Panthers knock off Islanders in an important South Division test

The "Cats" from the Peninsula had played some solid hockey in four outings against the Kerry Park Islanders however, the closest they had come to getting into the win column was back on November 4th when they were bounced 6-5 in a double overtime loss in Mill Bay.  They had dropped the previous three games prior to November 4th by a combined score of 17-3 but the organization felt that they were full value for a couple wins had it not been for Islanders' stopper, 20-year-old Chase Anderson.  Anderson once again got the start on Friday night but this time he could not stem the tide as the Panthers knocked off the Islanders by a 5-4 count, albeit, the victory would not come until one minute had elapsed in the first overtime period.

Joe Stafford-Veale and Bailey Ross were both on the shelf with injuries for the home squad however, everyone else was up and running when the puck dropped just after 7:30 pm.  Bryce Schiebel got the start between the pipes for the Panthers and was tasked with matching the performance of  Anderson for the evening. 

Joe Lamoureax got the Islanders into the scoring column only 1:55 into the first period when he banged in a rebound past Schiebel on a puck that had squirted from the Panthers netminders' glove.  But at the 8:15 mark, Matt Lawrence and Ty Hermsen started a cycle deep inside the Islanders end and the puck eventually ended up on the stick of Lawrence to the left of Anderson.  The lanky forward snapped a quick shot past the startled netminder and that would close the book on the scoring through 20 minutes of play.

Islanders' Will Conners and Isaac Leik gave the visitors a 3-1 lead in the middle stanza, for Leik who had been called up from Midget for the game, it would be his first Junior goal.  But at the 13:33 mark, the Panthers responded with a goal of their own.  Jack McMillan hustled in on the forecheck and muscled an Islanders' defenceman off the puck.  He then moved it to the front of the net to where hulking Panthers' forward Brendan Martin had set up shop.  Martin shovelled the disk over Anderson to bring the home squad within a goal and it remained that way through 40 minutes of play.

Lawrence took a feed from Tanner Wort at the 4:35 mark of the final stanza to knot the game at 3-3 and with only 4:32 remaining, Josh Lingard romped down the right side and into the Islanders end on the attack.  He sent a harmless looking shot on Anderson and it somehow found paydirt to give the Panthers their first lead of the game.  Marshall Brown and Thomas Spink were awarded helpers on the play.  With 1:19 remaining and a faceoff to the left of Schiebel, the Islanders called their timeout and took the opportunity to lift Anderson for the extra attacker.  They continued to press the Panthers and at the 19:38 mark and with only 22 ticks left on the clock, the puck went back to the point and then quickly moved to the right of Schiebel and onto the stick of Kayden Peck.  The Islanders sniper had little room to shoot but managed to find a tiny opening over the right shoulder of Schiebel and the seeing-eye shot found nothing but net to tie the score at 4-4, forcing the game into overtime.

The two Clubs raced up and down the ice looking for the winner.  Spink eventually coralled the puck for the Panthers and sent it up the left side where Lingard was starting to wind it up.  The speedy forward picked up the disk, raced around a would-be defender and then deftly slid the puck to Marshall Brown who was cruising in on the right side.  Anderson tried to come across to thwart Brown however, the silky smooth winger ripped the puck to the top of the cage for the overtime winner.  The Panthers spilled over the boards and a huge celebration commenced to the left of Anderson. 

Schiebel blocked 34 of 38 Islanders shots in pocketing the win while Anderson was handed the loss in blocking 24 of 29 shots sent his way.  Lawrence, Lingard and Brown were selected as the three stars in the game.

With the win, the Panthers moved into third place in the South Division bouncing past both the Islanders and the Saanich Braves and are chasing the Victoria Cougars who are next on the rung.

"That was obviously a very important game for us," said Panthers GM Pete Zubersky.  "It was tough to see them score to tie the game with only 22 seconds left but we sucked it up and the boys scored a nice goal in the overtime to win it.  It was certainly not a game for the faint of heart and I am pretty sure everyone got their money's worth tonight.  I thought the the referee was excellent.  There were only eight minutes called during the game, he played a huge part in making this a great game and I tip my hat to him.  It was a great game and an important win for the Club."

The Panthers will have the weekend off but they will host a rare weekday game, one that will have major implications in the VIJHL standings.  They hope to continue their winning ways this MONDAY night when the Oceanside Generals come in for their first visit of the season.  The puck will drop at 7:30 pm.