The BCHL final is beckoning.
The Nanaimo Clippers will try to play their way into the B.C. Hockey League's best-of-seven final for the Fred Page Cup. They need just one win to get there, and they hope that happens this Friday (April 8) in Nanaimo.
“The job’s not done,” said Mike Vandekamp, Clippers coach. “The last time we were in this situation, we didn’t handle it as well as we needed to. It’s really important for us to not get too far ahead of ourselves here and really be focused and prepared a little bit better this time.”
The Clippers (2-1) play the West Kelowna Warriors (1-2) on Friday. The Warriors lost to the Chilliwack Chiefs (2-2) by a 4-3 score in overtime Wednesday in the Okanagan.
Nanaimo beat Westside 4-1 last week, and Vandekamp expects the rematch to be a similar brand of hockey.
“It’s very difficult to create offence against a good defensive team like that. They’re big, they’re physical and they work hard,” he said. “Their goaltender’s been playing well in the playoffs. It was obviously a very low-scoring, tight-checking-type affair when we played them in their building and we expect a lot of the same."
The Clippers will try to get as many pucks to the net as they can, the coach said, to try to create offence off rebounds, tips and screens.
“When goals are harder to come by, you also have to have a really strong focus on your own goals-against, and you almost have to go into that game expecting it to be a low-scoring affair,” he said.
In other Clippers news, Sheldon Rempal was selected the BCHL Player of the Week after scoring three goals and adding an assist through the first two games of the round robin.
GAME ON … The Clips face the Warriors on Friday at 7 p.m. at Frank Crane Arena. For tickets, please call 250-751-0593 or visit www.nanaimoclippers.com … If the Clippers win, they get home-ice advantage in the BCHL final. If they lose, they will not get home ice in the final, but they can still advance by winning their next game which would come against a to-be-determined opponent.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com
BCHL sent along this update on Round 3 scenarios: #BCHL pic.twitter.com/2hjwK9yyCX
— Greg Sakaki (@BulletinSports) April 7, 2016