By Dan Marshall

Clippers making progress on and off the ice in November

Nov 14, 2018 | 4:34 PM

NANAIMO – The Clippers have gone through a lot since the BCHL season began, and in November it looks like the team is started to see their hard work pay off.

November has been very successful on and off the ice as a team once fighting to stay in last place is now in third, and setting their sights on second in the Island Division.

Nanaimo is 3-1 in the first four games of the month and those three wins have each had an amazing storyline in front of the home fans.

November 2 the Clippers beat Cowichan Valley 5-4 in overtime with Tyler Williams finishing off a hat trick in the extra sesssion.

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Then on November 9 Sammy Steele completed his hat trick with seven seconds left to give the Clippers a 5-4 win over Alberni Valley.

Nanaimo’s last game on Remembrance Day featured a four goal third period comeback to get their first win in six tries against the Powell River Kings 5-3.

Sammy Steele, Tyler Williams, and Ethan Scardina are emerging as star players with Steele getting recognized as the most recent BCHL Player of the Week.

Off the ice the Clippers are starting to bond together whether their playing parking lot baseball, dressing up together for Halloween or goofing around after practice.

In the community the team is building connections through events like Skate with the Clippers after all their Sunday home games, their recent Military Appreciation Night, and other local appearances.

The players have been out during November helping with the Poppy Campaign, and they’ll be part of the Ladysmith Light Up and the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign.

To be a successful Junior A hockey team it takes a winning product on the ice, getting fans into the seats, making community connections and gaining the trust and support of the business community.

For a team with new coaches, new office staff, and new players the learning curve has been steep, but there’s a progression to what’s happening with the Nanaimo Clippers.

There’s still more than half of the BCHL season left, but the team that had so much to learn in September is looking more and more like it’s now on the path to success.

dan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On twitter: @danmarshall77