Victoria wins series 4-1
Victoria BC – The Victoria Grizzlies advanced to the second round of the B.C. Hockey League playoffs by seeing off the Nanaimo Clippers on Friday night at The Q Centre.
The Grizzlies defeated the Clippers 3-0 in the fifth game to win their best-of-seven opening round Coastal Conference series 4-1. Victoria went into the series as the conference fourth seed and Nanaimo the fifth seed.
The Grizzlies poured it on Friday looking for the knockout punch and held period shot leads of 21-6 and 36-13 en route to a 47-23 advantage.
Goaltender Chazz Nixon held tough in the Nanaimo net but the Grizzlies finally broke through with two goals early in the second period by Charlie Gollob, with his first of the series, and Ryan Watt with his third. Julian Cull capped scoring into an empty net late in the third period for his first goal of the playoffs.
Oliver Auyeung-Ashton recorded the shutout for the Grizzlies.
The penalty-kill units were perfect as neither team scored on the power play in three attempts for Victoria and two for Nanaimo.
Meanwhile, the top-seed Surrey Eagles overcame a spirited effort by the the eighth-seed Cowichan Valley Capitals in a 5-2 win on the Lower Mainland to take that series 4-1.
The sixth-seed Coquitlam Express edged the third-seed Alberni Valley Bulldogs 2-1 in Port Alberni to take a 3-2 lead in their opening-round series heading into the sixth game tonight in Coquitlam. It was a tight affair with Coquitlam goaltender Adam Manji named first star with 23 saves and UConn Huskies NCAA-bound Alberni Valley goaltender Callum Tung the second star with 22 saves.
The second-seed Chilliwack Chiefs swept the seventh-seed Langley Rivermen 4-0.
The Grizzlies second-round opponent will depend on the outcome of the Alberni Valley-Coquitlam series. If Coquitlam prevails, the Grizzlies will meet Chilliwack. If Alberni Valley rebounds to win the series against the Express, the Grizzlies will meet Surrey.
