The Victoria Grizzlies turned the tables on the Nanaimo Clippers’ season advantage in the Island rivalry.
The Grizzlies opened the best-of-seven first-round B.C. Hockey League playoff series with a 4-2 victory over the Clippers on Friday night at The Q Centre.
Despite that Victoria (29-22-3) finished fourth in the regular-season standings, three points ahead of fifth-place Nanaimo (27-23-4), the Clippers won the seven-game regular-season series between the clubs 5-2.
“Everyone starts at zero in the playoffs,” said Victoria head coach GM Rylan Ferster, before the game.
How right he was as his club got the jump in the series.
Victoria forward Reegan Hiscock opened scoring four minutes and 19 seconds into the series. Nanaimo got its first goal at 13:20 of the first period through NCAA University of Connecticut Huskies-bound forward Mike Murtagh, who led the Clippers in regular-season points with 63.
The Grizzlies started fast in the second period. Hiscock, committed to Northeastern University in the NCAA, restored Victoria’s advantage at 1:45 of the middle period and Elliot Dutil pulled the Grizzlies ahead 3-1 less than a minute later.
Gabriel Westling scored for Nanaimo at 8:39 and was later lurking for the tying goal on the power play. But instead, in perhaps the pivotal moment of the game, digging two-way forward Ryan Watt broke through to score shorthanded for the Grizzlies at 16:21.
Oliver Auyeung-Ashton of the Grizzlies showed why he is one of the best goaltenders in the BCHL and headed to Colgate University of the NCAA, in a fine 36-save performance to be named the game’s second star behind Hiscock. Auyeung-Ashton was at his best in the third period as Nanaimo, pressing to get back in the game, outshot Victoria 14-5.
Six-foot-three, 20-year-old goaltender Chazz Nixon made 28 saves in goal for the Clippers.
Isa Parekh of Nanaimo, with two assists, was named the game’s third star.
The Clippers went 1-5 on the power play and the Grizzlies 0-1.
The second game is tonight at The Q Centre. The third and fourth games will be played Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Frank Crane Arena in the Harbour City. The fifth game, if required, would be next Friday at The Q Centre. The sixth and seventh games, if needed, are scheduled for next Saturday in Nanaimo and April 15 at The Q Centre.
The other Coastal Conference series feature the top-seed Surrey Eagles against the eighth-seed Cowichan Valley Capitals, second-seed Chilliwack Chiefs versus the seventh-seed Langley Rivermen and third-seed Alberni Valley Bulldogs against the sixth-seed Coquitlam Express. The Eagles beat the Capitals 4-2 and the Bulldogs and Express were tied 4-4 heading to overtime in other openers Friday night.
The Interior Conference has the top-seed and defending BCHL-champion Penticton Vees taking on the eighth-seed Prince George Spruce King, second-seed West Kelowna Warriors against the seventh-seed Cranbrook Bucks, third-seed Salmon Arm Silverbacks versus the sixth-seed Merritt Centennials and fourth-seed Vernon Vipers against the fifth-seed Trail Smoke Eaters.
The BCHL’s Alberta Division first-round playoff series are set to begin Wednesday.
ICE CHIPS: NCAA Cornell University Big Red-bound forward Chase Pirtle, the Grizzlies’ regular-season scoring leader with 25 goals and 52 points, was named a finalist for the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy as BCHL rookie of the year along with Will Ingemann of the Penticton Vees and Jack Pridham of the West Kelowna Warriors. … NCAA Colgate-bound Clippers blue-liner Brett Merner is a finalist for the Campbell Blair Trophy as BCHL top defenceman. … The nominees for the Vern Dye Memorial Trophy as BCHL MVP are Caden Cranston and Aaron Schwartz of the Surrey Eagles and Felix Caron of the West Kelowna Warriors.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
