The Nanaimo Clippers will open up the BCHL Playoffs against the Langley Rivermen on March 31. (Gary Dorland)

By Dan Marshall

BCHL Playoffs

VIDEO: Clippers open quest for Fred Page Cup with series against Langley

Mar 29, 2023 | 4:16 PM

NANAIMO — The Clippers last playoff series win was against the Langley Rivermen and they’ll start their 2023 post season playing Langley in a first round best of seven.

Clippers coach Dave Liffiton has taken on a larger role with the team over the last two weeks and feels his team is well prepared.

“If you’re a hockey player this is what you train for and this is what you play for. To be coming to the rink in your shorts in the spring time. There’s no better time to play hockey and I don’t think there needs to be a whole lot of external motivation. The guys seem ready to go on a good run here.”

Nanaimo won three of the four regular season meetings but captain Michael Craig said nobody will be taking the Rivermen lightly after a recent set back in a 4-2 head to head loss on Feb. 25.

“You look at where we all finished and that’s great and then it doesn’t matter at all when game one comes around. They beat us the last time we went to their building so it’s definitely going to be a challenge.”

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Statistically the top seeded Clippers have many advantages.

Nanaimo scored 70 more goals as a team and gave up 26 fewer. Offensively the Clippers are led by 35 goal scorer Kai Daniells who finished fifth overall in BCHL scoring.

The Clippers also had five players with at least twenty goals.

Leading scorer Vitaly Levyy is the key weapon for the Rivermen with 25 goals. Fourteen of those are on the power play which ranked him fourth overall in the regular season.

In goal Nanaimo has Aidan Campbell and Shane Shelest who both have excellent records, but Langley’s Ajeet Gundarah does have the best save percentage of any of the netminders in the series.

The Clippers have 10 players returning from the 2021-22 team who are highly motivated to get back to the Fred Page Cup but Craig is aware Langley’s nine returnees will also have something to prove.

“There’s a bunch guys who were on that team when we beat them in the conference finals last year so I think it will be a test in the opening round and we’re looking forward to it.”

Nanaimo ended the season with a full roster and nobody sitting out due to injury, but Langley’s ability to ice their best roster is more uncertain.

Five Rivermen players sat out both games of the team’s final regular season weekend and defenceman Brett Ursulak will not be eligible for Game 1 of the playoffs while he serves a suspension.

Liffiton said the Clippers will need to stay grounded in the present to have success in the series which starts Friday, March 31 at Frank Crane Arena.

“The biggest thing for us is just focusing on today. We need to take it one day at a time, and hopefully we can take it one day at a time for two or three months here.”

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