Buccaneers double up on Panthers 6-3

The weekend set of games for the Peninsula Panthers was really quite similar to heading to Tim Horton's for a coffee on a rainy morning.  It was a sweet double-double on Thursday evening in Victoria and a bitter double-double on a cool Friday evening at the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre.

After bouncing the VIctoria Cougars on Thursday night by a 4-2 count, the tables were turned on the "Cats" from the Peninsula on Friday and it was their turn to be doubled up.  The VIJHL leading Nanaimo Buccaneers arrived just a tad bit late however when it counted they were on time and ended up doubling the Peninsula Panthers 6-3 on the evening.

The Bucs blew a tire on the Pat Bay Highway just ten minutes from the Panorama however after a change of transportation, they arrived ready for a battle.  The ice was greased and the puck dropped shortly after 7:30 pm and then the two teams put on a show.  In a highly entertaining affair, both Clubs exchanged a chance or two but after 20 minutes were firmly in the books not much had been decided other than Bryce Schiebel for the Panthers and Blake Wood for the Bucs had been perfect. 

That would all change in the 2nd frame, perhaps the widest open period of play in a decade of hockey out on the Peninsula.  Riley Braun opened the scoring with only 36 seconds having elapsed  on helpers from Marshall Brown and Skyler Diamond-Burchuk and this was only the start.  Logan Speirs got into the act a couple minutes later when he beat Wood to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead, a goal which lit up a good sized crowd.  At the 5:29 mark Wyatt Selva opened the scoring for the Buccaneers and over the next four minutes and 24 seconds the visitors would strike four times on goals by Noah Kelly and Luc Wilson with a couple.  The Bucs went to the 2nd intermission with a 4-2 lead but that was not the full story.  The Home Squad had peppered Wood with 29 shots while the Bucs had thrown 19 shots of their own at Schiebel.

Wilson added the hat-trick marker at 5:46 of the finals stanza with Brandon Roberge chipping in with a single three minutes later.  With just over five minutes remaining Panthers Jack McMillan finished off a pretty passing play on the power play with an assist going to Matt Lawrence.

Wood was named the first star of the game and blocked 49 of 52 Panthers shots.  Wilson and McMillan were the 2nd and 3rd stars respectively.  Schiebel was good on 31 of 36 Buccaneers attempts.

The Panthers will have a week of practice to prepare for the Comox Valley Glacier Kings next Friday night at 7:30 pm at the Panorama.  The Club will then travel to Comox the following evening to complete the weekend pair of home-and-home games.