Clippers burn Grizzlies with late goals

NANAIMO 5 VICTORIA 4

They’re finding new inventive ways of losing hockey games, these Victoria Grizzlies.

The visitors allowed the tying goal with the goalie pulled with 35 seconds remaining and the eventual winner with just 1.2 ticks left on the clock as the Nanaimo Clippers erased a 4-3 deficit for a shocking 5-4 victory at Frank Crane Arena on Wednesday.

Devin Brosseau scored the tying goal as Grizzlies goalie Matthew Galajda got caught out of his net. Then a late giveaway led to Zack Court’s winner.

Colby Livingstone scored his second of the game at 15:01 of the third period to snap the 3-3 tie for the Grizzlies, who led four times, only to let it slip away. It was also a power-play marker that snapped an 0-for-24 slump with the man advantage through the last five games.

But the Grizzlies fall to 3-12-0-2 while the Clippers improve to 11-6.

“That one really hurts,” said Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon. “It takes 60 minutes. They got a lucky one, in which I thought they were offside. But no matter, our veterans should have got the puck down the ice.

“This team needs to learn how to win. It needs attention to detail for a full 60 minutes,” he added. “Nanaimo’s a good hockey club, but four goals should be enough.”

Especially for a Grizzlies team that has struggled mightily in the goal-scoring department. Victoria had 34 goals for entering the night, while Nanaimo had 61, while playing one less game.

Brayden Gelsinger opened the scoring, tallying midway through the first period on goaltender Evan Johnson, a recent addition as a WHL casualty with time spent with Medicine Hat, Calgary and Portland.

Charley Borek evened things for Nanaimo just 3:41 into the second, but Cole Pickup replied with an unassisted marker just 1:12 later with his team-leading seventh. Lucas Finner knotted it back up again midway through the sec- ond before Livingstone gave Victoria its third lead of the night with 4:37 to go in the frame.

Sheldon Rempal tied it again on a Nanaimo power play at 3:54 of the third, after the Grizzlies couldn’t produce an insurance marker on their own man advantage.

Livingstone then provided the much needed goal, but it came crashing down on the Grizzlies, who entertain the Powell River Kings tonight at 7 at The Q Centre on another school spirit night. This time Belmont Secondary students can get in for $5 with school ID.