The Nanaimo Clippers are winning most nights and it’s created the type of team culture they’d like to see continue.
The city’s junior A team earned a win and a tie this past weekend at the B.C. Hockey League’s annual showcase tournament in Chilliwack, and are back home and looking forward to two games on Vancouver Island this weekend. The Clippers visit the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Friday (Sept. 29), then host the Vernon Vipers on Saturday.
The BCHL Showcase was something special for the Shipmen, who took on two contenders and beat the Chilliwack Chiefs 3-2 and tied the Wenatchee Wild 3-3.
“Spirits are high, the mood’s good,” said Tristan Crozier, Clippers alternate captain.
He said the team played well in Friday’s feature game against the host team and said “it was really nice” to be able to follow that up with a point the following afternoon. He said the showcase had a bit of a different feel.
“Everybody knows there’s a lot of eyes watching, important eyes watching, so there’s a little added pressure, but once you get out on the ice it’s like every other game,” Crozier said.
Jake Harris, Clippers forward, called the showcase a great weekend that saw his team play really well together and gain confidence after taking three out of four points.
“Every game we play, we think we can win, so we’re coming in with the mindset that we want to win that game,” he said.
The Clippers intend to try to collect some more points this weekend in two games that they expect to be challenging. Harris said the Bulldogs are an Island rival and a strong team, just like the Vipers.
“We’re just going to have a good week of practice and get better every day and work hard,” he said.
Saturday’s matchup between the Clippers and Vipers shapes up as a showdown as the teams have identical records (4-1-0-1) after hot starts.
“We’ve heard lots of strong things about Vernon this year, but I think as long as we go into the game focused on ourselves, we’re the masters of our fate,” Crozier said. “We’ll be able to dictate the play depending on how hard we work and how much we stick to our systems.”
GAME ON … The Clippers and Vipers face off at 6 p.m. Saturday at Frank Crane Arena. For ticket information, visit www.nanaimoclippers.com.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com
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