A deflected point shot gave the Nanaimo Clippers the lead with 6:52 left in the third period and they hung in to beat the visiting Prince George Spruce Kings 2-1 Wednesday night in Nanaimo.
Travis Walton got his stick on the shot from defenceman Mike Kennedy for what stood up as the winning goal at Frank Crane Arena, giving the Clippers their eight-straight win.
The Kings got goalie Jett Alexander to the bench with 1:34 left and while skating 6-on-4 they took advantage of three successive face-off wins from Nolan Welsh to keep the Clippers pinned in their own zone and came close to tying it when they jammed the net on a goalmouth scrum.
Corey Cunningham, with a first-period deflection 5:25 in, gave the Spruce Kings the early lead. Steven Agriogianis tied it up from Nanaimo, swatting on a loose puck with 4:32 gone in the second period.
The Clippers built a 29-14 shot advantage through two periods but faced a more determined Kings' attack in the third period and they fired 13 shots on the Nanaimo net in the final 20 minutes. Clippers goalie Jordan Naylor had to be sharp to block a bullet one-timer from defenceman Evan Orr to keep the game tied early in the third period and former Clipper Preston Brodziak also came close with a between-the-legs shot from just outside the crease right after Walton's goal.
Naylor stopped 25 of 27 shots he faced, while Alexander blocked 42 of 44 as the game's second start.
The win moved the Clippers (19-6-1-1) four points ahead of Cowichan Valley for first place in the BCHL's Island Division. Prince George (10-13-2-3) remained third in the Mainland Division.
The Spruce Kings, who started their five-game roadtrip with a 4-3 win over the Alberni Bulldogs Tuesday in Parksville, will be in Merritt to face the Centennials on Friday. Their nine-day trip then moves on to Wenatchee on Monday and wraps up Wednesday in Penticton.
