Big McStops from McKillop garners Game 3 win for Panthers

North Saanich, B.C.
February 25, 2018

McKillop McKilled it!

The Peninsula Panthers who are playing the David role in "David and Goliath" received a great goaltending performance from Connor McKillop in knocking the VIJHL Regular Season Champions Campbell River Storm 3-2 at the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon in North Saanich.  Although the Panthers were outshot 38-22, McKillop was solid for the full 60 minutes and he and his mates were rewarded when Gavin Yee poked a Shota Yamamoto rebound past Liam Murphy for the winner with only 76 seconds remaining.  The Panthers spilled over the boards to celebrate the win with their goaltender to the cheers of the faithful in attendance.

Crafty Tanner Wort opened the scoring at the 17:21 mark of the initial frame when he walked around Murphy and waited, and waited, and waited just a little longer before pulling the trigger.  Riley Braun and Thomas Spink had helpers on the goal.  But the lead was short-lived.  A defensive miscue just inside the Panthers blueline only 31 seconds later allowed power forward Cody Savey to romp in all alone on McKillop and he made no mistake in taking the puck to his backhand before lifting it over the deserted netminder.

The Panthers were the lone Club to tally in the middle stanza when Josh Lingard found nothing but net when he blasted a snapshot past Murphy at the 10:59 mark and on the power play.  The "Cats" had moved the puck nicely on the man advantage when Braun found himself with the disk on the half-wall to the left of the Storm stopper.  Braun shovelled the puck down to Marshall Brown who had set up just below the goaline and he walked back up the wall before putting a pass right onto the tape of Lingard.

It looked like two goals might be all it would take however, Reid Wheeldon from the Storm had other ideas.  Wheeldon took a draw to the left of McKillop with only 2:08 remaining in the contest and went past the Panthers' centreman with the puck.  He fell down but managed to clear the puck towards the front of the net.  It inadvertantly went off the stick of a Panthers' rearguard and lazily drifted over the shoulder of the Panthers' netminder before falling into the twine.  The Panthers bent but did not break and on the ensuing face-off after the tying marker, they went onto the attack.  At the 18:44 mark, Nolan Lee - who had just been inserted into the lineup - was able to get the puck out of the Panthers' zone on the left wall.  Yee swooped in and picked it up and then wheeled through the neutral zone, over the blueline and wide around the Storm's defenceman.  Yee dropped the puck to Yamamoto who was trailing on the play and he let a blast go that Murphy turned aside.  The rugged 17-year-old defenceman picked up the rebound to the left of Murphy and took yet another shot that Murphy was forced to stop.  The puck sat just out of the goaltender's reach and it would be Yee who would be first on it.  He made no mistake getting the puck over the sprawled netminder for the winner.

"You have to get one win in order to get two," said Panthers' GM Pete Zubersky.  The kids were in the shot lanes today.  We played physical and we were willing to pay the price.  That was not the case in Campbell River, especially in Game 2.  But it is only one win.  We will enjoy it but we also know that Monday night will be another challenge.  We are learning to compete and I am really looking forward to tomorrow night."

Head Coach Brad Tippett was interviewed as he was leaving the dressing room after addressing his players at the end of the game and gave some heartfelt comments. 

"In Game 2 we had 10 players and 10 passengers.  To beat Campbell River you need all 20 guys playing and we got closer to that number this afternoon.  We got excellent goaltending, our defence forced them early and outside and our forwards capitalized on some chances.  Saying that, I thought most importantly we played relentless for each other today.  We blocked shots and took checks to make the play.  There was a resolve not to let your teammate down that wasn't there in Game 2."

The three stars on the afternoon were McKillop, Yamamoto and Yee. 

The two teams will be back at it in Game 4 Monday night at the Panorama with the puck set to drop at 7:30 pm.  The Storm currently lead the best-of-7 series 2-1.  And perhaps the Club has found a golden nugget in the winning goaltender this afternoon.....a real McNugget!