Clark makes 37 saves as Islanders top UVic, close in on playoff berth

Vancouver Island University scored early and tacked on six unanswered goals to close out the game as they put a stranglehold on the BCIHL's final playoff berth with a 7-1 win over the University of Victoria on home ice in Nanaimo.

Mariners forward Gage Colpron and Vikes counterpart Thierry Martine scored 3:42 apart early in the first period, but it was all VIU from there.

Alex Hanson and Keegan Kessler scored before intermission to give the hosts a 3-1 lead, and Ryan Lawson and Darryl Senholt piled on in the second to make it a four-goal advantage. Curtis McCarrick and Michael Olson-Eyre added goals in the third as the Mariners cruised to their third straight victory.

Brett Clark made 37 saves in the win, which was also the third in a row for the 22-year old. Zach Wear faced 38 shots and allowed seven goals in the loss for Victoria.

It was a big night offensively for the Mariners blueline, as Ryan Coghlan led the way with three assists while Garrett Halls and Senholt each had two points, and Kessler and Spencer Loverock added singles.

With the win, VIU extended its lead on fifth place UVic to 10 points, putting the expansion team on the verge of securing a playoff spot in their first B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League season. The Vikes have six games remaining and would need 11 points to over take their island rivals, meaning that a single VIU win or UVic loss the rest of the way will lock the Mariners in to fourth place.

Both teams host sixth place Eastern Washington next weekend, with the Eagles visiting Victoria on Friday and Nanaimo on Saturday.