Powell River Kings seem to have replaced the Nanaimo Cippers as the main Island Division rival for the Victoria Grizzlies in the BC Hockey League.
“The Kings have been consistently competitive and we’ve gone head to head the last few seasons,” said Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon.
The clubs renew their rivalry tonight at The Q Centre in Colwood. The Grizzlies are 10-5 and the Kings are 7-6 after losing 3-1 to the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Friday night in Duncan.
“It’s a big game in that it affects the pecking order in the division,” said Didmon, of the Grizzlies-Kings matchup.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, feature two forwards listed by Central Scouting for the 2019 National Hockey League draft, with the touted Alex Newhook projected for the first round and Alex Campbell for the latter rounds. That renown is starting to hit home.
“We had lots of NHL visitors today,” said Didmon, about an influx of scouts.
The Grizzlies go into tonight on a two-game win streak having picked up road wins in Alberni and Nanaimo.
