The Panthers’ five-game winning streak came to an end this past week.
After racking up 15 of a possible 18 points in the league, the Panthers hosted the Westshore Wolves last Friday and were dropped 4-0.
The next day the team travelled to Kerry Park to face the Islanders and were once again met with defeat, this time taking a 7-4 loss.
A 4-4 tie in the third period during Saturday’s game held promise, but three unanswered Islander goals late in the period led the team to victory.
Panthers’ netminder Stephen Heslop took the loss between the pipes on Friday while Justin Samra took the loss on Saturday. Daniel Welch led the way against the Islanders scoring twice, while Zack Smith and Josh Adkins chipped in with singles.
“This past weekend was a real wakeup call for the boys. I think we all learned that if you take any game off in this league you will undoubtedly come out second best,” said Panthers’ owner Pete Zubersky.
Although the team couldn’t manage to pull together enough to grab the wins over the weekend, the Panthers dominated the shot totals in both games and still lead the league in scoring even though they sit in third place behind the Victoria Cougars and the Saanich Braves.
The club is now preparing to host the Cougars this Friday night at the Panorama Recreation Centre. The undefeated Cougars have not yet lost a game in regulation play.
A big crowd is expected for Friday night’s game featuring the two local teams. The puck is set to drop at 7:30 p.m.