It’s been a busy November for the Cowichan Valley Capitals following a blockbuster Oct. 28 trade that saw fan favourites Kole Keen and Owen Fitzgerald traded away to the Surrey Eagles in exchange for a trio of players. Maintaining their place among the league’s top teams, the Capitals have gone 3-1 (through Nov. 13) to start the month including an overtime thriller against the Nanaimo Clippers. The Capitals first beat the Grizzlies 4-2 in Victoria to start the month. Massimo Fazio scored in the first, Jack McAra and Camden Charron scored in the third period and Slad Firkus added an empty netter late to seal the win. Stoesser got the win between the pipes. The following night they bested the Vernon Vipers 6-2 at the Cowichan Arena despite giving up the first two goals of the game. To begin a six-goal unanswered streak in the second period, Shawnigan Lake product Brendyn Van Oene scored his first as a Capital since joining the team from the Eagles. Gavin Nemis also scored his first with the team to tie the game at 2-2 after two periods of play. Firkus, Trace Frieden, Anthony Hall, and Tristan Gravenor all tallied in the third to make it a 6-1 win. The Capitals were defeated 4-1 by the Nanaimo Clippers during a road game on Nov. 7 with Gravenor scoring the Capitals’ lone goal. Cowichan got their revenge in Duncan on Nov. 8, beating the Clippers in overtime thanks to a goal from Hall 2:24 into the extra period. It was Hall’s second goal of the game. Team captain Ryan Harvey also scored twice in the contest. The Capitals took to the road for their next two games with tilts against the Powell River Kings at Hap Parker Arena on Nov. 14, and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, on Nov. 16, at the Alberni Valley Multiplex. Against Powell River, Cowichan fell behind early, conceding two goals in the first period. After a regroup in the first intermission, the Capitals popped off for six unanswered goals to win 6-2. In the second period, Gavin Rocha scored his first since coming over from Surrey in the big trade, and Tyler Rowland got Cowichan’s game-tying goal. Nemis potted a pair to put the Caps up by two before Ryder Dembo and Gravenor each added singles in the 6-2 victory. The Caps continued to push in Port Alberni, with a 4-3 overtime win. Once again, it was scoring by committee as Carter Stamp-Vincent, Tyler Rowland, and Hunter Heisten all scored for Cowichan before the Bulldogs got three in a row back to tie the game. In the end, it was Nemis on the power-play just over three minutes into overtime who put Cowichan on top. Cowichan now has five wins and one loss since the trade and looks ahead to play two in a row against the visiting Prince George Spruce Kings Nov. 21 and 22. Puck drop for both games at the Cowichan Arena is 7 p.m. Ice Chips: Duncan forward Carson Lesiuk, 20, was traded from the Nanaimo Clippers to the Powell River Kings for future considerations on Nov. 5 and then flipped to the Coquitlam Express the following day, also for future considerations. In a BCHL career that’s spanned parts of five years, Lesiuk has played two as a call-up for the Cowichan Valley Capitals (2021-22), 25 games for the Penticton Vees (2023-2024), 62 games for the Nanaimo Clippers (2024-25) and now the Express (one game as of Nov. 13).
More
Less
