It took a period or two of hockey for the Victoria Grizzlies to get going against the Chilliwack Chiefs this weekend.
After absorbing a 7-3 loss in Friday’s opener in Chilliwack, the Grizzlies, led with a spectacular 39-save shutout from Mathew Galajda and two goals from Keyvan Mokhtari, won 2-0 Saturday to tie the B.C. Hockey League Fred Page Cup best-of-seven semifinal heading into games 3 and 4 in Colwood on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 4 and 5).
“They’re going to come at us hard, they came hard in game 2 as well,” Grizzlies head coach Craig Didmon said of the Chiefs. “They’ve been to the finals last year, they know what they need to do. It’s going to be fireworks for sure.”
Opening faceoff both nights is 7 p.m. at The Q Centre.
The difference between game 1 and 2 in Chilliwack was almost like night and day.
Galajda was lifted for backup Tony Rehm 1:10 into the second period of the opener, having given up five goals on 15 shots as the Chiefs built a 5-1 lead. The Grizzlies played even with their opponent from then on, Didmon said. Despite being outshot 16-8 in the final period, Chilliwack wound up with a 33-32 edge.
Game 2 saw a different game plan for the visitors. While neither team shied away from the rough stuff – Victoria took five minor penalties to Chilliwack’s six – the Grizzlies were content to slowly develop the attack and strike at just the right times.
“They came at us from all angles in game 1,” Didmon said. “Last night we didn’t necessarily throw everything at the net; our puck management in the offensive zone was a little different. We felt we could get some good chances if we stayed a little patient.”
Then there was the Galajda factor.
The 2017 BCHL MVP nominee turned his game around and got stronger as the game wore on and the Chiefs upped the pressure, especially in the third when the Chiefs fired 19 shots on goal.
“He’s always going to respond, that’s just him,” Didmon said of his star goalie. “The puck was slowing down for him.”
Mokhtari, the future Colorado College Buffalo and the overtime hero from game 7 against Powell River, scored his second of the playoffs on a late second-period power play to make it 1-0. He added an empty netter late in the third.
The Chiefs weren’t done, mounting a final attack after the 2-0 goal, but a cross-checking penalty to Chilliwack defenceman Colin Bernard at 19:29 effectively ended any comeback chances.
Chiefs goalie Mark Sinclair stopped 15 of 16 Grizzlies shots on the night.
The Chiefs special teams, potent in game 1 with three power play goals and a shorthanded marker, never got much traction Saturday. All but two of the Victoria penalties were offset with Chiefs penalties. Chilliwack captain Jordan Kawaguchi, who freewheeled in game 1 and set up six of the seven goals, was kept in check for the most part.
Having eliminated the Chiefs’ home-ice advantage in the series, the Grizzlies have potentially three of the next five games in Colwood.
Didmon likes the way his team continues to come back from adversity in this year’s playoffs. “When they wake us up, I see us get going a lot of time. We just have to stay one step ahead,” he said.
The goal will be to maintain the momentum built in the game 2 win over the next few days before the teams hit the ice again Tuesday.
Bear claws … The Grizzlies announced Sunday that rookie forward Jamie Rome, 18, has received a scholarship to attend and play for the Western Michigan University Broncos. Rome, who tallied 28 goals and 27 assists this regular season, remains undecided when he’ll make the jump to the NCAA ranks. The scholarship marks the seventh confirmed for Victoria players this season, with more to come, Didmon said.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com