Panthers win Game 5 thriller, take 3-2 series lead

It was a subdued group of Peninsula Panthers that arrived at the Panorama Recreation Centre on Monday evening.  The Club had held a two-game lead in their best-of-7 affair against the Westshore Wolves however, those same Wolves had howled in the last two games to even the series at 2-2.  The Panthers players were well aware that this was the biggest game in their season, and perhaps the biggest game in many of their young hockey careers.

Three 20-year-old players in Spencer Loverock, Drayson Lum, Justin Post seemed the most focused and discussion before the game stressed how fast a Junior Hockey career can come to crashing end.  The 4th 20-year-old, Ty Tremblay had his season shortened just a bit when he had to attend school for several weeks in Vancouver to complete his apprenticeship.

The ice was greased as usual but young Clayton Butler was not around to sing the National Anthem on the evening.  The canned version of the song was utilized and then it was time for the curtain to be brought up and for the puck to drop.  And a fired up Peninsula Panthers Club roared out the gate and wasted no time taking the lead when at the 2:16 mark, Cam Thompson scored his first of three markers on the night with the lone helper coming off the stick of Trevor Owens.  And at the 14:18 mark, it would be Josh Poland who would beat Wolves netminder Leighton Williams off a feed from Grayden Hohl to give the Panthers the two-goal lead.  The Panthers went on the power play only a few seconds later but the puck was coughed up at the Wolves blueline and the diminutive and lightning-fast Cam Kinsman sped in all alone on Panthers starter Alex Olson.  Kinsman snapped a shot to the roof at the 14:48 mark on the short-handed effort and it seemed to change the momentum of the game.  Two minutes later, the Wolves Branden Tangney scored his first of three goals on the night to knot the score at 2-2 heading into the first intermission.

The Wolves wasted no time in taking the lead once the middle stanza was underway.  Tangney struck again at the 4:12 mark and then Nathan Glesinger joined the party for the visitors when at the 10:37 mark he beat Olson to give the Wolves a 4-2 lead.  The next goal loomed large and it was Thompson on the power play who jammed in a loose puck in a goalmouth scramble at 13:07.  The power play barrage continued when with only 32 seconds to go in the period, Hohl put a shot past Williams with Spencer Loverock being awarded a helper on the play.  But it was not over.   At the 19:45 mark, Mitch Moloney fed the disk to Owens as he sped down the left side.  Owens crossed the blueline, took two Wolves defenders with him and then placed a bullet-like pass right onto the tape of Thompson who was cruising in from the high slot.  Thompson hit a hammer that beat Williams high on the blocker side to give the Panthers a 5-4 lead after 40 minutes were in the books.

The final stanza might have been the most exciting of the series.  The Wolves Tangney tied the game at 5-5 midway through the period and then both teams raced up and down the sheet looking for the winner.  And it would be the Panthers who would find it with only 3:04 remaining in regulation time.  The puck was brought to the net by Owens and Justin Post and in from the point raced Loverock.  He slapped at a loose puck right in front of Williams and the shot seemed to have eyes as it somehow snuck between the wickets of Williams to give the Panthers a 6-5 lead.  Williams was yanked for the extra attacker with only 50 ticks left on the clock however, to no avail. 

Thompson, Tangney and Owens were selected the three stars on the night.  With the win, the Panthers took a 3-2 series lead, Game 6 set for the Q Centre in Colwood on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.  If the Wolves win that game to force the 7th and deciding game, it will be played right back in the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre on Friday night.