Nanaimo, BC – The Nanaimo Clippers defeated their coastal division rival Victoria Grizzlies, 2-1 on Wednesday night. The Clippers were led by elite goaltending from Cooper Black, who stopped 41 of 42 shots he faced. BCHL All-Star Sean Donaldson and Whistler product, Kai Daniells scored for the Clippers.
The Grizzlies opened the scoring four minutes into the first period off a missed shot by a Grizzlies defender and was tapped home from Ellis Rickwood to give Victoria an early 1-0 lead. Both teams locked down defensively, keeping the majority of the play in the neutral zone. Army commit Max Itagaki was robbed on a breakaway just before the end of the first to keep the game 1-0 after one period. Each team had 10 shots in the first, as the goaltending took centre stage for most of the game.
Early in the second period, Cooper Black made a spread eagle save on a wrap around attempt that kept the Clippers within a goal. The Clippers took back to back penalties midway through the second, but the penalty kill unit was able to hold the Grizzlies off. Shortly after the second penalty expired, Jérémie Payant danced into the offensive zone and fired a shot on net that left a juicy rebound. Sean Donaldson easily tapped the puck across the goal line to tie the game. A post whistle dust-up resulted in the Clippers getting a power-play with three minutes left in the second. Twenty seconds into the power-play, Kai Daniells scored to give the Clippers a 2-1 lead heading into the locker room.
The third period was another showcase of defensive hockey. No goals were scored, but Cooper Black made multiple five alarm saves to keep Nanaimo in the lead. A late penalty by Max Itagaki gave the Grizzlies a power-play with a chance to tie. But it was Jake Hewitt who stole the puck and put a Grizzlies defender in a spin cycle before being stopped by Grizzlies goalie Kyle Kelsey to keep the game close. A late Victoria penalty sealed the victory for the Clippers who move to 31-16-3 on the year and in third place in the Coastal Division.
Due to two huge hits, and an electric short handed scoring chance, Jake Hewitt was named FortisBC Energy Player of the Game. The clippers head to Duncan to face the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday, before returning to the friendly confines of the Frank Crane Arena on Sunday for a matinee matchup with the Coquitlam Express. Tickets can be purchased at Clippers Tickets or the Frank Crane Arena box office on game day.
Written by Malcolm Cooke.
Recap presented by
