Clippers goalie Aidan Campbell is playing his best hockey of the season in the month of February. (Gary Dorland)

By Dan Marshall

Campbell On Point

VIDEO: Clippers netminder dialed in during busy February schedule

Feb 23, 2023 | 4:14 PM

NANAIMO — Results have been tough to come by for the Nanaimo Clippers in February.

The team is 3-3 in a month where they’ve been dealt with tough travel, injuries and high-quality opponents.

Starting goalie Aidan Campbell has risen to the challenge with some of his best goaltending of the season.

“As a goalie one of your most important jobs is giving your team a chance to win,” Campbell said. “I’ve been working really hard with practicing those one-on-one movements. It gets my lateral quickness up and I’m glad it’s paying off in games.”

In his two most recent starts Campbell stopped 71 of 75 shots for a .947 save percentage.

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He helped Nanaimo beat Vernon 3-2 in overtime on Saturday, Feb. 18 with a stellar 19-save performance in the first period and a key breakaway save in overtime.

In a Family Day game in Port Alberni, Campbell played 50 minutes of shutout hockey before surrendering two goals in the third period in a 3-1 loss.

The 20-year-old made 41 saves and was named the game’s third star.

Campbell said taking positives even from a loss is important.

“You want to take the good and leave the bad. You don’t want to take the negative too far.”

In 2023, Campbell appeared in 10 of the Clipper’s 12 games.

He’s earned a 6-4 record while facing 40-plus shots five times and kept opponents to two goals against on five occasions.

Campbell is second in wins, third in minutes and sixth in BCHL save percentage.

COVID-19 shutout down a season for him as an 18-year-old and a hip injury limited his action in his 19-year-old season but Campbell is grateful his hockey path led him to Nanaimo.

“Life is up and down. There’s always another valley around the corner and there’s always another hill to be climbed. If I didn’t go through that I wouldn’t have found myself here. It’s one of the best cities I’ve ever been able to play for. I’m excited for making a post-season run.”

CLIP NOTES:

The Clippers were short-staffed in their most recent game with Brody Waters, Willyam Gendron and Grant Babcock all out due to injury.

Forward Nick Sajevic played his first game in two and a half months on Feb. 20 against the Bulldogs. He suffered a leg injury in Powell River on Nov. 25. Sajevic had no points in his return to the lineup.

The Clippers have a trio of three-game weekends in the final five weeks of the BCHL season starting with a lower mainland trip to Chilliwack, Langley and Coquitlam Feb. 24-26.

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