The Nanaimo Buccaneers travelled to Port Alberni for a Saturday afternoon matinee and fell behind early, trailing 3–0 out of the gate. Former Bomber Jack Barrett (2nd) put Nanaimo on the board with a power-play marker, trimming the deficit to 3–1 after the opening period.
The second period saw the Bucs come alive. Rookie Rhys Wilcox notched his first career goal, bringing the team within one. The Bombers answered with two quick strikes before rookie Lukas Needham buried his third of the season, making it 5–3 heading into the third.
Nanaimo kept pressing until the final buzzer, adding goals from Koen Gauthier (6th) and Zach Spafford (1st), but ultimately came up just short in a 6–5 loss.
The Bucs won’t have much time to regroup — they’re back on the road tomorrow evening in Lake Cowichan for a 5:30 PM matchup with the Kraken.
