace the B.C. Hockey League club to a 5-2 victory over the Cowichan Valley Capitals at the Island Savings Centre in Duncan.
Coincidentally, it was the fifth straight win for the Grizzlies, who now need just one more victory to lock down second place in the Island Division. They will play in Nanaimo on Friday and be back home to the Clippers to close out the regular season on Saturday.
The Grizzlies are three points up on the Powell River Kings, who also have two games remaining, both against Alberni Valley.
Dane Gibson, who has accepted a scholarship from the University of Maine, scored twice for the visitors. Chris Harpur had a goal and added an assist for Victoria and Thomas Gobeil — acquired from the Capitals at the trade deadline — added an empty-net goal.
Julien Lepage had a goal and a helper for Cowichan, while Kade Kehoe also tallied on a breakaway.
Mike Stiliadis earned the win in goal for Victoria with 18 saves. Matthew Zentner made 20 stops for the Capitals, who wrap up their 2014-15 season with the loss.
The Grizzlies will also be looking ahead to next season with an official announcement today that eight imports will join the team for 2015-16. Among them is Matt Baker, a forward and captain at Upper Canada College in Toronto, who collected 26 goals and 23 assists in 43 games.
St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ont., will provide three players in forward J.D. Falconer, who had 40 goals and 25 assists in 49 games; defenceman Cal Walker, three goals and 17 assists in 44 games; and goaltender Matthew Galajda who had 28 wins, five losses and two ties, including seven shutouts, a 1.56 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.
The Grizzlies also returned to Lake Forest Academy in Illinois — where backup goalie Sean Cleary was scouted — to add forward Joey Visconti and his 28 goals and 12 assists in 31 games, and defenceman Jake Stevens, who collected 28 goals and 68 assists in 179 total games with the prep school.
