OLDS — The Olds Grizzlys went into the Christmas break on a festive note.
For a couple of games shortly before Christmas, the forwards and defence took to the ice dressed as elves and their goaltender was decked out as Santa.
Unfortunately, during their last pre-Christmas game at home on Dec. 17, it was the Calgary Canucks who got the gift: a 7-2 win.
Play was reasonably even in the first half or so of the first period. In fact, at the midway point, the Grizzlys had outshot the Canucks 4-3.
But then Calgary took over, scoring three goals at 11:47, 14:53 and 16:59 of that first frame to take a commanding 3-0 lead as the Grizzlys struggled to get out of their own end.
Suddenly though, the Grizzlys did break out with about a minute left in that period and peppered Canucks goaltender Cruz Chase with shots.
Finally, a snipe from Grizzlys forward Junshi Hideshima whistled into the back of the net, his 11th of the season, assisted by Braeden Veldhuizen, with just 9.8 seconds left in the opening period.
All the scoring in the second period was done by the Canucks. They scored three goals to open up a 6-1 lead.
They scored one more, a shorthanded marker, at the 7:46 mark of the third period to stretch that lead to 7-1.
Grizzlys captain Connor Seeley finished off the scoring, getting his 10th of the season at the 12:06 mark, assisted by Hideshima.
Connor Johnson went the distance in net for the Grizzlys, facing a blizzard of 45 shots. The Grizzlys fired 20 shots at Canucks goaltender Cruz Chase.
The Grizzlys were zero for one on the powerplay. The Canucks went one for five.
The Grizzlys’ next action is Jan. 3 when they host the Bonnyville Pontiacs.
“I thought the first 10 minutes of the first period and the third period we played well, but in between wasn’t our best hockey,” Grizzlys head coach Brad Tobin wrote in a text to the Albertan.
“I think some time off to re-set and get healthy will do us good.”
