The Peninsula Panthers continue to be in a dogfight in the South Division standings of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.
And after dropping a winnable game 4-2 Friday night at the hands of the visiting Saanich Predators, the squad rebounded in a must-win contest up in Lake Cowichan against the Kraken Sunday night. The Cats dominated the game from start to finish, opening up a commanding 3-0 lead before locking it down and coasting to a 4-1 win.
It’s been a tough grind for the club over the past five weeks in terms of injuries, with as many as seven regular players out at various times. Head coach and general manager Tyler Stanton discussed his club just outside the dressing room in Lake Cowichan after the win was posted.
“The last month has been the epitome of junior hockey,” Stanton said. “We went from having 23 healthy players to playing games with 4 affiliate players. We have seen so much change, not in the aspect of new players, but in our lineup. Lines are changing every night, and the regularity aspect has just not been there. However, with that being said, we continue to proceed and develop as a team. Sitting now at 13-8 has provided us the opportunity to clearly see the things we are doing right, and also where we need improvement. Our goaltending has by far been the brightest spot. Both Tanner Ferrill and Silas Currie sit in the top-five goaltenders in the league. We continue to lead with the least amount of goals against, and continue to sit first overall on the penalty kill. Veterans Ryan Grambart and Luka Jansen Van Rensburg lead our team in points with 24 and 19 respectively.”
The Panthers were playing the Saanich Predators when the News Review went to print Wednesday evening (Nov. 15). The club will be back in the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre this Friday night (Nov. 17) when they play host to the Kerry Park Islanders in yet another massive South Division tilt.
The puck is set to drop at 7:30 p.m. The game will also feature 11-year-old Ronan Lougheed, who is currently in BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver fighting cancer. A 50-50 will be held throughout the night in support of the Lougheed family to help fray expenses over the next six months.
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