With just eight games to go until the Christmas break, and five at home, it is no surprise that Victoria Grizzlies general manager and head coach Bill Bestwick would like to wrap up a few more victories at Bear Mountain Arena.
"We've played the fewest amount of home games of anyone in the league. We've got some of our tougher trips out of the way and the month of January is very kind to us, in terms of home and away, as far as sleeping in our own heads and preparation," said Bestwick.
"But that said, you have to take advantage of those opportunities."
Two of them come this weekend in a pair of their bigger games of the season as they host their arch-rival Nanaimo Clippers tonight at 7: 15 at The Bear. Fans have had this game circled in their calendars, especially with Bestwick facing his former Nanaimo team.
Then it's a quick trip to Cowichan Valley on Saturday before returning for the annual teddy bear toss game Sunday at 1: 30 p.m. against Langley. Fans are asked to bring a stuffed animal and throw it onto the ice after the Grizzlies' first goal. The stuffies will be donated to charity.
"We've been pretty good on the road and not as good at home," admitted Best-wick of his team's 6-2-0-1 log at The Bear.
A good record, but three of those six wins were in overtime, which could have gone either way.
"Maybe we're just not used to playing at home yet. I'd like to think that of those eight games we have that we can finish with a bang before Christmas and keep our momentum."
It's also a big weekend in the sense that Saturday at 8 p.m. is the first roster deadline of the season in which teams are limited to 25 registered players' cards. That means teams may be looking to shore up rosters.
Bestwick has scouted a number of games recently and, like most BCHL clubs, may want to tweak his lineup by Saturday, likely looking for some help up front before the final trade deadline in January.
For now, they will focus on the busy weekend with two games being divisional contests, especially tonight's against his former team.
"These are Island Division points, you don't get these back," said Bestwick. "You don't get a chance to play them over. It's a four-pointer. It's all those cliches, but it's a very important game for our confidence, for our team to know we can play with the best teams that have been built for a championship run."
ICE CHIPS: The DDT Drumline - finalists on CTV's Canada Has Talent - will also entertain at tonight's game, and thun-dersticks will be handed out to the first 1,000 fans.
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