Victoria Left Standing.
You have to give the Victoria Grizzlies a lot of credit for buckling down and winning Game 7 of the Island Final in convincing fashion over Cowichan. For a team that is guaranteed a spot in the Royal Bank Cup, they played with tremendous character en route to 6-0 victory in the deciding game.
For the Cowichan Valley Capitals there’s disappointment after coming back from a 3-1 deficit only to lose out in the end. Rawlings, Currie, Walrod, Zaires, Spencer and Gellert were the best players in their two-round run and that crew will represent the organization well as they move on to NCAA schools next year.
Scott Robinson did a tremendous job of building this team as they went from a non-playoff club a year ago to one win away from the Coastal Conference Final. I get the feeling that this season won’t be remembered as the season they lost to Victoria but the year they swept Nanaimo. To complete a 3-0 series win at Frank Crane arena was a thrill for the players and coaches to be sure – but even a bigger triumph for the fans in Duncan. Congratulations Capitals on a great season!
Going backwards just a bit, what a time of change in Nanaimo. A first round playoff loss and then the team loses their long time Head Scout and their Assistant Coach.
Bill Bestwick is hard at work already for next season and the team is guaranteed to look much different on and off the ice come the fall. It’s hard to believe with all of the playoff success they’ve had that the Nanaimo Clippers have lost seven consecutive playoff games dating back to the BCHL Finals in 2008-09.
In Port Alberni, the Bulldogs have changed their direction, picking up Nolan and Brent Graham from the Clippers. The Grahams are a class family and will be well received in that community. Nolan Graham doesn’t have a long resume just yet but he’s a smart hockey man and a hard worker. The Bulldogs have done well to find a blue chip up and comer in the coaching ranks.
Looking forward, as the Coastal Conference Final begins it’s a dream matchup. Victoria and Powell River could end up in some 7-6 shootouts. They were the two highest scoring teams in the league this year.
Dan Marshall, the radio voice of the Nanaimo Clippers, will be blogging the BCHL's Island Division during the 2008/09 season. Check back often for Dan's insights and the latest news from Vancouver Island.
