It was a week of firsts for the Grandview Steelers and their new head coach.
The Pacific Junior B Hockey League squad saw both sides of the coin but made sure to squeeze as much out of each game as possible, beating Richmond Sockeyes 2-1 in overtime in the season opener a week ago Thursday, then falling 3-2 to Port Moody in extra time on Sunday at home.
Coach Stevan Matic said all things considering, the two games provided a good picture into the strengths and areas for improvement with his young club.
“When you get three out of a possible four points it’s hard to complain, but I thought we started a little slow (in Richmond) but as a younger team playing its first game together it was a good result,” Matic said of the victory.
Grandview trailed 1-0 into the second period before second-year winger Christian Bettiol, a Burnaby native, sniped his first of the season, from Bryson Wong.
Neither team could put one past the goalie in the third period, pushing it into overtime.
Just 42 seconds into the first five-minute frame, defenceman Kristofor Zlomislic drove the puck up ice and wired a shot low past Richmond netminder Kurt Russell for the win.
“(Zlomislic) won a skating battle and just kept the puck low on the far side,” said Matic of the game-winner. “It was great to see him take the puck and run with it.”
Rookie goaltender Matteo Paler-Chow turned aside 26 shots.
An impressive result, coming in Richmond’s barn. The two teams duelled most of last season, so to take the first encounter was a big step.
“For myself, the first game I was a little bit nervous, but the guys played extremely hard and took direction well. The win’s all on them, they earned it.”
A few nights later, the story was similar, but different as Port Moody did what the Steelers accomplished – winning on the road in overtime.
Port Moody reversed a one-goal deficit with two goals and led 2-1 until 7:31 into the third period. That’s when Bettiol deposited his second in as many games and forced extra time.
Unfortunately, the visitors stood their ground and, after a scoreless five minutes, won it in the second overtime on a goal from Lucian Serban.
“It’s all about confidence at this level,” said Matic. “We’re going to work on our forecheck (this week), because I thought Port Moody brought more of an aggressive approach that we weren’t ready for.
“Our ice surface is smaller, and while we’re not a real physical team, I think we can play more physical.”
With a roster peppered with junior hockey freshmen, Matic said the returning veterans – led by captain Lucas Mercer -- are helping set a healthy tone for the team.
“Each (veteran) brings something different in leadership, with some quiet, others vocal, but they all understand the Grandview culture. It’s about the team,” he said.
The Steelers travel to Mission on Saturday to play the reigning champion Outlaws, and return home Sunday to host Surrey, 4 p.m. at the Burnaby Winter Club.
