Briscoe and Panthers mates knock off Braves in 4-2 nail-biter!

There are often many storylines that seem to come together each and every time a Junior Hockey game is played in the VIJHL.  And this Friday evening in the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre the script once again rolled out many angles to the game. 

It would be the first time that the two teams would meet since the trade which involved Goaltender Bryce Schiebel going from the Braves to the Panthers in exchange for Panthers captain Trevor Owens.  But Schiebel would not factor in the game as he was called up by the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL and was more than solid at the Q-Centre in Colwood allowing only a single marker in 40 minutes of play against a strong Merritt squad. 

There were other stories but the biggest one of the evening turned out to be Panthers defenceman turned forward, Cianan Briscoe.  The grinding forward scored a pretty goal at the 15:11 mark of the first period on a helper from Braeden Hansen.  The goal was his first ever in Junior Hockey but it was nothing like any of his mates would have expected.  Rather than batting in a loose puck in a scramble in front of the net, Briscoe took a feed from Braeden Hansen and romped down the left side and into the Braves zone.  He went around a Braves defenceman but appeared to be in too tight to beat Chris Combiadakis who was making the start between the pipes for the Braves.  But Briscoe had other ideas.  He gathered in the puck and roofed it right under the bar and it set off a big celebration by the Braves net and all the way to the Panthers bench where the rest of the team joined in.  Riley Braun, on a helper from Shota Yamamoto, had opened the scoring for the Panthers early in the game and Jordan Strandlund beat Panthers goaltender Chris Akerman to knot the score at 1-1 before the Briscoe goal gave the Panthers the lead going into the first intermission.

The two clubs exchanged goals in the 2nd stanza.  Evan Abgrall scored at the 10:42 mark to tie the game at 2-2.  Five minutes later, Brendan Martin barged in on Combiadakis but the puck slid wide and onto the end wall.  Martin gathered the puck in and as quick as a cat, brought it back in front and rammed it past the startled Braves stopper.

Both tenders held sold through the end of the 2nd period and all the way through the final stanza.  At the 17:10 mark, Yamamoto was whistled for a check from benind and was sent for an early shower.  The Braves pressed for the equalizer on the power play and with 90 seconds left, they yanked Combiadakis for the extra attacker.  It would prove to be all for naught as with only a few ticks remaining, Marshall Brown gathered in the biscuit in the neutral zone, brought a Braves defender to him and then unselfishly dished the puck to linemate Josh Lingard.  Lingard made a sassy move and slid the puck into the vacated net only tenths of a second before the buzzer.

Briscoe, Akerman and Strandland were named as the three stars.  Akerman stopped 31 of 33 shots in collecting the win while Combiadakis was good on 25 of 28 attempts.

But the real story of the game was Briscoe.  "I know our group could not have been happier for Cianan," said Pete Zubersky.  "He is really a glue guy in our dressing room and I know his mates absolutely love him.  When he came to our camp in April after playing Midget "B" in Saanich, we watched him and although we weren't ready to give him a commitment, Brad Tippett saw something in him and wanted to give him a longer look and so we brought him back in the summer.  The kid has done absolutely everything we have asked of him.  We were watching him at practice on Thursday and he is starting to do the little things that guys can do at this level.  He is a great kid and I am thrilled the way things worked out for him tonight.  He scored his first goal and it was huge.  When he skated out after being named the 1st star, I thought his face was going to break because all I could see was teeth and hair.  I didn't think anyone could have a smile that big!

Briscoe and the Peninsula Panthers will travel up to Mill Bay on Saturday for a date with the Islanders and will be back home next Friday evening when they host the high-flying Campbell River Storm.

Panthers tracks....15-year-old David Edgar played his first Junior game as a callup with the Panthers....Edgar came close to lighting the lamp with about 8 minutes to go in the game and did not look out of place all night long....The "Cats" moved a point past the Braves and Islanders with the win and have two games in hand on the Braves....They also moved into a 2nd place tie with the Cougars, albeit, the Cougars have played two less games....Ty Hermsen and Jack McMillan were suspended for Friday's game however, will be back in the lineup in Mill Bay on Saturday....Jack Taylor returned to the lineup after being away for several weeks on a family vacation in Thailand....Schiebel will be back in the lineup on Saturday however, will be playing with the Grizzlies once again on Sunday....Schiebel is filling in for former Panthers' goaltender Shawn Parkinson who was injured in practice earlier this week.