#35 Chazz Nixon moves to smother a loose puck.
By Malcom Cooke
The Clippers fell 3-2 to the Victoria Grizzlies in a pivotal game 4 in the first round of the BCHL Playoffs. The Clippers now trail 3-1 in the series and look to stay alive in Game 5 on Friday. Joel Plante and Luke Buss scored for the Clippers to go up 2-0 before the Grizzlies stormed back to steal the win.
For the second night in a row, Joel Plante opened the scoring. Plante finished off a tic-tac-toe pass from Mike Murtagh. The Grizzlies were handed an interference penalty midway through the 1st period. On the man advantage, Luke Buss received a pass from Conner DeTurris and wired home his 1st goal of the playoffs.
With a 2-0 lead the Clippers continued to attack Victoria by forcing pucks in deep and hemming the Grizzlies in their zone. Late in the 1st Clipper forward Remi Gélinas was sent to the penalty box for slashing. The Grizzlies needed only 15 seconds of power-play time to cut Nanaimo’s lead in half. Late in the frame both teams were assessed coincidental minor penalties, resulting in 4-on-4 play that would carry into the 2nd period. The Grizzlies had the edge on the shot clock, outshooting the Clippers 13-7.
Victoria tied the game at 2-2 early in the 2nd period. The Clippers were awarded their 2nd power play of the game after Gabriel Westling was hit awkwardly into the boards. Westling would stay down on the ice for a few moments after the hit but remained in the game. Erik Sollied laid a crisp hip check on a Grizzlies forward trying to gain entry into Nanaimo’s zone. In the second period, each team tried to possess the puck as much as possible and avoid any costly mistakes. The buzzer sounded to end the 2nd period with the Grizzlies maintaining an advantage in the shot category, outshooting the Clippers 12-8.
The Clippers opened the 3rd period by peppering the Grizzlies net with shots. Unfortunately, they were unable to score during the early barrage. Remi Gelinas was sent to the box for an errant trip, giving Victoria a power play. The Grizzlies were able to capitalize on the power play, taking a 3-2 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the game. The Clippers would have a chance to answer after Grant Babcock drew a penalty. On the power play, Luke Buss wired a shot from the middle of the ice that beat the Grizzlies goalie but did not beat the crossbar. The Clippers took a late penalty to make themselves shorthanded during the comeback attempt. While shorthanded, Emmett McHardy was tripped up and also awarded a diving call, erasing the Clippers' possibility of getting a power play. The Clippers pulled Chazz Nixon with a minute and a half to play to try and generate some offence. The game came to a close with Victoria holding onto the 3-2 lead.
The three stars of the game were awarded to Chase Pirtle, Conner DeTurris, and Luc Pelletier, respectively. Erik Sollied took home FortisBC Energy Player of the Game.
The Clippers head to Victoria for a do-or-die Game 5. Game 6, if necessary, will be played on Saturday, April 13th at The Frank. Tickets can be purchased at the Frank Crane box office on game day, or at tickets.nanaimoclippers.com.
Catch all of the exciting action at a 2023-2024 Nanaimo Clippers game.
Playoff Ticket Packs can be purchased at tickets.nanaimoclippers.com.
