Two teams with serious playoff aspirations face off Friday (March 1).
The Nanaimo Clippers play host to the Victoria Grizzlies at Frank Crane Arena that night in a matchup between the second- and first-placed teams in the B.C. Hockey League’s Island Division.
The Grizz (33-12-0-7) have clinched first in the division and are tied for first overall in the league, while the Clips (29-19-0-3) have some work to do to hold off the third-placed Alberni Valley Bulldogs (26-19-2-5).
Another storyline going into the weekend is that the way things stand now, Victoria and Nanaimo could well meet at some point in the playoffs.
“The focus for us is to try to play as good as we can play, and yet there’s a noticeable advantage mentally to have a win or two under our belts against that team, if we can,” said Mike Vandekamp, Clippers coach. “But we’ll just go ahead and focus on our own game, play as hard as we can and have some fun with it.”
ICE CHIPS … The Clippers and Grizzlies play Friday at 7 p.m. at Frank Crane Arena, then play a rematch the next night at Bear Mountain Arena. On Sunday the Clippers visit the Bulldogs in a matinee.
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