The Peninsula Panthers might be down, but they’re not out.
The Junior B team is looking to retake the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League banner but a dominant start to the season has skidded to a halt. The team is now looking to make up some ground in the standings as playoffs loom on the horizon.
“What a tumultuous 10 days it has been. After making the coaching change I have seen a real difference in the work ethic of our group,” said general manager Pete Zubersky, who took over as head coach on Jan. 14.
Despite the change, the Panthers dropped their Friday evening game 2-1 against the Saanich Predators.
“I felt like we deserved to win. We had 40 shots on goal and probably 10 great scoring chances,” Zubersky said. “Injuries have hit us harder than I can ever remember in 22 years in junior hockey.”
On Saturday, when the Panthers hit the road to face off against the Oceanside Generals, the team was missing eight regulars from the lineup.
After beating the Panthers 3-1 on Saturday, the Generals are leading the North Division with 64 points. After leading the South Division earlier in the season, the Panthers have fallen to third with 46 points, trailing the division-leading Victoria Cougars with 57 points and the Saanich Predators with 53 points.
“At this point, we just need to get healthy and we need to continue to compete with everything we have got each night and I feel we are going to do just that. Sometimes the bright light shines just after things look dark and I feel that will be the case for our hockey club. Getting the walking wounded back will be huge.”
The Panthers hit the road Thursday, facing off against the Victoria Cougars at Arching Browning Sports Centre for a 7 p.m. puck drop before returning home to the Panorama Recreation Centre on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop against the Lake Cowichan Kraken.
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