The Vancouver North East Chiefs playoffs hopes took a hit last weekend as they dropped two straight games to the North Island Silvertips, the team chasing them for the sixth and final playoff berth in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League.
The Chiefs fell 3-1 to the Silvertips on the road in Nanaimo Saturday before losing 6-4 in the second game of their two-game series on Sunday.
The Silvertips came ready to play Saturday and didn’t waste any time taking a 2-0 lead midway through the opening frame on the Chiefs. The score was 3-0 before Tyler Martin got the Chiefs on the board in the third period. Joey Santucci and Adam Rockwood had the assists.
It was the Chiefs who opened the scoring Sunday, as defenceman Dominic Centis scored his seventh goal of the season midway through the first period. The Silvertips tied things up less than three minutes later, but Truman Gonzales regained the Chiefs lead with two minutes to go in the period, sending the Chiefs to the dressing room with a one-goal cushion.
It would not last long, however, as the Tips mounted their comeback in the second, scoring four goals en route to the 6-4 win. Daniel Del Bianco and Nick Hermany had the other Chiefs goals. Gonzales picked up three assists in addition to his goal, while Liam Pearce, Derek Hughes, and Del Bianco had the other assists.
The losses mean the Chiefs are just one point up on the streaking Silvertips, who have now won four games in a row.