OLDS — This Friday, Feb. 4, the Olds Grizzlys will play the last game in a lengthy road swing when they face off against the Blackfalds Bulldogs in Blackfalds.
Things are looking up a bit for the team.
Although they’ve lost 36 of the 47 games they’ve played, the Grizzlys won their sixth game of the season on Jan. 28 when they edged the Canmore Eagles 4-3 in overtime in Canmore.
Unfortunately, they followed that up with a 3-2 loss the next night to the Canucks in Calgary.
That gave the Grizzlys a 6-36-5 record for 17 points in 47 games, last place in the eight-team Alberta Junior Hockey League Viterra South Division.
The black and gold were to take on the Okotoks Oilers in Okotoks on Feb. 1.
That could be a challenge, but the Oilers aren’t unbeatable. As of Jan. 31, their record stood at 25-21-2 for 52 points in 48 games, good for fourth place in the Viterra South Division.
The last time these two teams met, on Jan. 18 in Okotoks, the Oilers beat the Grizzlys 7-4.
When they take on the Bulldogs this Friday, the Grizzlys could take some encouragement from the fact that they’ve been pretty competitive against that team lately.
The Bulldogs won both games of a back-to-back series in Blackfalds on Jan. 21 and 22, but not by much.
The Bulldogs won the first game, 6-5 in overtime. They won the second one, 3-1.
After they play the Bulldogs on Friday, the Grizzlys will come home to host the Lloydminster Bobcats at the Sportsplex. Game time is 7 p.m.
That’s another game they have a chance of winning.
As of Jan. 31, the Bobcats sat in sixth place in the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Viterra North Division with a 25-21-2 record for 52 points in 48 games.
