Clippers defeat the Chilliwack Chiefs 4-3

#35 Chazz Nixon stares intently at the puck he's about to catch.

By Malcom Cooke

The Nanaimo Clippers snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday night as they defeated the Chilliwack Chiefs 4-3. The Clippers jumped out to a 1-0 lead before the Chiefs went up 2-1 in the third period. Led by a goal from Luke Lavery, the Clippers fought back and regained the lead on goals from Chase Hull and Joel Plante. Chazz Nixon was a stalwart in the crease, stopping 47 of 50 shots he faced in the game to lead his team to the victory.

The Clippers came out playing like they had something to prove in the first period. They held the visiting Chilliwack Chiefs shotless through the first eight minutes of the game. Nanaimo’s hustle was rewarded with a power play as they drew a holding call midway through the opening frame. The Chiefs killed off that penalty without allowing the Clippers to get any pressure going. Joel Plante opened the scoring late in the first, scoring his seventh goal of the season, when he beat the Chiefs netminder short side to put the Clippers up 1-0. Nanaimo also led in the shot column through twenty minutes as they outshot Chilliwack 12-6.

Chazz Nixon opened the second period with a myriad of quality saves to keep the Clippers up by one goal. After the media timeout, Luke Lavery was sent to the penalty box for tripping to give the Chiefs their first power play. The Clippers' penalty-kill unit got some help from the posts as Chilliwack hit the post multiple times but was unable to score. A sequence at the end of the second saw the Chiefs maintain possession in the Clippers zone for nearly two minutes. Chazz Nixon stood tall and turned aside anything thrown his way to maintain the Clippers' slim lead. Similarly to Friday’s game, the Clippers were heavily outshot in the second period after taking the lead in the first. Chilliwack had a 19-6 shot advantage in the second and 25-18 through two periods.

Chilliwack tied the game at 1-1 less than two minutes into the third period. An attempt to get the puck on the net ended up bouncing off multiple players before hitting the skate of a Clippers defender and finding its way into the back of the net. The Chiefs took the lead shortly after tying it in what has become all too common for the Clippers recently. Six minutes into the third period, the Clippers had not registered a single shot. Nanaimo’s first shot of the third ended up being a goal. Luke Lavery and Dylan Kinch broke in on a 2-on-1 before Lavery ultimately scored to tie the game at 2-2.

With the game tied, the Clippers took a costly penalty in the third as Anthony Biakabutuka was shown the gate for high-sticking. The Clippers were able to kill off the penalty. Nanaimo would have a chance to take the lead on a power play of their own, with less than five minutes to play in the third period. Chase Hull broke the deadlock on the power play to give the Clippers the lead late into the contest. Joel Plante added an empty netter to get some breathing room. That goal would be crucial as the Chiefs scored late to cut the lead to 4-3. Ultimately the Clippers would hold onto the lead and secure the victory.

Three stars of the game were awarded to Chase Hull, Chazz Nixon, and Joel Plante. FortisBC Energy Player of the Game was given to Luke Lavery.

The Clippers head out on the road next weekend to face the Coquitlam Express on Friday, November 1, at 7 pm. Then, on Saturday, November 2nd, at 6 pm, they will compete against the Chilliwack Chiefs. Tickets can be purchased at the Frank Crane box office on game day or at tickets.nanaimoclippers.com.