The Nanaimo Clippers find themselves in a hole after the first weekend of the B.C. Hockey League playoffs. The Clips lost both Game 1 and Game 2 to the Victoria Grizzlies on the road Friday and Saturday, getting demolished 9-1 in the opener and then losing 5-3 the next day.
After the series started with a scoreless first period Friday at Bear Mountain Arena, the Grizz broke through with three quick goals to chase the Clippers’ starting goalie, Charles-Alexy Premont. Myles Fitzgerald then scored a deflection goal to make it 3-1, but the Grizzlies added three more goals on Charles-Andre Pelletier by the end of the second period to turn the game into a laugher. Final shots were 31-18 in favour of Nanaimo – Victoria scored on six out of its seven shots in the second period and three out of its four shots in the third.
“It didn’t seem like anything we could do was going to work and anything that we did was going to backfire,” said Bill Bestwick, Clippers coach. “They scored one and then they scored in bunches and we couldn’t stop the bleeding.”
Nanaimo’s goalies whiffed a few times, but defensive miscues, ill-advised penalties and poor penalty killing were also to blame, said the coach.
Pelletier got the start the next night and his team came out determined to play with a lead, dominating the first period, but the score was again 0-0 after one. Clippers player Brodie Jamieson tallied a minute into the second period, but the Grizzlies responded 30 seconds later. Victoria would stuff in two more goals from the side of the net later in the second period and from there, the outcome was never in doubt though Andrew Gladiuk and Mike Domsodi scored third-period markers for Nanaimo. Shots again favoured the Clippers, 43-22.
"We threw everything but the kitchen sink at their goaltender," Bestwick said. "Both games I would say our puck possession time was more than theirs."
Pelletier is slated to get the start again Monday (Feb. 28) and Bestwick said he wants his goalie to toughen up around his crease and keep out those rebound goals and scramble goals in front.
“We need the big save at the critical moment that you look back and you say, that was a turning point,” Bestwick said. "Everything changes with a win tonight and that's all we're focused on."
ICE CHIPS … The Clippers and Grizzlies play Game 3 at Frank Crane Arena tonight at 7:10 p.m., then play again Tuesday (March 1) in another 7:10 p.m. start at the Crane.
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