After a series of consecutive defeats to their closest Island Division rival, the Victoria Grizzlies struck back in a crucial matchup on Friday night.
Cody Bremner scored a pair of first period goals and Jonathan Milhouse capped the scoring in a 5-1 victory on the road at Cowichan Valley. Tyler Gubb also tallied a multi-point effort for the Grizzlies with two assists while netminder Anthony Grieco stopped 31 of 32 shots for the win.
In other Coastal Conference action:
- Russell Goodman scored into an empty net to complete a hat trick and send the Nanaimo Clippers to a 6-4 home ice win over Langley. Three other Clippers enjoyed two-point nights, while Evan Smith turned aside 19 shots in the victory.
- Jacob Verheyden's three-point night helped hold off the Surrey Eagles in a 5-2 win on home ice. Dylan Herold scored the game winner on a second period power-play while Anthony Bardaro and Grant Toulmin replied for the Eagles.
- Jordan Gallea's power-play marker with eight minuted remaining in the game was the difference in powell River's 3-2 win over visiting Alberni Valley. Both Kevin Ross and Evan Witt tallied two points in defeat for the Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, the Merritt Centennials shrugged off some recent struggled to score a 2-1 home ice win over Prince George. Dustin Johnson put the game away on the power play with just over four minutes remaining in regulation, breaking a 1-1 deadlock. Alex Goodship scored a goel in his first game back in Merritt since his deadline day trade north, while Kyle Nielsen earned second star honours while making 41 saves — including 25 in the second period — for the Cents.
In other Interior Conference action:
- Three second period markers in the span of 1:50 were all the Vernon Vipers needed in a 4-1 win away to Trail. Ryan Santana, Braden Pimm and Kellen Jones potted the quick trio of goals, while Paul Mailey later replied for the Smoke Eaters.
- Garrett Milan scored once and added two assists for Penticton in a 5-1 win over Quesnel. The trio of Denver Manderson, Brodie Reid and Curtis McKenzie all tallied two points for the Vees, while Jordan White stopped 31 shots in the win.
There are seven games on tap around the BCHL on Saturday, including:
- Alberni Valley at Surrey, 3:30 PM
- Salmon Arm at Vernon, 7:00 PM
- Penticton at Westside, 7:00 PM
- Langley at Victoria, 7:10 PM
- Prince George at Trail, 7:30 PM
- Nanaimo at Cowichan Valley, 7:30 PM
- Quesnel at Merritt, 7:30 PM
Catch all the action live with BCHL Web TV or in streaming audio in the Fanzone.
