After a seven game battle in the first round last year, these teams meet again in the post season as the Bulldogs (21-34-3-0, 4th Island) visit the Grizzlies (36-18-0-4, 1st Island) tonight at the Q Centre in Victoria for Game one of this best-of-seven series.
The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 3-2 shoot out win over the Powell River Kings Sunday afternoon at home to snap a two game losing streak. The Grizzlies also last played Sunday afternoon at home, where they won a second consecutive game 7-4 over the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
The Bulldogs won the most recent meeting between these teams, 3-1 in Victoria on Saturday, February 16th. The Grizzlies took the season series with a head to head record of 5-3-0-0 for 10 points, while the Bulldogs went 3-3-2-0 for 8 points. The Grizzlies out scored the Bulldogs 28-19, and went 8 for 39 on the power play. The Bulldogs went 3 for 31 while scoring once while short handed, and were out shot by the Grizzlies in the season series 331-282.
You can forget about ALLLLL of the above though, as it all means absolutely nothing now as the slate is wiped clean and the teams and players all have a stat line of zero. Are you a player that has had an average or disappointing season and want to atone for it? Or are you a player who's had a good season, and do you want to prove that you have the same success individually and with your team when it REALLY matters? Well this is what it's all about.
Here's a quick look at the standings as of today.....zeros across the board. Everything as of today is in the past.
I have been very lucky in my career to witness some fantastic playoff runs - five league championships, two Royal Bank Cup tournaments and two semi final series in the BCHL. I'm hoping the Dogs can make this run a long one was well. Playoffs are everything, it's why we are involved in the game. They are about passion, intensity, drive and sacrifice. At the same time, they are about the opposite - composure, discipline, playing smart. Mostly, they are about having a short memory. What happened last game/period/play doesn't matter, it's only about what's up next.
One quote that always stuck with me at this time of year comes from former Bulldog Coach Nolan Graham (2009-2010), who basically outlined it like this - One night you can be sky high off a huge overtime win and the next you can be so low after a tough loss that you are lower than a snakes belly in a tire rut. Win or loss, you have to play the next day. PARK IT and look to the next play/shift/period/game. Expect the unexpected. Look no further than last year. If ANYONE tells you that they would've predicted the Dogs to race out to a 3-0 series lead, might I suggest asking them if they are selling lanes on their bridge to Vancouver from the Island.
One thing that can be expected is - adversity. Last year, the Bulldogs faced it in losing three defenceman in the first period of Game three at home. They got a couple back, but they weren't the same, before losing a fourth defenceman the next night. The Bulldogs didn't wilt when that faced them last year. If anything I was impressed with how close they came to winning that fourth game to advance considering how uphill the climb suddenly became, out of no where, when it looked like they were at the top of the mountain and it was going to be all downhill the rest of the way. Certainly not. Expect the unexpected. Again, have a short memory - I've seen the Dogs win game one on the road only to lose the next four and have their season end in Game 5. I've seen them go down 3-0 in a series, and be down by three goals late in the third period to not only win that game, but the next two, to take Game 7 into the final 10 minutes of the third tied 1-1. I've seen them take a 2-0 series lead with a 13-2 win.... yes THIRTEEN...only to drop the next four straight to lose the series in Game 6. You just never know. Control what you can control, try to minimize the swings in momentum and just keep playing and skating. It's all so simple to say, of course and much harder to do.
A final thought on adversity. How do you deal with it? Be being resilient. It's not a stretch to argue that the Bulldogs most consistent attribute through this season has been that they have been consistently inconsistent. Looking a little deeper and reflecting on the 58 games played to this point, one thing that has always stood out with this team to a man is their resilience, stubbornness and their outright refusal to pack it in or "check out" when the going has gotten tough. An argument could perhaps be made that I've highlighted this character trait to try and find a positive in a loss, and a point could conceded there as I always admit that I'm guilty of being positive to a fault.
I don't buy that though. There have been too many games to mention this season where the Bulldogs have made a mistake or two, and had a couple of minutes off where the puck ended up in their net and they painted themselves into a corner. They NEVER threw in the towel or tried to get out of the ring. They just kept swinging... and skating, and more often than not they fought their way back into games that they looked completely out of. While it's an intangible that will serve them well when the going gets tough, let's hope that they've learned it's best not to end up in that position.
Drop the puck already!
I'm sure that they'll be a sizable contingent of Bulldog fans making the trip down tonight, but for those that can't it's always our goal to make it feel like you're there. Be sure to tune in to Pacific Chevrolet Bulldogs Hockey on 93.3 The Peak FM, with our pregame show on the air starting at 6:45 with the puck drop and play-by-play to follow at 7:00. Dan Tisserand tabulates team and player stats, Bruce MacDonald provides analysis and adds colour commentary and I'll call the play-by-play.
If you aren't in listening range of 93.3 The Peak FM you can listen/watch the game by:
Listening Live on your computer: www.933thepeak.com
Listening Live on your SmartPhone : www.tunein.com/mobile/
Watching Live on your computer/SmartPhone www.hockeytv.com
Listening Live on your computer: www.933thepeak.com
Listening Live on your SmartPhone : www.tunein.com/mobile/
Watching Live on your computer/SmartPhone www.hockeytv.com
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