The Victoria Grizzlies were taking care of business last weekend, winning both ends of a homestand and maintaining a share of first place in the B.C. Hockey League’s Island Division.
The Grizzlies came from behind to beat division opponent Alberni Valley 6-2 on Saturday night, following a gritty 4-2 win over Langley the night before at The Q Centre.
The Grizzlies now hit the road for their next three games beginning this Friday (Oct. 28) in Chilliwack against the Chiefs. They also hit Salmon Arm on Saturday then head to Trail for a Sunday afternoon game.
Keyvan Mokhtari led the charge Saturday for the Grizzlies, scoring three times as the locals overcame falling behind 2-0 after just 1:05 of play in the first period.
The Victoria skaters righted themselves after that and got a power play goal from Nick Guiney and an even-strength tally from Sage Englund barely a minute later to tie things up.
Mokhtari fired a pair of quick goals early in the second to give the home team a boost, then Lucas Clark added another goal before the midway point of the period.
With the Grizzlies clamping down on defence in the third, the only scoring that took place was an empty net goal from Mokhtari to finish off the hat trick. Jake Stevens added three assists for the winners.
On Friday, Cole Pickup and Tyler Welsh topped the chart for the Grizzlies, picking up a goal and an assist each.
The Grizzlies used a three-goal second period to gain the upper hand and goaltender Matthew Galajda was stellar in net, turning aside 37 Rivermen shots. Langley outshot the Grizzlies 39-27 overall, a rare happening this season.
Jamie Rome and Guiney also tallied for the Grizzlies.
Victoria’s next home game takes place Friday, Nov. 4 when Alberni Valley returns to The Q Centre. The Vernon Vipers visit the Grizzlies the following night. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
