Coming off a split of two road games in the Island Division 1 midget rep hockey league, the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies Tier 1 squad is getting ready to host Alberni Valley T3 this Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Q Centre.
The Grizzlies are looking to gain some ground in the Island standings, having crafted a .500 record in five games (2-2-1) so far.
Juan de Fuca, currently tied for second in the league with Cowichan Valley T2 (2-1-1), beat the Peninsula T2 team 3-2 in North Saanich on Sunday after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Braves in Saanich on Saturday night.
Nanaimo T1 currently leads the division with a 5-1-0 record.
Ben Duffin scored the winner against Peninsula with less than six minutes to go in the third period, snapping a 2-2 tie.
The Eagles had led 1-0 after one, but the Grizzlies grabbed the lead after two on goals by Kevin Smith and Jarod Rossander.
Peninsula tied it up 11:24 into the final frame to set the stage for Duffin’s dramatics.
Dylan Wilson picked up the win in goal.
On Saturday, Saanich scored all three of their goals in the second period. Evan Kneip tallied for the Grizzlies in the second and Duffin scored early into the third to pull the visitors within one, but Juan de Fuca couldn’t beat Saanich goalie Cam St. Pierre after that.
Div. 2 JdF midgets look to find winning edge
The Juan de Fuca T2 Grizzlies aim to get back on the winning track this weekend when they take on Island Div. 2 league-leading Sooke at the SEAPARC arena on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The Grizzlies, sitting in sixth place at 1-3-1 for the season, last won on Nov. 5 in Port Hardy when they beat the Tri-Port T3 (North Island) squad.
While it hasn’t translated into wins, Juan de Fuca has the best goals-against average in the league, having given up just 14 goals in five games.
Meanwhile, the Div. 3 JdF midgets are looking for their first win of the season this weekend, when they play Kerry Park at the Wuertele Arena at Naden at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Grizzlies travel to North Saanich to play Peninsula T3 on Sunday at 2 p.m.
T1 Grizzlies bantams enjoy weekend off
The as-yet undefeated Juan de Fuca bantam T1 Grizzlies are idle in Island Div. 1 bantam league play this weekend, having posted a 4-0 win over Campbell River last Saturday.
The Grizzlies (4-0-1) next see regular season action Dec. 3 when they host the Nanaimo Clippers at Juan de Fuca Arena (4 p.m. puck drop). They play Racquet Club T1 the next day at The Q Centre at 5 p.m.
In bantam Div. 2, the T2 Grizzlies (2-2-1) sit alone in third place after a 5-4 win over Cowichan Valley T2 and a 9-1 loss to Nanaimo T2. Juan de Fuca hosts Oceanside T2 this Sunday at noon at The Q Centre.
The JdF Tier 3 bantams (1-2-1) welcome Alberni Valley for an Island Div. 3 game Saturday at the Juan de Fuca Arena at 5:30 p.m., then shift to The Q Centre for a Sunday 10 a.m. game against Sooke T3.
The Grizzlies are coming off a 7-6 win over Saanich T2.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com