The Nanaimo Buccaneers opened the VIJHL North Division Final with a 4–2 loss to the Comox Valley Glacier Kings in front of 410 fans at the Nanaimo Ice Centre.
Nanaimo started strong, leading 1–0 after the first period and extending the lead to 2–0 early in the second on goals from Curtis Freeman, who was named second star of the game.
Despite the early momentum, the Glacier Kings battled back to tie the game at 2–2 before adding two third-period goals to take the series opener. Aaron Pichette made 21 saves in the Buccaneers’ net.
Next up: The Buccaneers will look to even the series tonight in Courtenay for Game Two with a start time of 6:30pm
