Colby Bowman made 45 saves to backstop the Nanaimo Timbermen to a 5-4 win over the New Westminster Salmonbellies on Saturday night.
At the other end of the floor, Ashton LeClair was equally spectacular. He was bombarded with 59 shots and made 54 saves in the loss.
Andrew Bowman led the Timbermen offensively, recording four assists, while Ryan Sheridan led the goal scorers with a hat trick.
Will Malcom was the only player for the Salmonbellies to register more than one point. He finished with one goal and one assist.
The win moves Nanaimo into fourth place with a record of 3-3, while New Westminster drops to fifth at 3-4.
First Period
Nanaimo opened the scoring on the power play when Andrew Bowman found Matt Boas 3:35 into the game.
New Westminster tied it up shortly after that. Cam Ickert scored at the 4:11 mark to knot the game at 1-1.
Sheridan then scored a natural hat trick to finish off the first period.
He scored at the 5:42 mark off an assist from Andrew Bowman and added another at 8:04 off a feed from Colton Lidstone.
Sheridan rounded out the scoring with eight seconds left on the clock to give Nanaimo a 4-1 lead after one period.
Second Period
Jeremy Wudrick extended Nanaimo’s lead to four goals when he found the back of the net 4:22 into the second period to make it 5-1.
New Westminster then went on a three-goal run in an attempt to mount a comeback.
The run started with a goal from Malcom off an assist from Lukas Nielsen at 5:51.
Will MacKay then scored off a feed from Malcom with 8:04 left on the clock to make it 5-3 heading into the third period.
Third Period
Both goaltenders were outstanding in the third period. Colby Bowman stopped 14 of 15 shots, while LeClair turned aside all 19 shots he faced.
The lone goal in the period came from Owen Rahn, who scored unassisted at the 8:09 mark.
However, the Salmonbellies could not find the equalizer as the Timbermen held on for the 5-4 victory.
Top Scorers
Nanaimo Timbermen
- Andrew Bowman, 4a
- Ryan Sheridan, 3g
- Matt Boas, 1g 1a
New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Will Malcom, 1g 1a
- Cam Ickert, 1g
- Owen Rahn, 1g
- Will MacKay, 1g
- Lukas Nielsen, 1a
Three Stars
- Colby Bowman, Nanaimo Timbermen
- Ashton LeClair, New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Ryan Sheridan, Nanaimo Timbermen
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