Andy Siegel
Special to the Review
After a long grinding schedule, the Grizzlies took to the ice at the Revelstoke Forum for their last game of the regular season on Feb. 11 before the playoffs begin next week.
It was a fast-paced, hard-hitting contest against the Osoyoos Coyotes as the Grizzlies treated their fans to an exciting 5-3 win.
Opening the scoring for Revelstoke at was Luke Aston, who received a great pass in the high left slot from Logan McCleod. Without hesitation, he snapped a low shot into the goal bringing the home fans to their feet.
Not long after the Grizzlies scored, Osoyoos equalled the tally 1-1 on a goal inside the crease area by Joe Davidson.
7:54 into the second period Grizzlies forward David Coyle positioned himself on the left side of the net for Ethan Mattern and Brady Augot to feed him a perfect combo pass. Coyle wasted no time releasing the puck into the upper corner for a 2-1 Revelstoke lead.
Osoyoos forward Ethan McKinley tied the contest at 2-2 through a power-play goal in the second period.
Just a few minutes into the final period Osoyoos combined on a one-two-three pass for one of the best goals by a visiting team this season. Carter Yarish set up on the left side of the goal, where he fired a perfect one-timer into the net for a 3-2 lead for the Coyotes.
The visiting team’s celebration didn’t last long because seconds later Luke Aston found the back of the net on assists from Will McPhee and Logan McLeod to tie the game up.
Shortly after, Grizzlies leading scorer Carter Bettenson launched a wrist shot into a yawning net from the middle of the slot, assisted by Porter Trevelyan and Carson Reinson. 4-3 lead for Revelstoke.
Revelstoke defender Jaxon Bouchard put the final nail in the Coyotes’ coffin, pouncing on a bouncing puck on the right side of the inside key and releasing a hard low shot in for a score as the game finished in a 5-3 Grizzlies win.
The Grizzlies will get a short break before their first playoff game against the 100 Mile House Wranglers at home on Friday (Feb. 17).
When asked about the upcoming playoffs, McCleod said: “All the guys are super excited. You can see it in practice. We’re approaching every series the same. Each game is important, so our focus is on the present, not looking too far ahead.”
“We’re trying to dial it in and focus more on the details as the playoffs approach,” said Grizzlies’ forward Owen Chamberland. “The guys are locked in for the Cyclone Cup, but our focus is on playoffs now. The April tournament is in the back of everyone’s mind, it’s something to look forward to. We want to make sure we have a good playoff run firing on all cylinders before that.”
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