The Bulldogs had the first shot on net, but the Clippers had the first scoring chance, as Josh Bourne was found with a cross-ice pass in the right circle and was allowed to walk in alone in tight on Jackson Glassford where he went top corner, short-side high to make it 1-0 at 1:04 of the first, with assists to Josh Kagan and Robby Drazner. The Clippers earned a power play seconds later, but the Bulldogs came up with a big penalty kill with a handful of shot blocks to keep it a one-goal game. The Bulldogs quickly got their feet under them, and as the period wore on started to carry the better of the play. They would tie it at 1-1 off a draw in the Nanaimo end when Caige Sterzer fought through obstruction off the draw to one-hand it deep behind the net. Olivier Fizet also fought through some traffic without the puck to fight it past a defender, before putting a perfect pass onto the tape of Isaac Pascoal in the paint, where he showed great patience and great hands in tight to pull it to his backhand to tuck it home past the pad of Jordan Naylor to make it 1-1 at 11:34 of period one. The Bulldogs spent the following minutes having lots of time in the Nanaimo zone, but they couldn't bury one to take the lead. The Clippers would take the lead back against the flow of play on a turnover by the Bulldogs entering the Clippers zone as Ethan Scardina was allowed to walk over the line up the right wing where he made one move to make a defender miss before putting a shot between the legs of a defender and over the glove of Glassford, short-side to make it 2-1 at 18:22 of the first, with assists going to Tim Washe and Mike Kennedy. The Bulldogs came painfully close to tying it seconds later on a 3 on 2 rush as Ryan Doolin walked into the right circle and beat Naylor, but hit the post blocker side and it stayed out. Shots in the first were 10-10.
The Bulldogs earned a power play early in the second, but couldn't get anything going on it. Nanaimo would have a great chance to build their lead on a walk to the net by Josh Bourne on the rush a minute later, but Jackson Glassford came up with a big save to keep it a one-goal game. The Bulldogs would give up another chance almost instantly afterwards, and found themselves in a two-goal hole as Steven Agriogianis found a puck at the side of the net and put it off a Bulldog stick and in from close quarters to make it 3-1 Clippers at 3:51 of the second. The Bulldogs didn't spend too much time feeling down, as they responded in short order to make it 3-2 as Mitchel Deelstra found Stephen Castagna at the Nanaimo line up the right wing. He would hustle to tag up on a delayed off-side, before putting a pass between a defender's legs to allow Jacob Bosse to walk up the middle into the high slot where he put a quick release high off the glove of Naylor and over his head and just barely over the line at 4:43 of the second. Four minutes later it was 3-3, as again Castagna found Mitchel Deelstra over the Nanaimo line up the left wing where he simply put a low shot on net from a distance where it was deflected home five-hole by Jacob Bosse at 8:40 of the second. The Bulldogs couldn't build on it, as less than a minute later it was 4-3 Clippers as a cross-slot pass was one-timed home off the crossbar over the glove of Glassford by Joshua Bourne, with the lone assist going to Steven Agriogianis at 9:21 of the period. The Bulldogs earned a power play later in the period, and spent a frantic minute and a half on the attack in the zone but couldn't convert on it for the equalizer. The Clippers would add to their lead with under two to play in the frame when the Bulldogs got caught running around in their end and misplayed the puck at the side of their net. It allowed a second chance for Ethan Scardina, who walked out from behind the net and beat Glassford high, far-side to make it 5-3 at 18:15, of the second, unassisted. Shots in the period were 10-9 Bulldogs, for a 20-19 total in their favour heading into the third.
The Bulldogs began the third with a solid attacking zone shift and looked to really have something going on a set up to the slot, but a moving-in defenseman couldn't handle the pass. The Clippers would race up ice on a 3 on 1 rush, but Glassford came up with an in-tight save on Ethan Scardina to keep it a two-goal game. It didn't stay that way for long, as the Clippers completed the scoring 3:41 into the period as Tim Washe walked over the line up the right wing into the faceoff dot where he went high, short-side on his backhand to make it 6-3, with assists going to Ethan Scardina and Kyler Kovich at 3:41 of the third.
Third period shots were 10-8 Nanaimo, for a game total of 29-28 Clippers with Jordan Naylor earning the win while Jackson Glassford took the loss. The Bulldogs went 0 for 4 on the power play while the Clippers went 0 for 3 on the man advantage.
The teams go at it again tomorrow night in Nanaimo for Game two.
Hammer
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