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Clippers shake up roster as Grizzlies come calling

The Nanaimo Clippers will be a different-looking team tonight from the one the Victoria Grizzlies faced just two weeks ago.
The Nanaimo Clippers will be a different-looking team tonight from the one the Victoria Grizzlies faced just two weeks ago.

Clippers GM and head coach Mike Vandekamp shipped 1996-born Adam Donnelly and 1997-born Tate Coughlin, both forwards, in moves eastward. Donnelly, of Ontario, was traded to Carlton Place Canadians of the CCHL and Coughlin, a local product who played with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets for parts of four seasons, was shipped to Camrose of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Victoria came away with 1-0 and 5-2 victories over their B.C. Hockey League Island Division rivals in a back-to-back, home-and-home stretch Nov. 25 and 26

The 20-5-3-3 Grizzlies, who are coming off a three-game road trip over the weekend in which they earned five of a possible six points, return to Frank Crane Arena tonight to tangle with the 12-14-5-1 Clippers. Victoria is 8-2-2-2 on the road this season, second only to Penticton’s 14-3-0-0 away log, while Nanaimo is 7-8-3-0 at home.

“We get another look at them,” said Grizzlies’ leading point-getter Cole Pickup. “We had a couple of good games against them recently. They’re a good team that, even if you get up on them, they don’t go away or give up. Playing in their barn, they had a lot of fans behind them. Doing that makes it fun, though.”

As for the changes, Pickup said it matters not what the Clippers are doing with their roster.

“Getting rid of a couple of veteran guys, I don’t know if that’s a sign of them imploding or trying to improve for this year or next year,” said Pickup. “They were good players so I’m scratching my head a bit on those trades, but either way, you know Vandekamp is going to have them ready.

“We’re not worried about what’s happening off the ice with that team. We just need to be ready to go,” addd Pickup, who had five points over the three-game weekend and still leads the team in points with 37 in 26 games played (12 goals).

Tyler Welsh is next with 35 points, before defenceman Jake Stevens settles into third at 33 points, including five over the weekend. Welsh missed Sunday’s 8-2 win in Coquitlam as he nurses a lower-body injury.

Stevens had collected three assists in a 5-2 win over Nanaimo prior to the recent three-game trip. Tim Friedmann scored twice in that result and had four points over the weekend. In 14 games since joining the team, he has seven goals and 11 points.

Friedmann was skating on a line with Pickup and Welsh, who was replaced by Cam Thompson on Sunday.

“I’m starting to get back on pace,” said Pickup. “Welshie has been banged up a bit, battling injuries, and we’re still getting used to having Friedmann on our line rather than [Nathan] Looysen. We wanted to spread it out a bit to see if we could get another line going and it worked this weekend.

“Hopefully, Welshie can get through these next few games and go into the [Christmas] break. He’s a guy who plays a lot of minutes and we need him to get back to 100 per cent.”

IN THE DEN: Grizzlies goalie Matthew Galajda remains away at Team Canada West selection camp for the World Junior A Challenge. . . . The Grizzlies return home to face the Wenatchee Wild on Saturday at The Q Centre. The Clippers are coming off a 5-4 win and 4-3 overtime loss in a weekend set with the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com

Twitter.com/tc_vicsports