What a Barn-Burner as Panthers dump Braves 2-1!

As the Pacific Cup Oldtimers invaded the Greater Victoria area for the weekend, many Minor Hockey and Junior Clubs headed for other parts.  But there was one Friday night VIJHL contest in the South that would go ahead as usual, a match-up between the Peninsula Panthers and the Saanich Braves in the oh so friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre.  The tilt was an important one as the Braves were looking to chase down the Victoria Cougars for 1st place in the South while the Panthers needed the all-important two point to improve their playoff seating.

"It was a little crazy in the tunnel before the game," explained Pete Zubersky.   "The beer-league boys from the tournament were coming and going and when the two teams rolled in a couple hours before the puck was set to drop, it was nuts.  The parking lot was full, there were hockey players from about five generations everywhere.  It was funny, one fellow asked me why all these kids were wearing suits.  I know Saturday is Hockey Day in Canada, but it felt like that on Friday night.  This only happens once a year and it's always fun to see every age enjoy the sport."

With the beer leaguers sitting in some pub talking about the days gone by, at 7:00 pm the two teams hit the ice for the 15-minute warm-up and fans began to trickle into the building.  After pucks had been passed and shot and goalies had made their saves and a dampness had formed under each and every single players' helmet, the anticipated buzzer sounded as it always does and the players escaped back into their respective corners for the final adjustments and game plans.  The gates swung open and the Olympia machine with a huge Panthers' Head on the front began to make its rounds and burst onto the big white sheet to the delight of many of the younger fans in attendance.  The ice was greased and the players returned and shortly after the lineup and the Panthers' Player of the Week was introduced and Clayton Butler belted out the National Anthem, the puck was dropped for the two teams to chase.  It is all too easy for players to look good when twenty players have twenty pucks in warm-up but now there was one puck and forty players and it was clear right from the onset that all forty wanted it badly.  A significant crowd had gathered and they were in for a full 60 minute treat!

The Braves came out strong in the first five minutes and clearly took the play to the home squad and at the 5:19 mark, a "Get-me-there" shot from the left point made its way towards Panthers' goaltender Chris Akerman.  Zack Guerra was parked in his office right in front of the "Cats" tender and just on top of the blue paint, and the puck went off of him and somehow managed to elude Akerman, sliding right to the back of the cage in the process.  It would be the first goal the visitors would score on the night.  It would also be their last.  The Panthers seemed to wake up midway through the 1st frame and had several great scoring opportunities including one where 15-year-old call-up David Edgar rattled the black disk off the post behind perhaps the VIJHL's top goaltender and minutes-played leader this year, Riley Mathieson. 

"Edgar did not look out of place once again," said Zubersky.  "Head Coach Brad Tippett slotted him between a couple offensive players in Marshall Brown and Tanner Wort and the moment was not too big for him.  On the one shift where he hit the post, the kid hustled hard back into our end on the backcheck, perhaps saving a goal and then ended up going to the box for a couple minutes on a slashing penalty.  That one shift told me a lot about the boy.  It's easy to see skill, he has that.  But he showed some real heart on that one play and all night long and I have seen that often from Edgar.  We will have him up again."

Both goaltenders held firm and the two Clubs went to the intermission with the Braves holding the edge 1-0.  It was mostly Panthers in the 2nd period and at the 15:51 mark, Josh Lingard finally solved Mathieson.  Nolan Lee and Riley Braun worked hard behind the net in the offensive zone and were able to get the puck in front to Lingard.  The Panthers' leading scorer made no mistake from the low slot, his 16th of the season.  The Braves came close and rung one off the crossbar but it was mostly a Panthers period and after 40 minutes were in the books, the game was knotted at 1-1.

Panthers' 16-year-old Braun would prove to be the hero when at the 7:27 mark of the final stanza, he tipped a shot past Mathieson for the winner.  Rugged 17-year-old defenceman Shota Yamamoto carried the puck into the Braves' zone from the neutral zone to the right of the Braves' net and he sent a shot along the ice as Braun crashed the net.  The crafty and skilled winger managed to get his stick on it and when he did, it would bounce past the startled visitor's netminder.  The final 12 minutes were great theatre as both teams raced up and down exchanging chances while both Akerman and Mathieson would not allow a single tally.  With just four minutes remaining, Braves' defenceman Evan Abgrall gathered in the puck at the right point and wristed a high shot towards Akerman.  Braves' forward Cam Lesergent knocked the puck out of the air and it deflected down and past Akerman.  Every single Panthers' player on the ice, on the bench and fans in the stands began the protest and after the stripes made a quick consultation, the tally was waived off.  The Braves hit a crossbar late, but it was a night that was meant to be for the home squad.

At the 20:00 minute mark, a Braves' forward took a run at Panthers' defenceman Braeden Hansen.  Hansen had control of the puck as the buzzer sounded and he was hammered, a hit that could have easily been whistled as a major.  A melee broke out and it added yet another layer of emotion to an already emotionally charged 60 minutes.  The brouhaha was cleaned up and there were some obligatory penalties doled out by the officials and the visitors then departed while the Panthers saluted the fans enjoying the win together.

Mathieson picked up the loss blocking 37 of 39 shots while Akerman was good on 24 of 25.  Akerman, Mathieson and Panthers' defenceman Thomas Spink were named as the three stars.

Brad Tippett was tracked down just outside the Panthers' dressing room after the game and had these comments.  "During the week, I polled the players and other people who are regularly around the team.  I asked them for words or phrases that described our team.  We had some positive comments and more than a few negative ones.  Talented and inconsistent were comments that I heard more than once.  The positives are easy to build on.  We challenged ourselves to face the negatives.  The most important part is almost all the negatives are fixable.  We had strayed away from a "team first" attitude and had signs of those dreaded diseases of selfishness and complacency.  We discussed the definition of team and attributes that are common to successful Organizations.  We needed to remind some players that one group of 25 is stronger than 25 groups of 1.  I thought tonight Hermsen and Hansen really stepped forward in leadership roles.  Our secondary leaders were much better as well.  Gavin Yee is showing signs he is getting back to the level he played at last season.  Akerman brought his best performance tonight and is showing the confidence of a veteran goalie.  Everyone made a contribution and we were a hard team to play against tonight.  We were committed to being the better team.  At other times this season we have been satisfied with the silver medal."

The Panthers travel to Nanaimo to play the VIJHL leading Buccaneers on Saturday and will be in Victoria next Thursday night.  The Club will return home next Friday night to welcome in the visiting Kerry Park Islanders.

Panthers Tracks....Brendan Martin was out of the lineup and is still banged up after taking a low hit in a game against the Cougars last Thursday night...Bryson Hines was under the weather but is expected back in the lineup next week....Jack Taylor had a bout of pink eye but might be back in the lineup Saturday night....Joe Stafford-Veale is awaiting a medical test and once that occurs is expected to get the green light to begin playing once again....Skyler Diamond-Burchuk had a huge weekend and was out of the lineup....He was in St. Paul, Minnesota taking part in the Red Bull Crashed Ice competition, an event that has over 120,000 spectators....the skilled defenceman finished 12th overall in the Juniors level of the competition and was the top-ranked Canadian...Burchuk accepted the award last night in Minnesota and was on a plane to be back in the lineup for the game in Nanaimo....unfortunately his skate broke in St. Paul on one of the runs and although he finished the event, he will be scratched on Saturday....

The Peninsula Panthers congratulate Skyler Diamond-Burchuk on his accomplishment.  A full article will be up in the days to follow on his adventure.