Cam Thompson picked the perfect time for his first goal of the season.
After missing the past six games due to injury, Thompson returned Friday night in Port Alberni and scored with 1:41 left in the third period to send the game to overtime, where Drayson Pears scored 27 seconds into the extra frame to give the Victoria Grizzlies a 3-2 victory over the Bulldogs.
Staring at three straight games against the Island Division-leading Powell River Kings — beginning tonight at The Q Centre — the Grizzlies needed some momentum after losing their previous four contests. And they got it at Weyerhaeuser Arena, outshooting the host Bulldogs 35-27.
Keaton Mastrodonato opened the scoring on an Alberni power play six minutes into the game, but Shawn O’Malley got that back for the Grizzlies just three minutes later when he converted a Marty Westhaver pass for his first goal of the season.
The Grizzlies poured it on in the second period, but weren’t rewarded as the Bulldogs got the only goal of the period courtesy Isaac Tonkin-Palmer despite being outshot in the period 15-11 by Victoria.
Shawn Parkinson got the win in goal for the Grizzlies, while John Hawthorne took the loss in the Alberni net.
The victory, combined with Powell River’s 2-1 overtime loss in Nanaimo on Friday, moved the Grizzlies (11-8-3-0) to within two points of the first-place Kings (12-4-2-1).
The Bulldogs drop to 7-9-2-3 as they will host the Clippers (11-9-1-1) tonight.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Grizzlies were again without the services of star rookies Alex Newhook and Jacson Alexander as the pair of 16-year-olds are in Dawson Creek for the World U-17 Hockey Challenge. And although things didn’t go as planned for Newhook and Alexander’s Team Canada Black, they did end the tournament on a high note, beating Sweden 4-2 on Friday in the seventh-eighth place game. Both Grizzlies were held off the scoresheet Friday but Newhook finished the tournament with a goal and three assists in five games. . . . The Nanaimo Clippers made it official Friday, naming Vancouver-based lawyer Wes Mussio its new majority owner. Mussio will be principal owner and director of partnership. Current president, alternate governor and minority shareholder, David Leneveu, will stay on in those roles and former Junior B Delta Ice Hawks GM/coach Darren Naylor will come on board as director of player personnel. Current Clippers GM/coach Mike Vandekamp remains as his contract expires at the end of the current season. Mussio was the former owner of the Ice Hawks but was forced to sell that team as a condition to taking majority ownership of the B.C. Hockey League franchise.
