An exciting 1-0 playoff win on home ice for the Revelstoke Grizzlies Wednesday, March 19, tied their series with the Princeton Posse at 2-2.
The fourth game of the second round had far less penalties than Tuesday night, March 18, with only seven infractions whistled by the refs. Key to the Grizzlies' win at the Revelstoke Forum was an armful of blocked shots throughout Wednesday evening.
Goaltender Devin Degenstein earned the shutout for Revelstoke, stopping 30 pucks. Princeton’s Blake Sittler also fronted an excellent effort, keeping 33 shots out of net following his own shutout Tuesday.
It was a tight start to the game as both teams skated hard to make the first score, but neither squad had success finding the back of the net in the first frame.
Midway through the second, Revelstoke had their best chance to get on the score sheet. A shot from the right side bounced out in front of Sittler, but no Grizzly could swat in the rebound.
A late penalty with 1:41 left in the second frame gave Princeton a chance to take the lead, but Degenstein kept snatching every puck fired his way out of thin air and forcing numerous faceoffs. Revelstoke's Kesler Fyfe also made a key block with his shin guard, preventing a shot from the left point before intermission.
Shots were close by the end of the second period, at 25-21 with the score still 0-0.
“They’re a great team and I think that we recognize that," Revelstoke's Jake Phillips-Watts said of Princeton. "They’ve honestly earned all of our respect, so we know that the series isn’t gonna be a pushover now. We have to come with everything we can each game, and that’s the only way I think we’ll come out of this series."
Six minutes into the third period, Revelstoke got the break they were hungry for. Colton McLeod shot the puck from a wide angle to the right side of the net, where it hit Mark LaFleur and slowly dribbled between Sittler’s legs. The crowd erupted in celebration.
“I was just driving the net and Colton McLeod threw it on net, and then the puck ended up hitting me and going through his five hole," LaFleur described. "It was kind of a lucky goal, but that’s what it takes to win, so it’s nice to get that one."
McLeod echoed LaFleur's sentiments of good fortune.
"My shot went off a body and then I had a lucky bounce, but that’s what happens when we’re getting our game going," he said.
With just a few minutes left in the game after pulling their goalie, the Posse made a sharp pass from the right key to the left side. Their forward fired a hard shot, but Degenstein quickly swept across the crease to block the puck, safeguarding the Grizzlies' victory.
“We just gotta keep on their D, check hard as a unit, and continue playing our game," LaFleur said for going forward. "We’re confident we can win in their barn since we did it last Saturday, so know we can do it again."
Revelstoke must "stick to our game that we’ve been playing all season, which is just keep our feet moving and create a lot of traffic," McLeod added. "That’s what helps with our success on offence, to make sure all the boys are buying into everybody’s game plan for each other."
The Grizzlies and Posse next face off 7 p.m. Friday, March 21, at the Princeton & District Arena, followed by 7 p.m. Saturday, March 22, back at the Forum.
