Schiebel Schines!

Bryce Schiebel did not take long to make his presence felt in the Peninsula Panthers lineup.  After being acquired the previous Saturday, he and his mates had to wait until Sunday afternoon before he could show his worth.  And that he did in spades!

Schiebel faced 34 shots and only alowed two to beat him enroute to a Panthers 3-2 win in Oceanside against the Generals on Sunday.  The Club looked like they were skating in broomball shoes for the first five minutes of the game and the Generals took advantage getting the first six shots on goal.  But the 18-year-old stopper held firm until his mates could get on track and that first several minutes were probably the reason that the Panthers walked away with the victory.   And with around three minutes left and the Panthers clinging to a one-goal lead, an Oceanside Generals forward was left wide open in the slot just 15 feet in front of the newly acquired target.  It looked like a lazer-like shot was about to find the back of the twine behind Schiebel however he snaked out the glove hand to rob the would-be scorer and to seal the win.  "Schiebel Schines", 'nuff said!

Scoring for the Panthers were veteran Braeden Hansen and two 16-year-olds in Riley Braun and Brendan Martin.  Martin will turn 17 later this fall.  The goal of the night came early in the final stanza at the 1:28 mark when "Marty" Martin romped down the right side and and then bulled his way through the top of the crease.  Oceanside goaltender Aaron Jakubowski follwed the power forward and looked to have things in control.  But not to be outdone, Martin softed the puck over Jakubowski's shoulder for a huge goal which proved to be the winner.  Jakubowski stopped 20 of 23 shots in a losing effort.

The iron lung was filled with a lot of happy players as it wound it's way down the Island Highway for points south.  At times it seemed as though a party had errupted, especially when Cianan Briscoe took the mic when he participated in the late afternoon "Rookie Idol."

Coach Tippett had a smile for the two-hour trek but did find some time to offer a few comments on the game.

"This afternoon produced a Bounce back Character win. We did a lot of the little things that don't always show up on the scoresheet. Things like blocking shots and managing the puck late in the period.
 
A long layoff hurt us right out of the gate and we were rusty and slow.  Shiebel gave us a couple of big saves early and the PP converted on our first  opportunity. We had good work ethic throughout. We played smart down the stretch evidenced by hemming them in last couple of minutes preventing them from even pulling their goalie.
 
The win was key for a lot of different reasons and led to a little team building u-Tube Karaoke on the bus. The bus driver hopes our players are better hockey players than vocalists. I think I'll watch the video of the game and take a pass on the "recital".

The Club will have a week of practice before hitting the ice next Saturday night in Mill Bay when they take on the Islanders.  It will be their 6th consecutive game on the road to start this 2017/18 season.  They will play the Westshore Wolves at the Q-Centre next Wednesday night and then return home two nights later on Friday, October 6 when they take on the same Wolves team in a back-to-back two-game series.  Hopefully the Club will Schine!