The Peninsula Panthers split a pair of weekend games, claiming the win at home against the Kerry Park Islanders before losing on the road in Campbell River against the Storm.
A solid crowd poured into the Panorama Recreation Centre Friday (Sept. 15) and witnessed Carson Harris put on a show in the 4-2 win. Harris was in on all four goals, scoring three of them. He also garnered an assist on a Luka Jansen van Rensburg tally midway through the final stanza and once again had fans buzzing as they headed for their vehicles after the final horn sounded.
On Saturday, the Panthers headed up to Campbell River with a 3-0 record. The Storm had an identical record when the puck dropped shortly after 7:30 p.m. but this night would belong to the Storm’s netminder Nick Peters. Although the Panthers had scoring chance after chance, Peters denied them each and every time. When 60 minutes were in the books, he posted a shutout in the 7-0 game.
Panthers owner Pete Zubersky was happy Monday morning with the team’s 3-1 record.
“Our games have all been close and exciting and I have had such positive feedback from our fans. We got blasted on the scoreboard in Campbell River but strangely enough, I thought we were just as good as the Storm. We outshot them 36-31 but there was no way we were going to beat their goaltender that night and that is just the way it goes sometimes. There is a lot more to be learned from a loss than a win. Our players now have to regroup as does our young coaching staff and I believe the loss to the Storm will do just that for our group.”
As of Monday, the Panthers were sitting on top of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League’s south division with six points.
VIJHL play continues this week for the Panthers, with the team facing off against Mill Bay Tuesday evening.
The team faces off against another opponent from the north, with the Comox Valley Glacier Kings visiting the Panorama Recreation Centre for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop on Friday (Sept. 22).
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