By Malcom Cooke
The Nanaimo Clippers beat the Langley Rivermen by a score of 5-2 on Thursday night. With the win, the series stands 3-2 in Nanaimo’s favour. Clipper veterans led the way in game 5. Kai Daniells and Jake Hewitt each had 4 point nights. Brody Waters notched a goal and two assists. Micheal Craig contributed 2 points from the blue line. Shane Shelest earned his second win of the playoffs, stopping 19 of 21 shots faced. As a team, the Clippers managed 40 shots in the game while only giving up 21.
A hooking penalty less than two minutes into the first period put the Clippers down a skater. The penalty-kill unit managed to keep Langley away from the net. It was then the Clippers' turn to head on the power play after Willyam Gendron was hauled down. Kai Daniells opened the scoring on the power play, scoring in the middle of a net-front scramble. The Rivermen tied the game at 1-1 toward the end of the first period. In the final minutes of the first, Shane Shelest went to play the puck behind his net when he was upended by Langley forward Nik Hoogendoorn, which went unpenalized but fired up the Clippers' bench. Nanaimo outshot Langley 14-7 in the first period.
The Clippers regained the lead 30 seconds into the second period on a close-range shot from Brody Waters. Jake Hewitt added to the scoring salvo less than 2 minutes later, taking a pass from Mike Murtagh before weaving into the front of the net for an effortless goal making the score 3-1. The Clippers were down a skater for the second time, as Tyler Wishart got sent to the sin bin for a hooking call. The penalty was killed off with ease and provided a few scoring chances for the Clipper PK unit, including a Joel Plante breakaway that nearly added to the lead. Langley took their second penalty of the game late in the second period, giving Nanaimo a power-play to start the third. Nanaimo had three times as many shots as Langley in the period, outshooting them 16-5.
Time expired on the power play without Nanaimo adding to their lead to start the third period. On their next power play, midway through the third, Clipper Captain Micheal Craig added to Nanaimo’s lead making it 4-1. Coincidental minor penalties in the latter half of the third period left some extra space on the ice but neither team would take advantage. With 4:20 to play in the game Langley forward, Johnny Small waffled a shot past Shane Shelest to cut the Clipper lead to 4-2. That would be as close as Langley would get, as Kai Daniells scored his second goal of the game to seal the 5-2 win. The win gives Nanaimo a 3-2 series lead in their first-round series.
Jake Hewitt was awarded the first star for his 4-point evening. The other 4-point scorer, Kai Daniells earned the second star with Brody Waters rounding out the third star. Joel Plante took home FortisBC Energy Player of the Game in an expanded role due to Charles Tardif’s injury. The Clippers look to wrap the series up on Saturday night in Langley.
