Victoria, BC ~ The Victoria Grizzlies fell on Friday night from the Q Centre to the Nanaimo Clippers in a game where things just did not go their way and getting a bounce was a fallacy that did not exist.
The Grizzlies entered Friday night’s affair having picked up points in eight straight games and looking for revenge against a Clippers team that came from behind to beat them 5-4 in overtime last Friday in Nanaimo.
The first period saw no goals and the Grizzlies kill the lone powerplay of the frame which was assessed to Landon Mackie at 12:22. Nanaimo’s powerplay was second in the BCHL coming into the game at just over 32% going into the game so a kill in the first was a welcome sight.
The Clippers came to play in the second however, scoring just seconds into the frame (0:54) on a crazy bounce in front. The puck came from behind the goal, hit a body in front and proceeded to flutter up in the air and into the cage behind a lost Kyle Kelsey. Later on the frame, Seamus Latta looked like he was certainly hooked heading to the Clippers goal, however there was no call and 30 seconds later, Carson Lesiuk’s 7th of the seven put Nanaimo up 2-0. His centering pass from the left circle hit a Grizzly in front and slid through the legs of Kelsey for another unlucky bounce.
Less than a minute later, with the Grizzlies pressing for a tally, the Clippers created a 4 on 1 from their own zone. Makaio Van Tassel went cross ice for Callas Pierce who made no mistake for his seventh of the season at 9:58.
In the third period the Clippers made it 4-0 at 8:06 with Victoria again pressing. Sam Ward got caught pinching down from the right point in the Nanaimo zone and Carson Lesiuk was able to poke it past him and send Patrick Fortune in on a break away. Fortune made a backhand to forehand move and slid it home on a silky deke for his fourth.
The Grizzlies would show their frustration just 40 seconds later when Victoria’s six foot seven defenseman Charles Cote took a bump from behind from Callas Pierce and unfortunately for Elliot Perreault, he was the closest Clipper to Cote. Cote responded by mugging Perreault and raining gloves on punches down on him. Cote was assessed two minutes for instigating, five minutes for fighting and a game misconduct. Perreault was only assessed a two minute roughing minor. The Grizzlies would however kill the five minute major penalty.
The Grizzlies pulled the goalie with just under three minutes remaining and Nanaimo capitalized with Makaio Van Tassel stealing and skating it the length of the ice for an easy mark and his eighth of the campaign.
Victoria was unable to recon with the hockey gods on this evening and everything seemed to just be an inch or two off or roll off a stick at a inopportune time. They will look to get back into the win column tomorrow night from the Cowichan Community Arena with puck drop going at 7:00 PM against the Capitals. Victoria next back in action from the Q Centre on the 15th (next Saturday) for a meeting with the Powell River Kings.
