The Nanaimo Clippers stayed ahead of the teams chasing them, but couldn’t catch up to the ones ahead of them.
The city’s B.C. Hockey League team won two of its three games on an up-and-down weekend. Nanaimo dominated the Cowichan Valley Capitals 6-1 on Friday, fell 7-0 on Saturday to the Victoria Grizzlies and then held off the Coquitlam Express 6-5 on Sunday.
“We seem to be a little bit disjointed right now,” said Bill Bestwick, the team’s coach.
Sunday’s game at Frank Crane Arena was a microcosm of the weekend, as the Clippers’ game fluctuated over the three periods.
The Express steamed to a 3-0 lead over the first five and a half minutes before an excellent forecheck and goal by Zach Martin got the home team on the scoreboard. The Clips added goals from Ryan Stanimir and Jesse Ursic to make it 3-3 after 20 minutes.
Brayden Jaw scored the only goal of the second period and then Stanimir made it 5-3 early in the third. But the Clippers allowed the Express to hang around and tie the game before Myles Fitzgerald went to the net for the game-winner.
The Shipmen liked their goal output, but recognize they were sloppy in their own end. Team captain Colton Cyr said players were coming back “kind of hard” defensively, which isn’t good enough.
“We weren’t picking up guys and it’s pretty easy for the other team to pick apart and embarrass us when we’re not checking them,” he said.
Cyr said the team knows what it needs to do to play more consistently.
“We’ve got to play almost a robotic game – working hard, getting pucks deep and playing simple.”
Charles-Alexy Premont earned the win in relief of Charles-Andre Pelletier on Sunday.
Premont suffered the loss Saturday in Victoria. Nanaimo Timbermen junior A lacrosse player Gregory Simpson scored two goals and added three assists for the Grizzlies in that game.
On Friday at Frank Crane, Mike Domsodi led the Clips with two goals, Jaw, Andrew Gladiuk and Stanimir all had a goal and an assist and Martin had the game-winner. Premont made 23 saves for the victory.
GAME ON … Nanaimo plays two home games this coming weekend. The Clips face the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Friday (Jan. 14), then host the Surrey Eagles on Saturday night. Both games are 7:10 p.m. start times … The BCHL trade deadline is tonight (Jan. 10); look for any trade news tomorrow on Clippers Central.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com