Red hot Grizzlies off to perfect start in 2018

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WATCH: After two demoralizing losses to a pair of the weaker teams in the BCHL back in early December, the Victoria Grizzlies were at a crossroads, with their playoff hopes fading. Since then, the Grizzlies have been perfect, literally. Tyler Bennett has the story.

 

Back on Dec. 9, the Grizzlies were coming off back-to-back losses against the league’s two basement dwelling teams, the Cowichan Valley Capitals and Coquitlam Express. The mood surrounding the team wasn’t positive.

“[It] was not good, that’s for sure,” Grizzlies captain Lucas Clark says. “We had some chances to be able to come in and dominate teams and I think we came in thinking we were better than we actually were, at the time, things weren’t meshing with us, lines weren’t meshing, everyone was frustrated.”

“It felt like everything we built up all year was completely gone.” Grizzlies veteran Jamie Rome says, “We felt a little hopeless.”

After that game, the Grizzlies talked things over and tried to regroup. The team won the last couple of games before the Christmas break, and when they came back, the team would hit a hot streak. To this point, the Grizzlies are undefeated in 2018 and dating back to that loss against Cowichan Valley, the Grizzlies are winners of nine straight.

“I think coming back after a break, as hockey players you get excited to play again,” Clark says. “So coming back we were like OK, everyone said it’s time to get focused, let loose and then say it’s time to actually do something this year.”

The Grizzlies have clawed their way back into first place in the Island Division and the team is confident about the rest of the season.

“This is starting to feel like last year’s team, if not better,” Clark says. “The aura in the dressing room, everything right down to workouts every day and people just meshing in the dressing room and getting fired up for games, it’s like you get your ‘mojo’ back, and then the confidence comes with it, and then you just keep winning hockey games.”

Tyler BennettTyler Bennett

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