By Dan Marshall

Clippers open season against Alberni Valley

Sep 9, 2016 | 12:45 PM

NANAIMO — The quest for a third straight Island Division championship begins Friday for the Nanaimo Clippers.
 
It won’t be an easy ride with only six returning players and a club that for the first time in a while is a bit short on Junior A experience.
 
Starting with the forwards, much will be expected from captain and four year veteran Spencer Hewson.
 
Has been an outstanding two way forward over his time in Nanaimo and has strong leadership qualities.
 
For the Clippers to be a first place team again, he’ll likely need to put up career numbers and get some offensive support from vets like Creamer, Finner, and Kowalski.
 
Ben Solin, who is committed to Harvard, has looked impressive in the preseason and scored Nanaimo’s only goal in their final preseason game.
 
Surprising 17 year old David Silye had three exhibition goals and could be a dark horse up front, and the newest Clipper Tristan Crozier was just acquired on Tuesday but was nearly a point a game player as a 17 year old in Grande Prairie last year.
 
On defense Nanaimo will have high hopes that last year’s third defensive pairing of Sean Buchanan and Taylor Karel can be a consistent top one or two tandem. 
 
That will take some pressure off the many newcomers on the blueline.
 
Through the preseason Union commit Will LeNeave looked strong and appears to be a guy that log a lot of minutes on the back end.
 
A big question mark is the goaltending position.
 
This is the third year in the BCHL for Brendan Barry, but his first where he will be the favourite for the starting job.
 
The Clippers haven’t handed it to him, but conventional wisdom says it will be his to lose.
 
Coach Mike Vandekamp has talked about what a young group he has and he’s also stressed the need for this team to win by committee.
 
Last year Nanaimo won a lot of games on the strength of their best players like Sheldon Rempal and Yanni Kaldis, but two years ago they had six 20 goal scorers and that was their best over season since the team that won the Fred Page Cup in 2007.
 
The journey to Fred Page Cup starts against arguably Nanaimo’s biggest rival as the Alberni Valley Bulldogs visit Frank Crane Arena for the home opener Friday at 7pm.