The Revelstoke Grizzlies started strong last weekend in the first of two KIJHL Okanagan Conference Final games, beating the 100 Mile House Wranglers 7-3 at home but losing their momentum the following night with a 4-0 loss.
Friday, March 28
The first goal of the contest was scored halfway through the opening period on a shot from the point by the Wranglers' Kole Duquette, with Riley Langille and Ethan Davey earning assists.
Jake Neufeld opened the scoring for Revelstoke seven minutes into the second frame, out-skating a 100 Mile House defender before getting a shot off that rolled over the goaltender's back and dribbled into the cage. The night seemed relatively tame, but 10 minutes later, a Grizzlies onslaught ensued.
In 1:51, Revelstoke delivered a barrage of carbon-copy goals on tip-ins from the point, scoring four times. Austin Wooley released a wrist shot from the right point that Florian Ambauen deflected into the net for a 2-1 lead. Then, Nathan White followed up with a shot from the same spot that Mark LaFleur tipped in.
Fifty seconds later, Colton McLeod fired a shot from the top of the left key that hit a Wrangler defender's stick and skipped past goalie Tyson Endall. Just nine seconds later, Jaylen Forsyth snapped an unobstructed wrist shot from the top of the right key, which sailed over Endall’s glove and ended his evening in the crease.
Remarkably, this wasn't the fastest four goals in Grizzlies history. In March 2018, Revelstoke scored four times in 1:46 — also against 100 Mile House.
Three minutes into the third, Keiran Keilly kept the pressure on the visitors with a shot from the right side that snuck its way through a crowd and into the Wranglers' net for a 6-1 Grizzlies lead. Luke McFarlane answered six minutes later for 100 Mile House, scoring its second goal while Davey logged his second assist of the night.
It took just over a minute for Neufeld to score again and lead Friday with three points, having also assisted Revelstoke's third goal by LaFleur. White additionally scored a second assist, and then the Wranglers closed out a tough night at the Revelstoke Forum with Landen Janz scoring his team's third goal unassisted in the final three minutes.
With 48 attempts on goal, Revelstoke outshot 100 Mile House by 18.
Saturday, March 29
In a reversal of Friday's win, the Grizzlies couldn’t find the same home flow as they got blanked in a 4-0 shutout dealt by the visiting Wranglers. In what remained a fairly clean game overall for both teams, Revelstoke and 100 Mile House started out swift and systematic in clearing their defensive zones.
Davey first got 100 Mile House on the score sheet 17 minutes in, slipping off to his left side to evade multiple defenders and shoot across the slot at an opposite angle. The puck skidded through the right side of the crease, catching Grizzlies goaltender Ryder Ponto off guard. The Grizzlies made an unsuccessful last-minute rush on net and already seemed desperate to safeguard their series lead.
After limited shots by both teams in the first half of the second frame, the Wranglers' Janz received a pass outside the left side from Diego Cazac, with nine minutes to go. Snapping a low one-timer, Janz fired the puck at a slow speed that snaked its way under Ponto’s pads and below the armpit for a 2-0 lead.
The third Wranglers goal came a couple of minutes later on a high and unexpected snap shot by Ethan Hofstrand from the bottom of the right key, with the puck skipping over Ponto’s shoulder into the upper-right corner of net. Revelstoke didn't shoot on net for four consecutive minutes, and another two minutes later, 100 Mile House's Nelson Webster scored with a flat shot along the ice from the right side, sliding the puck into the cage through traffic.
The Grizzlies did not respond in the third period, disappointing fans as the Wranglers tied the third-round, best-of-seven playoff series 1-1.
Since Friday and Saturday, Revelstoke has made an impressive comeback, logging 5-3 and 8-3 victories Monday (March 31) and Tuesday (April 1), respectively, against 100 Mile House at its South Caribou Recreation Centre. This thrusts Revelstoke ahead in the series to 3-1.
The Grizzlies and Wranglers next face off at 7 p.m. Friday (April 4) at the Revelstoke Forum.
