Luke Pilcher had a five-goal night, but it wasn’t enough as the Nanaimo Timbermen dropped a 12–10 decision to the Coquitlam Adanacs on Saturday night.
Nanaimo got off to a strong start, taking a 5–3 lead after the first period. However, Coquitlam outscored them 9–5 over the final two periods.
Pilcher accounted for half of Nanaimo’s scoring and added an assist for a six-point night. Ryan Sheridan had a goal and four assists for five points. Devlin Shanahan got the start for Nanaimo and stopped 42 of 53 shots.
For Coquitlam, Clark Walter was a playmaker with five assists, while Adam Noakes recorded two goals and three assists. With Christian Del Bianco unavailable, Andrew Gallant got the start and made 28 saves on 38 shots to earn the win.
The victory pulls Coquitlam even with the Victoria Shamrocks atop the WLA standings, with both teams holding 11–2–1 records. Victoria holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Nanaimo Puts the Pressure on Early
The Timbermen jumped out to a quick 2–0 lead. Pilcher scored unassisted 1:22 into the first, then added another at 3:34 off a feed from Nolan Ross.
Coquitlam responded on the power play at 6:42, with Jalen Chaster scoring. Brian Gillis tied the game 2–2 at the 8:28 mark.
Thomas Vaesen restored the lead for Nanaimo at 11:10, but Brett McIntyre responded just 41 seconds later.
To close out the period, Noah Manning scored with the extra attacker on the floor at 18:48. Pilcher then notched his hat trick goal with seven seconds left to give the Timbermen a 5–3 lead after one.
Adanacs Tie It Up
Coquitlam struck first in the second period, with Noakes scoring on the power play 1:21 into the frame.
Nanaimo responded with two quick goals. Vaesen scored at 3:15, followed by Pilcher’s fourth goal just 44 seconds later to make it 7–4.
The Adanacs answered with a five-goal run spanning the second and third periods.
Robbie Turpin started the rally with an unassisted goal at 7:25. David Charney made it a one-goal game at 8:03.
James Rahe tied the game 7–7 with a power-play marker, and the teams went into the third period deadlocked.
Adanacs Complete the Comeback
Noakes gave Coquitlam the lead 48 seconds into the third period, and Rahe extended it to 9–7 at 2:03.
Colton Lidstone scored at 7:32 to get the Timbermen back within one.
Charney added a power-play goal at 14:19, and Jacob Saunders scored unassisted at 15:33 to make it 11–8 for the Adanacs.
Nanaimo pushed for a late comeback. Pilcher scored his fifth at 15:42, and Sheridan tallied with the extra attacker on at 18:55 to make it 11–10.
The Timbermen pulled Shanahan again in the final minute, but Saunders scored into the empty net with 21 seconds left to seal the 12–10 win.
Top Scorers
Coquitlam Adanacs
- Clark Walter: 5A
- Adam Noakes: 2G, 3A
- Jalen Chaster: 1G, 3A
Nanaimo Timbermen
- Luke Pilcher: 5G, 1A
- Ryan Sheridan: 1G, 4A
- Thomas Vaesen: 2G, 2A
Three Stars
- Adam Noakes, Coquitlam Adanacs
- Luke Pilcher, Nanaimo Timbermen
- Jacob Saunders, Coquitlam Adanacs
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