Nathan Looysen didn't get out on the ice during the four-on-four segment of overtime between his Victoria Grizzlies and the vaunted Penticton Vees.
He made the most of his best scoring opportunity in the three-on-three second OT, however, taking a pass from Cody Van Lierop, drawing out the B.C. Hockey League's top goaltender Mathew Robson and sending a backhand into the net for the 2-1 winner in a thriller between two of the top teams in the province at The Q Centre.
"I realized that the one (Vees player) was playing me and it was more of a two-on-two situation and he took my shot away, so I dragged it to the middle and tried to outwait the goalie and slide it in," Looysen said, describing the play.
Combined with a 5-3 Cowichan Valley win over second-place Powell River, the win boosted the Grizzlies' lead in the Island Division to six points with eight games left and a key showdown against the Kings on the Sunshine Coast this Wednesday.
"It's a huge two points for us," Looysen said. "We were down by one and coming back against Penticton's never easy. I think it was really good that we stuck to our game plan, we gotta do the same thing going Wednesday night."
After a scoreless first period and a middle frame looking like it was head for the same outcome, the Vees took advantage of broken play at the Grizzlies blueline and scored with five seconds to go to make it 1-0. Goal scorer Duncan Campbell was the recipient of a gaping net when Grizzlies netminder Matthew Galajda was fooled by a bouncing puck.
Jamie Rome tied it up for Victoria 12:34 into the third, swooping in on the right side to finish off a play set up by Looysen and Drayson Pears.
Galajda saved the day not once but twice in the four-on-four first OT period, stopping Campbell point blank early on then making a huge leg save on a breakaway by Grant Cruikshank less than a minute later.
The game featured plenty of slick passing and speed, and was about as even as it could be. The Vees outshot the Grizzlies 32-21 and each team took just one penalty.
After the game in Powell River the Grizzlies play Merritt on Saturday (7 p.m.) and Salmon Arm on Sunday (2 p.m.) at The Q Centre.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com