Township of Langley, BC (Saturday, December 20, 2014) – It’s not the way the Langley Rivermen wanted to head into the holiday break as they came up short against the Victoria Grizzlies, losing 3-2 to on the final day of Rivmas at the Langley Events Centre.
Dane Gibson and Cole Pickup scored fifty-five seconds apart in the second period for the Grizzlies, which proved to be the difference as Langley was unable to find a timely goal to change the momentum.
The game was highly entertaining with both goaltenders making incredible saves and a highlight reel goal by forward Gage Torrel. The game only featured two penalties (both to Langley) and Darren Martin stopped 39 shots in a losing cause.
The Rivermen would answer late in the second period as Ryan Coulter deflected a Charlie Pelnik point shot to cut the lead to one heading into the third period. Victoria would answer mid-way through the final frame when Brett Gruber was left alone in the slot and squeaked one past Martin, extending the Grizzlies lead to 3-1. Langley would answer, thanks to Torrel’s sixteenth of the season after making a nice deke around the defencemen and spinning around and eventually going top shelf which cut the lead to 3-2, but that’s as close as they would come as the Rivermen finish Rivmas winning one of three games.
Despite the loss, the Rivermen will go into the break in second place with a 19-13-1-4 record and 43 points, three back of Chilliwack for first place in the Mainland Division.
“It’ll be good for the guys to go home and rest up for a week,” said Assistant Coach Kurt Astle. “They’ve had a busy past few months and they deserve some time to enjoy with their families and friends.”
The Grizzlies have one more game before they finish off the weekend as they will visit the Surrey Eagles on Sunday afternoon. After tonight’s win, Victoria moved to second place in the Island Division.
On the final day of Rivmas, fans received free admission along with a five dollar food and beverage or merchandise voucher.
The Rivermen return from the holiday break on Friday, January 2, 2015 when they visit the Coquitlam Express. The following night the Rivermen will host the Express for a 7:00PM face-off at the LEC.
The Langley Rivermen want to wish you a Happy Holiday and a safe New Year. We look forward to seeing you in 2015.
For details visit www.LangleyRivermen.com
###
For More Information:
Kevin Berar, Langley Events Centre, 604.396.6633, kberar@langleyeventscentre.com
Taylor Henderson, Langley Rivermen, 604.455.8892, taylor@langleyrivermen.com
