OLDS — The Olds Grizzlys fell back into the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s South Division basement this past weekend after dropping a couple of games to the league-leading Grande Prairie Storm.
They lost 5-2 and 3-2 in two back-to-back games at the Olds Sportsplex Friday and Saturday night.
As a result, as of Monday, the Grizzlys were in sixth and last place in the South Division with a record of 7-8-0-0 for 14 points in 15 games, one point back of the Drayton Valley Thunder (6-7-1-2, 15 points in 16 games).
On Friday night, the Storm struck first, with a goal at the 1:30 mark of the first period.
However, the Grizzlys “stormed” back to tie the game at 18:18 when captain Connor Seeley scored his third of the season, assisted by Bailey Shortall and Quinn Metzger.
The Storm scored the only two goals of the second period – including one on the powerplay -- to take a 3-1 lead, heading into the third period.
In the third, Junshi Hideshima cut that lead to 3-2 at 11:08 of the final period, assisted by Braeden Veldhuizen and Mitch Patrick.
But that’s as close as they could get.
The Storm put two more nails in the coffin with another powerplay marker at 13:08 and a final goal at 18:06 of the third period.
Aidan Fischer took the loss, going the distance in net. He stopped 39 of 44 shots he faced.
The Grizzlys fired 25 shots at Storm goaltender Keagin Kelln.
The Grizzlys went zero for four on the powerplay. The Storm were two for seven with the man advantage.
The atmosphere was heated and competitive.
It included a couple of fighting majors and game misconducts issued to Hunter Motley of the Grizzlys and Matthew Gillard of the Storm.
Saturday night’s contest was much closer – and equally intense, including a blow to the head charged to Storm forward Tomis Marinkovic (served by fellow forward Brandon de Haas).
There was no scoring in the first period.
Hideshima got the first goal of the game unassisted, his fifth of the season, at 5:48 of the second period. That gave the Grizzlys to a 1-0 lead.
The Storm evened the score at 1-1 at the 14:39 mark of that second frame.
Antonio Bevacqua restored the Grizzlys’ lead with his seventh goal of the season at 18:36, a powerplay snipe, assisted by Shortall and Keil Schmalz.
However, the storm scored two goals in the third period to seal the win, including a powerplay marker.
Connor Johnson tended goal for the Grizzlys, stopping 37 of 40 shots on net. Kelln tended goal again for the Storm, stopping 28 of the 30 shots he faced.
The Grizzlys were one for five on the powerplay; the Storm one for four.
The Grizzlys’ next action is tonight (Tuesday, Nov. 5), when they host the Whitecourt Wolverines. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Sportsplex.
After that, they visit the Kodiaks in Camrose on Friday night and return home to host the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on Saturday for a 2 p.m. matinee at the Sportsplex.
