Ethan Scardina and Jonathan Stein scored third period goals to lead the Nanaimo Clippers to a 4-2 come-from-behind win over the Bulldogs at the Alberni Valley Multiplex on Sunday.
The Bulldogs took the lead early in the game when Tanner Pochipinski scored off the rush, but the Clippers replied on their fourth power-play opportunity of the period to even the score 1-1 after 20 minutes. Keaton Mastrodonato restored the lead midway through the second period when he tipped a puck past Jordan Naylor on a Bulldogs’ man-advantage, and Alberni outshot their guests by a 14-5 margin in the middle 20 minutes.
But Scardina brought Nanaimo back on level terms less than five minutes into the third period when he banged a loose puck past John Hawthorne, and Stein scored the winning goal minutes later when he converted on a giveaway deep in Bulldogs territory.
Mitch Deelstra thought he tied the game in the final minute but the puck couldn’t make it over the goal line and the Clippers scored into an empty net with three seconds remaining. The final shots on goal were 38-28 Bulldogs.
Alberni will play one final game before the holiday break when they welcome the Kazakhstan Under-20 National Team for an exhibition contest on Wednesday night. The game is set for 7:00 PM.
