For hockey fans waiting for the last moment, that time is officially here.
The Victoria Grizzlies play their last home game of the season tonight (Feb. 26) at The Q Centre with their playoff lives hanging in the balance.
Manager of hockey operations and part owner Don Robinson said an up-and-down February cost them down the stretch, and looks for their best effort as they wind down the regular season.
“We need all our guys playing... and when you lose that for us that becomes a problem,” Robinson said. “(The) last few games here we lost a bit of focus here, there were some games where we could have got some points but didn’t.”
He said inconsistency has put them into a dogfight for the final playoff spot in the Island Division, currently occupied by both the Grizzlies and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs who are tied with 50 points. The first tiebreaker is total wins, which bodes well for the Grizzlies holding a 23-21 lead over their division rivals. However, the Bulldogs play both their final two games at home, while the Grizzlies spend one game on the road against the unfriendly confines of the Chilliwack Chiefs, one of the top teams in the league.
“It comes down to how well your 20 year olds play and how your goaltending is, not many teams have two 18-years-old goaltenders and they are outstanding... Hopefully we can find it in a way to win,” he said.
While early struggles made life more challenging now, all that is in the past and the only thing that matters is the game against the Powell River Kings at home on fan appreciation night. If they win their next two games, they are in the playoffs. Even one loss and that prospect is tarnished significantly.
“Nothing else matters,” Robinson said. “(We) go out there and leave it all on the ice and see what happens from there.”
The puck drops in The Q Centre tonight at 7 p.m. against the Powell River Kings.
alim@goldstreamgazette.com