Panthers lose important contest to the visiting Oceanside Generals

A young Peninsula Panthers Hockey Club arrived at the Panorama Recreation Centre on Friday night knowing that they needed a win in an all-important VIJHL matchup against the visiting Oceanside Generals.  And they should have expected that a determined Generals squad was thinking exactly the same thing.  But somewhere between the dressing room and the ice the Panthers forgot to "Punch the Clock" and a clear lack of effort resulted in a 6-3 loss.

"It was interesting to say the least," explained General Manager Pete Zubersky.  "I don't know if the boys really understand how important each game is and that the other team is not going to mail in any points.  We are a really good Club when we work hard and we are a below average Club when we do not show up.  Unfortunately we did not seem to understand the urgency of the situation tonight and in reality, we got exactly what we deserved.  I guess the one positive is we probably don't have any bumps or bruises."

The Oceanside Generals scored a short handed marker at the 14:36 mark when a Panthers forward coughed up the puck and allowed two Generals to race down the ice towards "Cats" netminder Alex Olson.  Mathieu Jalibert made no mistake beating Olson to to give the Generals a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes were in the books.

The Panthers Ty Tremblay took a pass from Ty Hermsen just 31 seconds into the 2nd period as Tremblay was heading towards Oceanside Goaltender Brandon Ward.  From 20 feet out Tremblay snapped a blistering shot high on the short side to knot the score at 1-1, a goal that might just have been the shot of the year.  The Panthers seemed to catch fire and had several more great scoring chances before going on the power play in the late stages of the period.  Panthers defenceman Ryan Warner sped down the left side and at the hash marks in the offensive end, dished the puck to sniper Grayden Hohl who was cruising through the slot.  Hohl ripped one past Ward at the 16:52 mark and it looked like the Panthers were ready to roll.

The final stanza was all Generals when four different scorers gave the visitors a 5-2 lead with only seven minutes to go.  Justin Post cruised into the Generals end and dished a nice pass to Hermsen who beat Ward, drawing the Panthers within two.  The locals had several great chances to get within a goal however Ward was better.  And with Olson on the bench for an extra attacker the Generals sealed the deal when Willy Daigneault tallied on the rush to put the final stake in the heart of the Panthers.

"It's our only game this weekend and that might just be a good thing," said Zubersky.  "This game could be the most important of the season if we understand the lesson we were dealt.  We still control our own destiny if we want to get into that 2nd/3rd spot going into the playoffs.  We can take a lot out of the game.  We will practice and then get ready for the Cougars and Buccaneers next weekend and we have to look forward.  We can't get this one back but we certainly can learn from it."

The Panthers will travel to Victoria to take on the Cougars next Thursday evening and will be back at the Panorama Recreation Centre on Friday night when they host the Nanaimo Buccaneers with the puck set to drop at 7:30 pm.  One thing was clear from this game, a bigger effort will be needed in the final six games of the season if the Club wants to find success.