Nanaimo 0 Victoria 2
A second consecutive shutout from first star Finn Wilson backstopped the Victoria Cougars to a 2-0 victory over the Nanaimo Buccaneers and the VIJHL Playoff Championship Thursday night at Archie Browning Arena.
Wilson stopped 39 pucks for the whitewash, and he let in only 3 goals on 152 shots in the past four games, all Victoria wins, an astounding .980 save percentage. Tanner Ferrill earning third star honours with a 28 save effort between the Bucs pipes.
Grady Sluggett was in on both Victoria goals, scoring the eventual game winner in the first period on a slick dipsy-doodle play around several players before deking the Nanaimo netminder to his knees. Ben Wetterberg had the other Cougars tally in the third frame, with Simon Semancik assisting on both goals.
Victoria won the best-of-seven series 4-1 to capture their first Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy playoff championship since 2019, and ninth overall. This was the Cougars’ first season under the ownership of Philip Pang and Chris Lynn, and head coach Mike Vandekamp. To make the final, they beat the Westshore Wolves 4-1 and then defending league and playoff champion Peninsula Panthers 4-3 in a thrilling seven game South Division title series.
This was the furthest the Nanaimo franchise had gone in the playoffs since re-entering the league in 2012, and it was the first time the Buccaneers captured the North Division regular season crown. Head coach Tyler Gow’s charges beat the Campbell River Storm 4-0 and the Comox Valley Glacier Kings 4-2 enroute to the final.
