The Nanaimo Clippers are using the pre-season to get better at all facets of the game, including winning.
The Clips were 3-2 winners against the Powell River Kings in B.C. Hockey League exhibition action Sunday afternoon at the Nanaimo Ice Centre.
Will Spitzer scored the winning goal 38 seconds into overtime after the Kings had tied the game with an extra attacker late in the third. Marcus Mitchell and Tyler Williams also scored for Nanaimo and Eric Samyn was the winning goalie.
“I wanted them to work hard and start developing some chemistry and playing for each other and getting some spirit,” said Darren Naylor, Clippers coach and general manager. “I thought that game showed everything today. I thought we were the better team today.”
The Victoria Grizzlies swept Nanaimo in pre-season action Friday and Saturday by scores of 3-2 and 8-4, but Naylor said Sunday’s game against the Kings was closer to what the Clippers’ lineup is going to look like.
“Plus or minus a couple guys, that’s what we’re looking at starting with,” he said. “So we got what we wanted. So now we’ll just get them all on the same page and connected, so they’re all clicking at the same time.”
Naylor was happy with the first week of training camp, saying all the guys reported in shape and have shown the ability to play at the junior A level, meaning it would be difficult to make cuts. The Clippers were planning to trim their roster immediately on Sunday to get down to 26-28 players for the second week of training.
“We’ll start into Phase 3 of camp and really get down to getting into some systems and putting things together so we’re prepared,” he said.
GAME ON … The Clippers have one more home pre-season game Friday, Aug. 31, versus the Alberni Valley Bulldogs at 7 p.m. at the Nanaimo Ice Centre. After that, the pre-season ends with two neutral-site games. The Clips and Bulldogs play Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at Parksville’s Oceanside Place, then the Clippers and the Kings play Sept. 2 at 3:30 p.m. at the Comox Valley Sports Centre.
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