Playing short-handed hockey prevented the Nanaimo Clippers from having the right results this past weekend.
The city’s B.C. Hockey League club lost both its games, falling 5-4 on the road Friday against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and then getting edged 4-3 at home to the Vernon Vipers the next night.
Special teams was a factor both nights, particularly Saturday at Frank Crane Arena when the Vipers had 10 power plays and capitalized four times. Vernon’s game-winning goal was a power-play marker with 25 seconds left in regulation.
Jamie Collins, Clippers captain, said it wasn’t so much that the penalty killing was a problem, it was just that his team was penalized so many times.
“A lot of our penalties were stick penalties, which is not penalties we want to take,” he said. “We might take the odd boarding or roughing or something like that, but we’re not looking for lazy penalties with our sticks and reckless sticks and stuff like that. I think we just have to keep our feet moving.”
Although the result was similar both nights, Collins said the Clippers played improved hockey against the Vipers compared with Friday against the Bulldogs, a division rival they felt they should have beaten.
“We had a lot better game [Saturday],” Collins said. “Obviously the puck luck at the end wasn’t great for us, but I thought we bounced back a lot better … We took strides in the second game, but we’re still looking to get point on the weekend.”
On Friday, Collins scored a hat trick and Brady Lynn had Nanaimo’s other goal. Noah Featherstonhaugh Gowe made 44 saves in defeat as shots were 49-47 for the Bulldogs. Alberni’s goalie was John Hawthorne, former Nanaimo Buccaneers starter.
The next night, Vincent Millette, Cal Babych and Tristan Crozier scored for the Clips. Austin Roden tended goal as the home team outshot the visitors 28-26.
GAME ON … The Clippers play two home games next weekend, taking on the Bulldogs on Friday at 7 p.m. at Frank Crane Arena and then hosting the Victoria Grizzlies on Saturday at 6 p.m.
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