The Peninsula Panthers eight-game home ice winning streak came to an abrupt end Friday at the Panorama Recreation Centre when the club was bounced in a 2-1 verdict at the hands of the Victoria Cougars.
Back on Sept. 21 when the Panthers started the streak with a 2-1 win over the same Victoria Cougars squad and so perhaps it was fitting that the streak would end almost like it had began almost two months ago.
Connor McKillop started between the pipes for the Panthers and in the other end of the ice was Owen Sikkes and both goaltenders were outstanding throughout the game. The Panthers carried the play through most of the first two periods of end-to-end hockey and the action was frantic at times.
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Some undisciplined play by the local “Cats” seemed to turn the momentum in the game and undoubtedly factored in the loss.
“Whenever your penalty killers are on the ice too much something else has to give,” explained Panthers general manager, Pete Zubersky. “We were really taking it to them, pounding them at every opportunity but as soon as you go down a man things change and it gives your opponent a chance to regroup.
Josh Lingard opened the scoring 4:31 into the third period when he grabbed a loose puck on a Cougars mistake just inside their blue line. The talented sniper raced in alone on Sikkes and made no mistake, going high on the abandoned Cougars stopper. Only a minute later a Panthers winger had control of the puck just a foot inside his own blue line and rather than chipping the puck off the wall, he decided to make the more risky play of going through the middle.
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The pass was picked off and seconds later it ended up behind McKillop to knot the score at 1-1.
And with just under eight minutes left in the contest three Panthers defenders got caught behind the goal line, leaving a Cougars forward unmarked in front. The puck came out onto the stick of Booker Chacalias and the Cougars marksman made no mistake in potting the winner.
The Panthers outshot the Cougars 31-28, albeit, much of the evening was spent in the sin bin.
The club hopes to get right back on the horse this Friday and will be facing yet another huge test as the North Division Campbell River Storm come blowing in. The Storm fell to the Panthers when they last met Oct. 19 and they will be looking to even the books in their last visit this regular season.
The puck drops at 7:30 pm Nov. 23 at the Panorama Recreation Centre.