The Peninsula Panthers remain undefeated after winning their eighth straight victory.
The defending Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) champions dispatched the Port Alberni Bombers with a 3-1 victory Friday night at Panorama Recreation Centre in North Saanich.
The Panthers’ strong start naturally excites owner and general manager Pete Zubersky. But he also tries to maintain perspective. “With an amazing start to the season at 8-0, I always believe it is never as good as it seems, and when times are bad, and it’s hard to find a win, things are never as bad as they seem,” he said.
While Zubersky credited the Panthers’ goal-tending and defence for their strong start, they also have more in them. “We are getting enough scoring to win. I think we have yet to work as hard as we need to. Hard work is a skill and it becomes a habit. We are not sneaking up on any of the clubs we play anymore. We are the defending VIJHL champions and now are the only undefeated team in our league.”
The Panthers’ top line produced all of the scoring Friday night. Payton Braun — last year’s Rookie of the Year — broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal of the season less than four minutes into the third period. Linemate Tanner Banks scored the game’s opening goal halfway through the second period and added an insurance marker with less than eight minutes. Banks also picked up an assist on Braun’s goal while Ryan Grambart assisted on all three goals.
Head coach Chris Driebergen is not blind to who is scoring for the Panthers right now. “Secondary scoring is lacking (and) we will look to address this in practice this week,” he said. Overall, he echoed Zubersky’s comments about the need for greater consistency.
Friday’s home victory came after the Panthers defeated the Kerry Park Islanders Tuesday night on the road with the top line once again leading the way as Grambart scored twice in the 2-1 victory.
Mason Kelly saved 26 out of 27 to match his twin brother Brady with four victories.
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The Panthers’ success as a collective also appears in the personal statistics. Banks ranks second in league scoring with 17 points on six goals and 11 assists, while Grambart currently ties for fifth with 14 points, as of Sunday afternoon. The Kelly brothers, meanwhile, easily rank among the top goaltenders. Mason has a goals-against-average of 1.5 goals, good for third overall, while Brady sits in sixth place with a goals-against-average of 2.2 goals.
The Panthers are back in action on Friday when they host the Victoria Cougars at the Panorama Recreation Centre with the puck dropping at 7:30 p.m. They will then face the Westshore Wolves on the road Sunday, at 3:30 p.m.
Zubersky sees Friday’s home game against the Cougars as a genuine test for his team. “We have quite a number of injuries to deal with right now and a couple of our kids are out of town on other commitments,” he said.
The Panthers’ injury list includes, among others, their newest acquisition, 20-year-old defenceman Andrew Braun, who captained the Saanich Predators. Braun suffered a knee injury during Friday’s game and the Panthers will know later this week if he is able to play Friday.
Personnel moves are already underway. “We will bring in at least two or three forwards from the PMHA Midget team to help us out Friday. I love when our guys are challenged, we will be Friday.”
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