Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
Nanaimo Clippers – 2
Alberni Valley Bulldogs – 1
Jordan Naylor made 34 saves, Ethan Scardina had a goal and an assist and Tim Washe’s second of the postseason stood up as the series-winning goal as the Nanaimo Clippers came back to beat the Alberni Valley Bulldogs 2-1 in Game 4 to complete the sweep of their first-round series.
Mattias Dal Monte scored his first goal of the season as his shot from the point beat Naylor and the Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead six minutes into the second period, but with 33 seconds to play in the frame, Scardina tied the game for Nanaimo on a rebound to knot things up at the intermission.
Washe’s third-period goal put the Clippers up 2-1 and Naylor made sure that was all they needed as he stopped all nine shots he faced in the frame.
Alberni’s Luke Pearson also had a stellar night in between the pipes, stopping 36 of the 38 shots he faced despite the loss.
Nanaimo advances to the second round where they will play either the Cowichan Valley Capitals or the Powell River Kings.
Chilliwack Chiefs – 3
Surrey Eagles – 0
Brett Willits had a three-point night and Mathieu Caron registered his second shutout of the postseason as the Chilliwack Chiefs regained their series lead after a 3-0 victory over the Surrey Eagles in Game 5.
Willits got the scoring started in the first period with his first of the playoffs 7:58 into the game, but things turned ugly for him in the second when he took a slap shot to the face and left the game for repairs.
Despite the injury, Willits was able to return to the game in the third and put up another two points to seal the win. He assisted on Kyle Penney’s goal midway through the period and scored his second of the game minutes later to make it 3-0. Caron made 28 saves in the win.
The Eagles will look to stay alive in Game 6 at home on Saturday night.
