Vipers Shade Grizzlies Behind Todosychuk:

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Vipers Shade Grizzlies Behind Todosychuk
 
Sunday, February 10, 2013 - Submitted by Don Klepp

A three-goal first period and Danny Todosychuk's clutch goaltending helped the Vipers defeat the visiting Victoria Grizzlies 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.

The Grizzlies lived up to their aggressive moniker with some rough and tumble tactics in the game. Chris Albertini and the ever truculent Keyler Bruce led the way, especially in the first 20 minutes when the Grizzlies seemed angry as hungry bears in the spring. 

Their animosity cost them two power play goals in the opening 20 minutes. At 9:20, 20-year-old Brett Hartskamp and 16-year-old Mitch Meek both were tagged for minor penalties. With 11 seconds remaining in the five-on-three, AP call-up Dallas Calvin cashed in a rebound at the side of Michael Stiliadis's crease. For Calvin, the leading scorer on the Jr. "B" Beaver Valley Nitehawks, it was his first BCHL goal.

Colton Sparrow got the other power play marker at 14:56. He pumped in a beautiful back door feed from Ryan Renz, who had snuffed out an attempted clearing play by no less than three Grizzlies.

Sandwiched between those strikes, Craig Martin pounced on a loose puck during a scramble in front of Stiliadis.

The Vipers outshot the Grizzlies 12-4 in the opening 20 minutes, but were on their heels for the next 20 minutes. The Victoria squad regained their composure but continued their aggressive play.

Missing their top two scorers, Gerry and Myles Fitzgerald, the Grizzlies resorted to a bang and crash fore checking system led by the oversized line of Turner Lawson, David Mazurek, and Stefan Nicholishen, who average 6'2" and 205 pounds. Lawson was the trigger man on Victoria's first goal at 9:10.

Lawson emerged from the left faceoff circle and beat Todosychuk with a quick shot that sneaked in on the short side.  On the power play, another ex-Viper, Pearce Eviston scored at 14:30 from the same spot with exactly the same shot.

From that point on, Todosychuk slammed the door shut, stopping 20 straight shots. Many of them were difficult shots labelled for the corner, but he was particularly sharp with pad and skate saves.

The Vipers benefitted from some good fortune in the third period, however. At the midway point Todosychuk had a misunderstanding with two defenders beside his net and the puck slipped in. Referee Mike Langin drew the ire of Victoria Coach Bill Bestwick when he disallowed the goal because he had lost sight of the puck and blown the whistle.

At the nine-minute mark, Chris Albertini winged a slap shot off the cross bar, proving that the hockey gods have a sense of fair play - the previous evening, TJ Dumonceaux nearly tied the game versus the Warriors when his slap shot hit iron.  

A few minutes later, Mason Blacklock came close to giving the Vipers a two-goal cushion when he was set up neatly on a two-on-one break. With the whole side of the net open, Blacklock was stymied when his stick broke.

Blacklock figured in the game's final key play when he won a faceoff in the Viper zone with 9.7 seconds remaining.