The Nanaimo Buccaneers raised their game and came up with two big wins on the weekend.
The Bucs played a pair of road games in Victoria, edging the Peninsula Panthers 3-2 in double overtime Friday and then shutting out the Victoria Cougars 3-0 on Sunday.
In Sunday’s victory against the always-tough Cougars, Bucs goaltender John Hawthorne made 27 saves for the shutout as his team outshot the hosts 31-27. Chad Bell, Clayton Peace and Trent Bell scored the goals.
Friday’s win was a dramatic one as the Bucs got a game-winning goal from Dylan Hartl with just 2.6 seconds left in double overtime. Hartl stayed just onside on a rush with Nolan Richardson, and the Panthers defenceman fell, turning a two-on-one into a two-on-none.
Patrick Poets scored the other two goals for Nanaimo and Cedric LeSieur made 24 saves as shots were 35-26 in favour of the Bucs.
The Buccaneers also had a home game last Thursday at the Nanaimo Ice Centre and were edged 2-1 despite outchancing the visitors and outshooting them 33-25. Poets scored his team’s only goal and LeSieur suffered the loss as shots were 33-25.
GAME ON … The Bucs host the Comox Valley Glacier Kings on Thursday (Oct. 27) at 7:15 p.m. at the NIC, then visit the Campbell River Storm on Friday up Island.
