VICTORIA — The Clippers have a post season date with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs after securing a 7-2 win over the Victoria Grizzlies in the final game of the regular season.
Nanaimo dressed a veteran laden lineup and led the game nearly wire to wire.
Tanner Bruender, Hayden Fechner and Charles Beland staked the team to a first period 3-0 lead.
The Grizzlies mounted a rally in the middle frame on goals by Maddux Martin on the power play and a bizarre deflected goal from Hunter Ashton.
Jack Rimmer got the Clippers going again with a shot from a wide angle on the right wing with just 3.9 seconds left in the second to solidify the lead.
In the final period Max Lapointe earned his first goal as a Clipper and then Beland and Sam Boisvert added power play markers.
Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau got the win over Mitchell Kathler as Nanaimo outshot Victoria 48-36.
The Clippers went 2/4 on the power play and killed off four of five Victoria opportunities on the man advantage.
The Grizzlies took two major penalties for dangerous hits in the third period in a game that cost them a chance at third place in the Coastal West Division and set up a Victoria versus Cowichan first round series.
From the Clippers standpoint they earned their 30th win of the season and clinched a first round date with the Bulldogs which will begin on April 3 and 4 at Frank Crane Arena.
Nanaimo was 4-2-1 against Alberni Valley in the regular season.
The Clippers and Bulldogs last met in the playoffs in the first round of 2020 with Nanaimo sweeping that series in four straight games.
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