The Nanaimo Clippers and Cowichan Valley Capitals battled to a 1-0 final on Wednesday Oct. 8 in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public School students were invited to help fill the arena, and the kids saw the home team score early and make the lead stand up.
"It was a good game to lose," said Capitals head coach Cam Keith. "The kids battled and defended well. They just didn't get any puck luck."
Nanaimo forward Justin Collins got the game's only goal and the Clippers got a shutout from their goalie Eliot Séguin-Lescarbeau. They were the game's first and second stars respectively.
At the other end of the ice at Frank Crane Arena, Cowichan goalie Rhett Stoesser took the loss, stopping 22 of 23 shots as the game's third star.
"Giving up [one] shot in a tough rink to play in, we can't ask for much better. Even though we struggled to finish, the kids stayed with it and didn't fray from our game plan.
"It was a positive sign from Stoesser as well, having a solid comeback effort," Keith noted.
Stoesser burst out of the gate in his first BCHL season, with two shutouts to open the season, followed by a third-straight win. He was on the losing end of a 7-4 loss to Nanaimo, however, on Oct. 3 in Duncan.
Despite the loss, Cowichan is leading the league in average shots against and in penalties against.
"We put immediate pressure on the puck with any possession change and no penalties away from our net are the two biggest factors contributing to those numbers," Keith said.
The Capitals played Oct. 10 at the Q Centre against the Victoria Grizzlies and Oct. 11 against the Bulldogs in Port Alberni. Neither result was available by the Citizen's press deadline.
Cowichan will compete in front of pro and college scouts as part of the BCHL Showcase tournament next week. On Oct. 15 Cowichan plays in Chilliwack against the Spruce Grove Saints, and Oct.16 the team plays in Abbotsford against the West Kelowna Warriors.
“The BCHL Showcase is a marquee event on the league calendar,” said commissioner Steven Cocker in a press release. “It often acts as an introduction for our players to NCAA Div. 1 programs and a starting point to an eventual collegiate career.”
— with files from Greg Sakaki
