NANAIMO — Another year and another playoff matchup against the Chilliwack Chiefs.
Following a 1-0 shutout of the Langley Rivermen on Saturday, April 8, the Nanaimo Clippers punched their ticket to the second round of the playoffs against an awaiting Chilliwack Chiefs team, who’d eliminated Coquitlam a night earlier in their fifth game.
It’s a renewal of hostilities between two teams who met in last year’s second round of the playoffs, a series which Nanaimo won in four straight, extremely tight games where three of the four games were one-goal affairs, including one in overtime.
Games this season have been equally as tight, albeit a little higher scoring as the Clippers won the season series three games to one.
In the four games, three were decided by just a single goal. Two of the four games were settled in overtime with each team earning a victory in the extra session.
This series begins Friday, April 14 at Frank Crane Arena, with game two the following night also in Nanaimo. After a two day break, Chilliwack will host games three and four on Tuesday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 19.
If needed, a game five would return to Nanaimo Friday, April 21 and a game six would be in Chilliwack Sunday, April 23.
Should the series go the distance, the Clippers would host game seven on Tuesday, April 25.
All games have 7 p.m. start times, with the exception of a potential game six in Chilliwack which would start at 5 p.m.
In the first round, the usual suspects continued to lead Nanaimo’s offence. Brody Watters (four goals, six assists) and Kai Daniells (four goals, five assists) both rank in the top 10 of league scoring.
Jake Hewitt led Nanaimo in scoring against the Chiefs this year, with four goals and two assists. Daniells had three goals and two assists while Brett Merner notched five helpers.
Chilliwack relies heavily on AJ Lacroix, whose five goals and six assists are equal to second in the BCHL after round one.
Special teams favour Nanaimo slightly, as they’ll enter the series with the league’s best overall powerplay which has scored nine times on 24 opportunities (37.5 per cent), including six on 12 at home.
Chilliwack ranks ninth at 25 per cent.
However, the penalty kill sees Chilliwack ranked seventh at 76.5 per cent, ahead of Nanaimo’s 11th ranked kill at 71.4 per cent.
Interestingly, only the defending champion Penticton Vees carry a worse penalty kill ranking among teams who will play in the second round.
One area of intrigue for Nanaimo will be between the pipes.
Season-long starter Aiden Campbell lost the top job in the series against Langley, following an April 3 performance where he gave up three goals on 27 shots.
Backup Shane Shelest then started the following three games, all wins as he stopped 78 of 81 Langley shots.
Through the first round of the playoffs, Shelest leads all BCHL goaltenders in both goals against average and save percentage, while Campbell ranks sixth and ninth respectively.
Shelest did not see any game time against Chilliwack this past season.
Nanaimo dispatched Langley in six games to advance to the second round for another year. (Gus Galloway Photography)Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.
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