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Clippers hang on to win

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Nanaimo Clippers forward Colton Cyr

They weren’t dressed in orange and black for the occasion, but still, Halloween hockey suited the Nanaimo Clippers.

The city’s B.C. Hockey League team defeated the Alberni Valley Bulldogs 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at Frank Crane Arena.

The Clippers, playing in their white-and-pink breast cancer awareness jerseys for the last time, opened up a 4-1 lead over the visitors and held on for the win.

“We dominated on the forecheck and puck management in the offensive zone was real good,” said Bill Bestwick, Clippers coach. “We kept the game safe and simple and we scored on a couple chances, to play with the lead.”

The teams traded early first-period goals, with Clippers vet Mike Domsodi finishing off a two-on-one rush to make it 1-1.

Domsodi scored Nanaimo’s next goal, too, banging in a rebound midway through the second period. Ryan Stanimir then scored two goals in a four-and-a-half-minute span, the second coming on a short-handed breakaway.

Alberni pulled the goalie late but couldn’t create any quality scoring chances with the extra attacker.

Charles-Alexy Premont picked up the win in goal, making 24 saves as the Clips outshot the ’Dogs 38-27.

“We got them on the ropes,” said Domsodi, the game’s first star. “We were working hard in their zone and we pretty much controlled all the play until the last 10 minutes.”

The win was important to a Clippers team that was coming off a last-minute loss to the Langley Chiefs two nights earlier.

“We battled hard, we gave it all we had,” said Stanimir. “There was no way we were going to lose those two points, it was too big of a game for us.”

As for the Bulldogs, they were a little sore playing for the third time in three days, but weren’t making excuses.

“Our energy and our intensity, for some reason it just wasn’t there today,” said Kyle Weber, Alberni defenceman.

ICE CHIPS … The Clippers lost 3-2 to the Langley Chiefs on Friday at Frank Crane Arena. Brodie Jamieson and Colton Cyr scored the Nanaimo goals and Charles-Andre Pelletier suffered the loss in net. Shots were 34-33 for Nanaimo in that one … The Clips face the Victoria Grizzlies on Tuesday (Nov. 2) at 7:15 p.m. in the provincial capital. A game preview will be posted that day at Clippers Central at www.nanaimobulletin.com.

sports@nanaimobulletin.com