The Nanaimo Timbermen rolled to a 12-9 victory over the Langley Thunder on Saturday night, picking up their first win of the season.
Nanaimo held a slim 2-1 lead after the first period before an offensive explosion in the second. The Timbermen outscored the Thunder 7-6 in the middle frame and held on for the win.
Ryan Sheridan led the way for the Timbermen with a hat trick and three assists for six points. Thomas Vaesen added two goals and two assists, while Caleb Creasor also scored twice.
Colby Bowman got the start in goal for Nanaimo and made 55 saves on 64 shots in the win.
Connor Robinson had a big game for Langley, tallying two goals and three assists. Nathaniel Kozevnikov and Kyle Brunsch each finished with two goals and two assists.
Caleb Khan got the start in net for the Thunder, stopping 39 of 51 shots.
Low-Scoring Start to the Game
Defence was the story early on, with the first goal not coming until the midway point of the opening period when Brunsch scored shorthanded for Langley.
Nanaimo responded with a pair of goals to close out the frame. Creasor tied it up unassisted at 15:02, and Vaesen gave the Timbermen a 2-1 lead with just 42 seconds left in the period.
Offence Comes Alive in the Second
The second period was a stark contrast to the first, with both teams combining for 13 goals.
Chase Scanlan tied the game just 45 seconds into the frame. Eight seconds later, Graden Soucy scored unassisted to restore Nanaimo’s lead at 3-2.
The back-and-forth battle continued. Robinson scored unassisted at 1:45, but Sheridan answered at 3:03. The Thunder tied it once again at 4:09 with a goal from Jon Phillips, but Sheridan struck back 35 seconds later on the power play to make it 5-4 Nanaimo.
Kozevnikov scored at 5:44 to tie the game for the fourth time before the Timbermen went on a two-goal run. Griffin Hall scored unassisted at 9:09, followed by another unassisted goal from Sheridan at 11:20—his third of the night.
Just 11 seconds later, Ben Vanderkley responded for Langley to make it 7-6.
The scoring continued as Jack Bowie added to Nanaimo’s tally at 14:26, and Brunsch answered back for Langley at 15:28. Colton Lidstone rounded out the period for the Timbermen with 3:36 remaining, giving Nanaimo a 9-7 lead heading into the third.
Timbermen Hold On for First Win
Lidstone’s late second-period goal sparked a four-goal run for the Timbermen. Luke Ory opened the third-period scoring two minutes in, extending the lead to 10-7.
Vaesen added a power-play goal at 6:26, and Creasor capped the run to make it 12-7 with 4:10 remaining.
Langley tried to mount a late comeback. Kozevnikov scored with 3:32 left, and Robinson added one more with 43 seconds remaining. But the Timbermen held on to secure the 12-9 win— their first of the season.
Top Scorers
Nanaimo Timbermen
- Ryan Sheridan: 3G, 3A
- Thomas Vaesen: 2G, 2A
- Colton Lidstone: 1G, 2A
Langley Thunder
- Connor Robinson: 2G, 3A
- Nathaniel Kozevnikov: 2G, 2A
- Kyle Brunsch: 2G, 2A
Three Stars
- Ryan Sheridan, Nanaimo Timbermen
- Thomas Vaesen, Nanaimo Timbermen
- Caleb Creasor, Nanaimo Timbermen
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