The Peninsula Panthers took one step forward and then one step back in a pair of weekend affairs, but the calvary is on the way.
After spending the last six weeks faced with injury after injury, most of the walking wounded are ready to return to action.
“It’s been a crazy stretch in terms of our guys going down due to a myriad of injuries,” quipped Panthers owner Pete Zubersky. “For the last six weeks or so it was one guy after another going down and we have struggled to find any consistency in our lineup as a result. We have dropped a number of games that were winnable if our coach had the right guys on the bench to push the right buttons. But we should have everyone available, except defenceman Reid Fryer, for Thursday night up in Nanaimo against the Buccaneers and then again back home next Friday in a big one against the Kerry Park Islanders.”
Fryer suffered a knee injury and is not expected to return until late January.
On Friday evening in the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre the Cats knocked off the visiting Port Alberni Bombers by a 4-1 count but lost the following evening on the road against the defending VIJHL Champions Oceanside Generals by an identical score.
On Friday, Carson Harris who just returned to the lineup last weekend after missing a month of the regular season notched a goal and added two helpers and as importantly, gave the squad some of the excitement and juice that was needed. Goaltender Silas Currie picked up the win between the pipes.
On Saturday, sniper Ryan Grambart opened the scoring early in the first at Oceanside Place but the Generals responded with the equalizer later in the first stanza. The two clubs went toe-to-toe until the final frame when the Generals blew three past Currie to win by a 4-1 count.
This coming weekend is a significant one. The Panthers are in a fight for positioning in the South Division and with a good week of practice with all but one player now available, it is time to put up wins. The puck drops Friday at 7:30 p.m.