By Malcom Cooke
The Nanaimo Clippers earned their 23rd win of the season with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Surrey Eagles on Friday night. Patrick Fortune, Makaio Van Tassel, Cole Lonsdale, and Dylan Kinch found the back of the net for the Clippers, while goaltender Vladimir Nikitin stood tall with 24 saves. Nanaimo battled back from multiple deficits, sealing the win with a power-play goal in the third period and strong defensive play down the stretch.
The Nanaimo Clippers opened the game on the power play after Surrey was penalized for an illegal starting lineup, but despite early pressure, they couldn't capitalize. Goaltender Vladimir Nikitin made a highlight-reel save, sprawling across the crease to deny a dangerous three-on-one chance. Midway through the period, Surrey struck first to take a 1-0 lead. The Clippers earned a second power-play opportunity later in the frame but were again unable to find the back of the net. Carson Lesuik had a prime scoring chance on a two-on-one with Chase Hull, only to be robbed by the Surrey netminder. Despite controlling the pace of play and outshooting Surrey 14-7, Nanaimo headed into the first intermission trailing by a goal.
The Clippers' persistence paid off midway through the second period when they earned their third power-play opportunity of the night. Just seconds into the man advantage, Patrick Fortune fired home the equalizer to make it 1-1. Nanaimo continued to press, generating sustained pressure in the offensive zone, but Surrey managed to regain the lead when a deflected shot in front of the Clippers' net slipped past Nikitin. The response was swift — less than two minutes later, Patrick Fortune stripped a Surrey defender of the puck, setting up Makaio Van Tassel to bury the tying goal and bring the game to 2-2. Surrey had the final say in the period, however, scoring late to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. Shots in the middle frame favored Surrey 10-8.
Tensions boiled over early in the third when a dust-up in front of the Clippers’ bench resulted in penalties for both teams, leading to four-on-four hockey. With the open ice, Cole Lonsdale took advantage, netting the tying goal to make it 3-3. Shortly after, Will Subject was taken down behind the play, sending Nanaimo to another power play. The Clippers wasted no time as Dylan Kinch buried the go-ahead goal, giving Nanaimo their first lead of the night at 4-3. Surrey turned up the pressure in the final minutes, but the Clippers’ defense held firm, shutting the door to secure the victory.
The three stars of the game were awarded to Patrick Fortune, Sihwan Kim, and Cole Lonsdale. Dylan Kinch earned the FortisBC Energy Player of the Game for his late-game heroics.
The Clippers return to the Frank Crane Arena on Friday, March 14 to face-off with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Game time is 7 PM. Tickets can be purchased at the Frank Crane box office on game day or at tickets.nanaimoclippers.com.
