Looking to lock up a postseason berth with nine games left, the Nanaimo Clippers hope to rack up the wins beginning Friday (Feb. 3) at Frank Crane Arena.
The game won't be easy as the Clips host one of the B.C. Hockey League's best, the Penticton Vees. The Island division's Top 4 will be playoff bound. Nanaimo currently sits fourth with 42 points, four up on the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, who are the opponent Saturday (Feb. 4) on the road.
“Penticton's got a good club, they always do. We've actually ended up having a pretty good rivalry with them even though they're in the [Interior] division, just because we locked horns with them a couple of years ago, went to the [2015] finals and played them in the semifinals in the round robin,” said Mike Vandekamp, Clippers' head coach.
Two games in a row are nothing new for Nanaimo and the team will need to grab as many points as possible during the rest of the regular season, said the coach. He is hoping the team can play well Friday and pick up some momentum.
Vandekamp said the team is used to six period weekends and though it's cliche, must take a one-game- at-a-time approach during the stretch drive. The team will set its sights on preparing for Penticton first, before Alberni Valley.
“If we play well enough, sometimes you can gain a little bit of positive energy from a good game the night before and that would obviously be a huge boost and benefit to us going into the big game on Saturday,” Vandekamp said.
GAME ON ... The Clippers host the Vees at Frank Crane Arena Friday with puck drop at 7 p.m. Saturday's road game against the Bulldogs starts at 7 p.m.