Post Game Recap – October 10th, 2025

The Nanaimo Clippers suffered their second regular season loss of the year on Friday night, falling 4–1 to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in a game where special teams played a pivotal role. Despite a strong effort and multiple scoring chances — including a goal from Elliot Perrault and solid penalty killing — the Clippers couldn’t overcome an early deficit and struggled to capitalize on their power play opportunities. Salmon Arm struck first and never trailed, scoring in each period and pulling away late to secure the win.

The Silverbacks wasted no time getting on the board, capitalizing on their very first shot of the game — a fortunate redirection off a skate that slipped past the Indians’ goaltender. The early goal gave them an immediate edge and set the tone for a fast-paced opening frame. The Clippers nearly responded when Grossbard broke in alone on a 1-on-1 opportunity, but his chance was turned aside. Midway through the period, the Clippers found themselves on their first penalty kill, which they handled effectively. Boldt followed up with a decent scoring opportunity of his own but couldn’t convert.
Patrick Fortune also had a strong chance late in the frame, attempting a wraparound that was shut down by the Silverbacks’ netminder. Despite a solid push and a successful penalty kill, the Indians went into the first intermission trailing 1–0.

The Clippers opened the second period with their first power play opportunity of the game but were unable to capitalize. Not long after, Elliot Perrault brought the home crowd to life, tallying his fifth goal of the season on a play that required video review. After a brief delay, the goal was confirmed, knotting the game at 1–1. The middle frame flew by with minimal stoppages and a steady flow to the action. Nanaimo earned another power play chance later in the period but continued to struggle with the man advantage, coming up empty once again. Just when it looked like the period would end in a deadlock, the Silverbacks struck again — sneaking in a late goal with just two seconds left on the clock to reclaim the lead, 2–1, heading into the final 20 minutes.

The Clippers ran into early trouble in the third, taking a costly double minor for high-sticking. Salmon Arm made them pay, converting on the extended power play to extend their lead to 3–1.
Nanaimo’s penalty woes continued shortly after, but they managed to kill off the next minor to keep the deficit at two. The Clippers had a late power play opportunity to try and claw their way back into the game, but the struggles on special teams persisted as they failed to convert once again. The Silverbacks sealed the win with a fourth goal late in regulation, putting the game out of reach and securing a 4–1 victory.

The Silverbacks swept the three stars. New addition Nicholas Holomego took home FortisBC energy player of the game.

-Malcolm Cooke

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