Hockey Ops. - November 11, 2016

Good Evening Hockey fans on the Peninsula!

Welcome back tonight to the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre as we welcome in the visiting Victoria Cougars.  I always enjoy when the Cougars come out to North Saanich for a game and have most enjoyed our intense rivalry since we purchased the team in 1999. 

I will chat a bit more about the game and what is happening around the Club but first wanted to acknowledge Remembrance Day.  We will host a pre-game ceremony to honour the War Veterans from the past and present.  You will meet three men who will walk onto the ice before game time. Second Lieutenant (retired) Kenny Podmore from the Royal Engineers England will carry the Canadian Flag.  He will be joined by 93-year-young retired commander Peter Chance of the Royal Canadian Navy and Peter will say a few words on behalf of the Veterans.  Finally, we are hoping for Roger Hind to join the others and will pipe the song “Morag of Dunvegan.”  Many Canadians have lost their lives serving Canada in the past and today is a chance for the Country to sit back and reflect on the bravery, service and sacrifice of the many Veterans and active duty military members. We are eternally grateful for the freedom they have provided all of us.  We choose to go to a game, to have a nice meal or to go out and enjoy an evening with family or friends.  All we need to do is look around this big world of ours and it is clearly not the same for all.  With the USA elections just in the rearview mirror, many folks wonder aloud what the ramifications will be over the next four years.  I believe that the USA Government will get much accomplished but also believe that the next several years might be tumultuous.  I believe that men and women in our Armed Forces will face many trials and tribulations, perhaps more than they have in the past to keep Canada a free country.

The Cougars dropped a 4-2 game last night at the hands of the Saanich Braves and in doing so, relinquished 1st place in the South Division and now trail the Braves by a single point.  We also were in action last night as we jumped on the Steel Horse just after 3:30 pm and headed into the “Hub City” for our initial visit into the Nanaimo Ice Centre to face off against the Buccaneers.  The game went up and down all night long and in the 2nd period, Drew Coughlin opened the scoring with Shota Yamamoto picking up the lone helper.  Coughlin’s tally would prove to be the winner as Goaltender Shawn Parkinson proved to be the Peninsula Panthers version of the “Trump wall.” After 40 minutes, Coach Tippett addressed the troops and I quietly leaned over to Shawn and told him to play 60 minutes; to finish the game the same way he had played the first two periods.  He did and the result was a very exciting and well-deserved 1-0 win.

As the bus ambled back down the Highway last night, a happy group ate pizza and then enjoyed a quick stop at the 7-11 in Duncan.  At one point, a bunch of the kids were singing a song together and although they were a bit off key, the sound was never-the-less somewhat sweet.  The win came off the heels of a pounding last Friday night at home against the Saanich Braves.  Our kids were disappointed but still believed that we could make something special happen this season with this group.  We talked in the dressing room and we all agreed that this was the point where we would simply push the reset button on our season.  There is always some silver lining in a very grey cloud and this group has always been able to find it.  And then last Saturday, we headed to Lake Cowichan where we practiced on Saturday night and then overnighted there as a group.  We practiced Sunday morning, had some breakfast and then returned home early Sunday afternoon.  The kids had a great time and there were a lot of laughs.  As importantly, they practiced like dogs.  We talked about how hard work would help us for the rest of the season and then last night we were rewarded with the 1-0 win.  There were a couple lineup changes last night.  Michael Sproule is still out after taking a high hit to the head from one of Cougars eight days ago and he will remain out this evening.  Liam Tutte was also out with a concussion and I expect he will be out for a couple more weeks.  Thomas Spink should be ready to go tonight, although he did not dress last night.  Bailey Ross was touched up in the 2nd period last night and did not finish the game and will be a game-time decision this evening.  Josh Poland was moved to the back end last night and actually played quite well considering he has not played the position.  He was paired with Garnett Roberts and this pairing were strong all night long.  Our young kids all played hard.  Holden Cochrane had his 17th birthday last night and the youngster seems to be getting better and better each time out.  There is really a lot to be optimistic about and I believe as we approach the halfway mark in the 48-game season, things are starting to work out. 

Take a peek out on the ice tonight and you will see 6’4” and 200 lb. backup goaltender Chris Combiadakis.  Chris seems like a wonderful kid and played his minor hockey here at the Peninsula.  He is currently attending Pacific Coast Hockey Academy.  This kid is still growing and might just go 6’7” and 240 lbs before all is said and done.  It’s great to get the young kids out.  It’s great to see prospects from the Peninsula moving forward and I expect you will hear from this kid in the near future.

OK, it’s time to play!  Thank you to all for coming out on the evening and I hope that you enjoy the game!   

Pete Zubersky