The Nanaimo Clippers struck early on Wednesday night, but Prince George responded before the end of the first to send the teams into the intermission tied 1–1. The Clippers generated a pair of power-play opportunities throughout the night but couldn’t convert on either. Early in the second, Prince George took their first lead of the game shortly after returning to full strength, and a potential 3–1 goal was waved off moments later. Nanaimo had a golden chance to tie it on a loose rebound but couldn’t capitalize, and the Spruce Kings began to tilt the ice by winning battles along the boards. In the third, both goaltenders traded highlight-reel glove saves, with Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau keeping the Clippers within striking distance. Prince George eventually extended the lead to 3–1, and Nanaimo struggled to generate sustained pressure the rest of the way. Two late Spruce Kings goals sealed the outcome, and the Clippers fell 5–1 on home ice despite several close chances throughout the night.
The Clippers struck early when Sam Boisvert opened the scoring, firing a short-side snipe off a feed from Hayden Fechner to give Nanaimo the 1–0 lead. Moments later, the Clippers earned the first power-play opportunity of the night, but it was quickly wiped out by a penalty of their own, sending the teams to 4-on-4 before the Cougars eventually returned to the man advantage. Nanaimo ultimately killed it off, helped by a highlight moment from Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau, who snagged a dangerous Prince George chance out of midair to preserve the lead. Prince George finally broke through when their next shot slipped through Seguin-Lescarbeau’s five-hole, tying the game late in the frame. After 20 minutes, the teams headed to the room knotted at 1–1, with Nanaimo holding a slight 9–8 edge on the shot clock.
Nanaimo opened the middle frame with another power-play opportunity, but once again couldn’t convert. Prince George made them pay shortly after returning to full strength, striking to take a 2–1 lead. The Cougars looked like they had doubled their advantage soon after, but the play was reviewed and ultimately ruled no goal. The Clippers had a prime chance to pull even when a rebound sat loose on the doorstep, but they couldn’t bury it. As the period wore on, Prince George began to win the majority of the puck battles along the boards, tilting the ice in their favour. Nanaimo generated a late push and came close to tying things before the horn, but the opportunity slipped away. Prince George outshot Nanaimo 10–8 in the second period and carried their 2–1 lead into the third.
Prince George came out hard in the third, ramping up the pressure as they looked to extend their lead. Charles Beland had one of Nanaimo’s best early chances of the period, but PG goaltender Ryder Green flashed the leather and robbed him with a sharp glove save. Moments later, Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau answered with a highlight stop of his own, snagging a dangerous chance to keep the Clippers within reach. The Spruce Kings eventually broke through, scoring to make it 3–1. From there, the Clippers struggled to mount a comeback. Despite generating a few quality looks, they couldn’t cash in, and Prince George added two late goals to put the game out of reach. The Spruce Kings skated off with a 5–1 road victory.
The three stars of the game were awarded to Ryder Green, Michael Denny, and Ozbej Rep of the Spruce Kings. FortisBC Energy Player of the Game was given to Charles Beland.
The Clippers go on the road for three games before returning to the Frank on Saturday, Nov. 29 when they face the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Tickets can be purchased at nanaimoclippers.com or the Frank Crane box office on gameday.
-Malcolm Cooke
