They’ve battled through back-to-back six-game series, stunned a rival at the buzzer, and now the Victoria Grizzlies are four wins away from a shot at the BCHL championship.
On Sunday night, the Grizzlies delivered one of the most thrilling finishes in franchise history, stunning the Cowichan Valley Capitals with a buzzer-beating goal in game six to clinch their second straight six-game series win and punch their ticket to the Coastal Conference Final.
Game six looked destined for overtime until Chase Pirtle buried the winner with just seven seconds left on the clock, capping off a back-and-forth island battle and sending the Q Centre into a frenzy.
After building a 3-0 series lead, the Grizzlies had watched Cowichan claw back into the fight. But with poise and maturity, Victoria weathered the pushback and came out on top.
It marks the Grizzlies’ first appearance in the conference final since 2018–19, back when Alex Newhook was leading the charge. This time, it’s Reegan Hiscock and Thomas Molson at the top of the league leaderboard, putting up 15 and 14 points, respectively, to drive the Grizzlies’ high-octane offence.
Victoria has been lighting it up this post-season—48 goals in 12 games—and averaging four goals per game. That offensive power will be key as they now gear up for a heavyweight clash with the top-seeded Chilliwack Chiefs, who finished the regular season with 79 points and are fresh off a five-game series win over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
While the Grizzlies haven’t been to the BCHL Championship since they were known as the Victoria Salsa in 2001, Chilliwack hasn’t returned to the league final since a heartbreaking overtime loss in 2017… to a team they reached that series by defeating the Victoria Grizzlies.
In four meetings this regular season, Victoria only won once—but all games were offensive shootouts, combining for a wild 38 goals—an average of 9.5 per game.
The series opens in Chilliwack Friday, May 2nd, followed by game two Saturday night. The Grizzlies then return home for two guaranteed matchups at The Q Centre on Tuesday, May 6th and Wednesday, May 7th, with puck drop at 7 p.m. both nights.
Victoria will have to solve goaltender Quentin Miller, who’s been nearly unbeatable through the playoffs with a 1.85 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage in 12 games. The six-foot-three Montreal native hasn’t missed a minute of action for Chilliwack.
This one promises to be a bruising, high-scoring showdown between two teams hungry for their shot at the Fred Page Cup. And if the Grizzlies keep playing with the heart—and clutch scoring—they’ve shown so far, southern Vancouver Island fans might just have a championship run on their hands.
Will you be at The Q to see it unfold?
