The Olds Grizzlys, despite winning two of three games last week, can't seem to escape the bottom half of the Alberta Junior Hockey League south division standings.
Spencer Dorowicz scored the game winner in the squad's 3-2 home-ice victory against the Camrose Kodiaks on Dec. 4.
His goal was one of two on the power play for the Grizzlys, with Kyle Star also scoring for the Grizzlys on the man advantage.
Dustin Gorgi got the other goal for the Grizzlys, wristing a shot from just inside the blue line past Camrose netminder Matthew Zentner while the Grizzlys were short-handed.
Gorgi's goal tied the game at 1-1 in the second period after Cam Gotaas got the Kodiaks on the board with a goal at 13:14 of the first period.
Following the game, Dorowicz said it took a period for the Grizzlys to get into the game. The Grizzlys were outshot 14-11 in the first frame.
“I thought we got outplayed a bit in the first but we managed to pick it up for the next two periods and we got the job done,” he said.
Dorowicz added the special teams played well, with Gorgi starting it off with his short-handed goal.
“He's been playing awesome for us lately, just a great effort there. The power play's been struggling a bit as of late and it was good to get a couple there in the third that turned out to be huge for us,” he said.
Dorowicz credited his teammates for a great play on his game winner, with defenceman Matt Hanger passing it out from the corner, while Star recognized Dorowicz was in a better scoring position and let the puck go to the Grizzlys' captain.
“That was a great play by Hanger. He had it in the corner, he fed it right out to the slot and Star could have shot, but he's a selfless player and I was calling for the puck for the easy tap-in goal and it was just a really nice power-play goal,” he said.
Olds did not fare as well on Dec. 6 against the Canmore Eagles.
Grizzlys netminder Ethan Jemieff gave Canmore's Jeremy Margeson an open invitation to score in the opening seconds of the game and although Olds' Austin Kernahan was able to cash in a rebound at 9:36 in the first to tie the game, that was the last time Eagles goaltender Cam Barnes let the Grizzlys find the back of the Canmore net.
An outstretched Jemieff couldn't stop a shot from Connor Wilson at 5:57 in the first and Canmore opened the second period with another quick goal thanks to Jordan Revie at 19:49.
Revie tapped in another soft shot at 17:17 for the Eagles to give Canmore a 4-1 lead and that would be the final score, despite the Grizzlys earning a 5-on-3 power play late in the second after Canmore's Kurt Hildebrand was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for yelling at a referee.
The following evening in Drumheller, the Grizzlys just edged the Dragons in overtime with a final score of 4-3.
Christopher Gerrie scored with one second left in the third period to tie the game and Taylor Bilyk scored the overtime winner.
The Grizzlys are currently in sixth place in their division with a record of 14 wins, 15 losses and six overtime losses.
Olds' next game is against the Mustangs in Calgary on Dec. 13.
