The Cowichan Cowichan Valley Capitals kicked off their five-game road series with a pair of losses to other Vancouver Island based BCHL teams over the weekend.
First the Caps were doubled up 4-2 by the Clippers in Nanaimo on Oct. 7 but the game was closer than the score suggests.
Kai Dunits scored the first goal of the game — his first of the season.
Nanaimo battled back with three of their own until Logan Camp’s first of the year made a game of it with less than three minutes to go.
McCoy Bidewell played 57:48 before being pulled at 17:48 of the third for the extra attacker. He stopped 26 of 29 shots he faced.
“We made it 3-2 late then they scored an empty net goal,” explained head coach Brian Passmore.
The following night, Cowichan fell 4-1 to the Bulldogs in Port Alberni.
Owen Goodbrand potted the only marker for the Caps against Alberni, his second of the season. Lukas Renaud played all 60 minutes in goal stopping 27 of 31 shots faced.
“We didn’t have our greatest weekend and we know that and we need to be better,” Passmore said. “Our first two games on the road were disappointing. We win as a team or lose as a team but we completely thought we didn’t carry the play enough and we got outworked.”
Up next for the Capitals is a game in Victoria against the Grizzlies.
Then they’re off to the BC Hockey League Showcase tournament in Chilliwack Oct. 17-20.
Cowichan will play Cranbrook Oct. 17 and Trail on the Oct. 18, both at the Chilliwack Coliseum.