The Grizzlies (24-30-4) finished two points behind the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (23-27-8) in the final-weekend battle to the wire for the fourth and last playoff berth in the Island Division.
The Grizzlies ended with an 8-5 victory in Chilliwack over the Chiefs, highlighted by a four-goal performance by Cole Pickup. But the result was rendered moot by Alberni Valley’s 2-1 victory over the Powell River Kings earlier Sunday on an overtime goal by Eric Margo.
So for the first time since the 2011-12 season, the Grizzlies will be on the outside looking in at the BCHL playoffs.
“We had a young team that had a rough start. In the end, we came up just short,” said Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon.
Despite the trials and tribulations, which included losing streaks of 10 and seven games, Didmon said he is expecting to be back next season and is “already busy recruiting.”
“Obviously, I will sit down with the owners. But the expectation is ‘yes’ [that he will return].”
Jim Swanson, Grizzlies director of hockey operations, confirmed: “There has been no discussion around making any changes [in the GM or head-coaching departments].”
The first order of business for Didmon is to shore up the scoring. The Grizzlies’ total of 173 goals was the lowest in the Island Division, while their goals-against of 178 was second best in the division and fifth best in the league.
“We have a good defence corps and goaltending coming back. But we need to produce more goals next season,” said Didmon.
The GM and bench boss again stressed the youthfulness of his group.
“We had 15 first-year players,” said Didmon, whose team has 18 players eligible to return next season, including No. 1 netminder Matthew Galajda, whose 2.70 goals-against average was sixth best in the league, as well as key defencemen Cody Van Lierop, Jake Stevens and Brett Stirling.
“There were a lot of things learned by our players.”
“Among those are that we are going to need a better start next season,” added Didmon, whose team won just one of its first 11 games.
That, indeed, was the hardest lesson absorbed this year: Never leave it to the final weekend because too many things can go wrong in last-gasp, make-or-break scenarios.
The Bulldogs will play the Island top-seed Nanaimo Clippers (38-18-2) in the first round of the BCHL Fred Page Cup playoffs beginning Friday, while the Island third-seed Cowichan Valley Capitals (27-25-6), making their first playoff appearance in four years, will play the second-seed Kings (33-20-5).
LOOSE PUCKS: In Chilliwack on Sunday, besides Pickup’s four, the Grizzlies got goals from Chuck Bennis, Jared Virtanen, Brayden Gelsinger and Alex Peck. Galajda picked up the win in net. … Gelsinger finished as the team’s leading scorer with 25 goals and 36 assists for 61 points. The 20-year-old is headed to Lake Superior State of the NCAA in the fall.
