Game recap is presented by Iris Optometry.
Last night the Kings kicked off a new season at home as they took on the reigning coastal conference champions in the Nanaimo Clippers.
It would be a scoreless affair until the final minute of the 1st until the Clippers would be the first team to score in the game when Willyam Gendron would tap in a backdoor pass past Kyle Metson with 45 seconds remaining in the opening period to give the Clippers the early lead. The Kings would struggle to find their footing in the first period by only mustering 3 shots as they trailed going into the second.
In the middle frame the Kings would start to gain some momentum and create more offensive opportunities but it was the Clippers who would score the next goal as Joel Plante would get one past Metson off a rush midway through the period. After the Clippers extended their lead, the Kings seemed to awaken and started to take control of the game. They would go onto the power play late in the period an although they wouldn’t score they did create plenty of scoring chances and carried the momentum heading into the third.
The Kings would carry right where they left off to start the period and would score their first goal of the season 1:40 when Karter McNarland would bury one in from the left circle to get the Kings within striking distance. The Kings would fight back for an equalizer but the Clippers would restore the two goal cushion when Joel Plante centered a pass that hit off the stick of Karter McNarland infront of his own net and the puck deflected in through the legs of Metson. After the bad break the Kings were determined to get back within one and they would do so minutes later on the power play when Karter McNarland would make up for his blunder and score his second of the game to make it 3-2. The Clippers were eager to get the two goal lead back afterwards and press buy Kyle Metson came up with multiple clutch saves to keep it a one goal game. The Kings would get the extra attacker out with hopes to tie the game but Kai Daniells would ice it for Nanaimo putting the puck into the empty net to give the Clippers a 4-2 win in the season opener.
