Revelstoke Grizzlies stomp 100 Mile House Wranglers in opening playoff game

Special to the Review

Andy Siegel

The 100 Mile Wranglers took the ice at the Revelstoke Forum Friday night (Feb. 17), taking a beating from the Grizzlies to lose 6–0 in the opening game of a highly anticipated playoff series.

After topping the Doug Birks’ division in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), the Revelstoke Grizzlies had their first game of the playoffs on Friday. With an authoritative 6–0 win against the Wranglers, the Grizzlies started the series strong.

At 9:35 Colton McLeod notched the first score of the evening releasing a hard low wrist shot from the centre point which found its way into the back of the net through a crowd. Assists were awarded to Brandon Gallo and Porter Trevelyan.

The Grizzlies were flying in the opening period with a shot count of 20–2 for Revelstoke.

13:03 into the middle period, Grizzlies’ David Coyle found a loose puck on the left side of the net slamming it in for a goal assisted by Will McPhee and Porter Trevelyan.

At 9:38, Revelstoke captain, Will McPhee, connected with David Coyle and Brandon Gallo launching a low wrist shot into the net for a commanding 3–0 lead.

Ethan Mattern was next on the score sheet, tapping in a shot from just outside the left crease for the fourth Grizzlies goal of the evening. Assists to Carson Reinson and David Coyle for his third point of the game.

Less than two-minutes later, McPhee recorded his second goal of the contest with passes from Brady Schwab and Porter Trevelyan.

At 5:05 in the final frame, Grizzlies Colton McLeod drilled a slap shot from the point into the upper left corner of the net for his second tally of the evening. Carson Reinson got his second assist and Kesler Fyfe got his first point.

Although neither McPhee nor McLeod were able to complete their hat tricks, Gallo, Trevelyan, Coyle, Reinson, McPhee, and McLeod all had multiple points in the game.

The final shot count for the game was 53–13 for Revelstoke, with Grizzlies goaltender, Jozef Kuchaslo, earning the shutout.

Both teams face off again at 7 p.m. at the Revelstoke Forum tonight (Feb. 18) for game two of the series.

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