Special to the Review
By Andy Siegel
The Grizzlies had two tough matchups over the weekend, resulting in losses against the Princeton Posse (6-3) on Friday (Jan. 19) and Saturday (Jan. 20) to the Fernie Ghostriders (3-2 OT), who are both leaders in their respective divisions.
Princeton Posse
Friday night’s Kootenay International Hockey League (KIJHL) action saw the Posse come out strong from the opening face off, scoring the first goal just over four minutes into the game from an unassisted goal by Anmol Garcha.
Revelstoke eventually got on the scoreboard at 11:35 when David Ander fed Ethan Coventry, who found the back of the net.
At 17:35 Brady Augot was awarded an assist on a highlight reel goal for Luke Aston who shot the puck into a tight corner opening over the goaltender’s blocker on the left side.
Princeton responded early in the middle frame to tie the contest with a goal from the Posse’s Matthew Langdon, but three minutes later the Grizzlies David Ander and Derek White connected with Ethan Coventry for his second goal on the night.
The Grizzlies’ 3-2 lead lasted just 43 seconds before the Posse tied the game with Brennan Watterson’s goal. After that Princeton never looked back, scoring three more unanswered goals from Josh Roy, Jonathan Ward, and Anmol Garcha respectively to secure the win.
Fernie Ghostriders
Saturday’s game (Jan. 20) was a low scoring affair with Revelstoke getting on the score sheet at 17:59 of the opening period from Brady Schwab’s goal assisted by Brady Augot and Mikkel Hrechka.
At 2:30 of the middle frame, Revelstoke’s Jaylen Forsyth fed Hrechka who snapped a shot from the point to the lower left corner that hit the post and ricocheted into the net.
Despite making a huge push to score the all important third goal, the home squad could not find the back of the net leaving the window open for Fernie to get back in the game.
Just 45 seconds into the third period, Ghostriders captain, Taylor Haggerty, broke the shutout for Revelstoke goaltender Louis Adler, cutting Revelstoke’s lead in half.
When it looked like the Grizzlies might edge out their opponents for the win, Fernie’s Eric Martin tied the game at 8:08 taking the wind out of the sails for the home crowd.
The Revelstoke Forum fans roared their support for the Grizzlies as it went into overtime but Haggerty once again scored the final unanswered goal with just 50 seconds left, sealing a 3-2 win for the visitors.
Next up on the Revelstoke schedule is another crucial home game Tuesday night (Jan. 23) against their division rivals, the Kamloops Storm.