Matt Boas was the overtime hero for the Nanaimo Timbermen as they picked up an 11-10 win over the New Westminster Salmonbellies on Thursday night.
Boas scored with 53 seconds left in regulation to force overtime before netting the winner 8:10 into the extra frame to keep Nanaimo undefeated early in the season.
The Timbermen were led by Noah Manning, who recorded a hat trick and three assists for a six-point night. Boas also finished with a hat trick and five points, while Andrew Bowman added a pair of goals and three assists.
Colby Bowman got the start between the pipes and stopped 38 of 48 shots for the win.
For the Salmonbellies, Noah Armitage had a huge game with five goals and three assists, while Toru Morimatsu collected five assists and Lukas Nielsen chipped in with a goal and three assists.
Ashton Leclair faced heavy pressure in the Salmonbellies’ goal, stopping 40 of 51 shots in the loss.
First Period
New Westminster jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead as Will MacKay scored 37 seconds into the game. Armitage added another just 17 seconds later to make it 2-0.
Blake Bosak rounded out the three-goal run at the 9:06 mark for the Salmonbellies.
Nanaimo responded with a pair of goals, beginning with Manning scoring on a solo effort at 9:52.
Colton Lidstone then made it a one-goal game, 3-2, when he found the back of the net at 14:49.
Armitage rounded out the first-period scoring with 2:57 left on the clock as the Salmonbellies held a 4-2 lead at the first break.
Second Period
Armitage struck again on the power play 1:47 into the second period to extend New Westminster’s lead to 5-2.
Nanaimo answered at the 5:41 mark when Andrew Bowman found the back of the net.
The back-and-forth second period continued with Tommy Robertson scoring unassisted at 6:50 to restore the Salmonbellies’ three-goal advantage.
Gavin Gunderson set up Manning at the 9:19 mark for Nanaimo to cut the score to 6-4.
New Westminster closed out the second period with a two-goal run. Armitage scored off an assist from Nielsen at 12:55.
Nielsen then scored shorthanded with 4:08 left on the clock as the Salmonbellies carried an 8-4 lead into the third period.
Third Period and Overtime
Jeremy Wudrick opened the third-period scoring with a shorthanded marker at 6:22, which proved to swing the momentum in Nanaimo’s favour.
Andrew Bowman scored unassisted on the power play at 8:38, followed by Manning just 15 seconds later to make it 8-7.
Boas then scored on the power play at 10:26 to cap off a four-goal run for the Timbermen and tie the game 8-8.
New Westminster regained the lead at the 13:22 mark when CJ Schuster found the back of the net.
Nanaimo answered with Josh Gabriele scoring at 15:43 to tie the game 9-9.
Armitage scored with 1:22 remaining in regulation as it looked like New Westminster was on its way to the win.
However, Nanaimo and Boas had other plans. He scored with 53 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Boas was once again the overtime hero as he found the back of the net 8:10 into overtime to give Nanaimo the dramatic 11-10 victory.
Top Scorers
Nanaimo Timbermen
- Noah Manning, 3g 3a
- Andrew Bowman, 2g 3a
- Matt Boas, 3g 2a
New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Noah Armitage, 5g 3a
- Toru Morimatsu, 5a
- Lukas Nielsen, 1g 3a
Three Stars
- Noah Manning, Nanaimo Timbermen
- Noah Armitage, New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Joel Mullen, Nanaimo Timbermen
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