Nagra Forces OT With Six Seconds Left, but Unbeaten Wolves Edge Glacier Kings 3-2

For the second time this month, the Comox Valley Glacier Kings pushed the league’s only unbeaten team to the limit. And for the second time, the Westshore Wolves found a way. Trace Anderson scored 37 seconds into overtime on Friday night to give Westshore a 3-2 win, but not before Suhaan Nagra tied the game with just six seconds left in regulation to earn the Kings a hard-fought point.

Comox Valley got off to the start it needed against a team that had never trailed after two periods this season. Dexter Jung opened the scoring at 1:56 of the first, set up by Maxim Lefebvre and Gavin Munro. It was Munro’s first point of the season. The Kings carried that 1-0 lead into the intermission, even with Westshore outshooting them 15-11.

The Wolves pushed hard in the second, outshooting Comox Valley 18-9, and Ander Reyes kept them off the board through a string of penalties. The Kings killed off four Westshore power plays in the period, but a fifth one finally broke through. With Landen May in the box, defenceman Kieran Wilson scored his first of the season at 19:41 to tie the game 1-1, with Noah Gebicki and Jasper Fellbaum assisting.

The third period turned early. At 1:08, Westshore’s Marcus Hughes was handed a fighting major, an instigator minor, a slashing minor, and a game misconduct, while Munro took a roughing minor. That gave Comox Valley an extended power play, but Oskar Ponomarev and the league’s second-ranked penalty kill held firm. Westshore then took the lead at 9:17 when Kyle Rihela scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Samuel Wong and Shane Fillinger.

The Glacier Kings didn’t quit. They outshot the Wolves 16-9 in the third, and late penalties to Macguire Williamson and Owen Hentschel gave them one last chance. With six seconds left, Nagra buried a power-play goal from Jace Parsons and Westin Churchill to tie it 2-2 and send the game to overtime.

The extra period didn’t last long. Anderson finished a play from Wilson and Gebicki at 0:37 to keep Westshore perfect at 12-0-0-0. Anderson has now recorded a point in every game he’s played this season.

Reyes was named first star after making 40 saves on 43 shots. Across his two starts against Westshore this season, he’s stopped 85 of 90 shots, and both games have been decided by a single goal. Anderson took second star, and Ponomarev, who made 34 saves on 36 shots, was third star.

Comox Valley moves to 5-6-1-0 with 11 points, and the Kings still haven’t lost in regulation on the road this season (4-0-1-0). They return to the Sports Centre on Saturday to host the Peninsula Panthers at 6:30 PM.