Panthers top Islanders 4-2 in last home game before Christmas break

The Peninsula Panthers players arrived to the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre around 5:30 pm and began their Friday night ritual as they prepared to welcome in the visiting Kerry Park Islanders.  Everyone in the Organization was busy with their own chores.  The trainers began to work on the bumps and bruises that the players have been dealing with.  Malcolm Fletcher was sharpening skates and even slipped in a pair from Assistant Coach Jackson Skerratt for extra measure.  Coach Tippett and his staff were busy going over video and putting the final touches on the game plan the Club would employ on the evening.  Tyler Lawson, who is a top Physiotherapist, was keeping an eye on the action underneath the stands while Jason Fletcher and Ken Charlish prepared the scoresheets and made ready for the 7:30 pm start as the Scorekeeper and Timekeeper.  And up to the audio and video technicians where the big screen was being tested.  The play-by-play Will Bryant was missing his partner and colourman Isha Jahromi for the evening and it would be Malcolm Fletcher who would also take on this duty.  Security was arriving for the game as was Coreen Zubersky who manages to greet every single fan that arrives for the games, a job that she has happily taken care of since September of 1999.  Everything was normal except for the fact that this was the last home game before the Christmas break, a break that would see a three-week hiatus until the Panthers hit home ice next on January 4th against these same Kerry Park Islanders.  Yes, the Panthers still have a couple of road games on their schedule before the players and staff head out for the break but for everyone involved with the Club in taking care of home games, this would be their last Friday night action before Christmas.

The ice was greased and at 7:30 pm the players from both squads entered the big white sheet looking to add points in the standings.  11-year-old singer Brendan Dawes seemed to use every bit of power he could generate to belt out the National Anthem and then it was time for both teams to race up and down, back and forth, and that they certainly did.  And at the 19:04 mark of the 1st stanza it was Logan Speirs who would draw first blood in beating Islanders starter Charles-Oliver LePage who was making the start between the pipes for the visitors.  Lightning fast forward Jonah Ragsdale and 6'5" Alex Benger were in on the goal.  The highlight of the period was an Akerman save from point blank range.  Akerman was down and out and with a wide open Panthers cage an Islanders forward teed one up from eight feet out.  Akerman snaked out the paddle of his stick and against all odds the puck bounced off it and itnto the corner out of harms way.  Speirs goal would be the only marker before the horn sounded at the 20:00 mark which was the signal for both the Islanders and the Panthers to head for their respective dressing rooms.

The 2nd period was highlighted with some brilliant saves by both LePage and Panthers 'tender Chris Akerman but at the 17:30 mark the two teams decided to take the scoring side of the game to the next level.  Islanders Alex Engan knotted the game at 1-1 but only 21 seconds later and at the 17:51 mark Bryson Hines restored the Panthers one-goal lead.  Hayden Visscher and Hunter Jensen were awarded assists on the Hines tally.  And 16 seconds later the Panthers would strike again to give them a 3-1 lead when Ragsdale hit paydirt with just a little bit of help from Riley Braun and David Edgar.

The Islanders quickly made it a game in the final 20 minutes when forward Riley Windsor beat Akerman only 1:38 into the final stanza to make it a 3-2 affair.  And it stayed there until the final minute when the Islanders looked to yank LePage for the extra attacker.  The Panthers kept the play in the Islanders end for at least 40 seconds and when the Islanders finally cleared their zone Lepage raced to the bench for the extra attacker.  But Panthers crafty and super sniper Tanner Wort picked up a loose puck in the centre ice area and lugged the puck down the left side and just over the blueline.  He found a shooting lane from 45 feet out and softed a shot that found the heart of the Islanders net and also the heart of the Islanders.  The insurance marker finally allowed everyone in the arena to take a deep breath and then it was just a matter of 15 seconds before the Panthers were allowed to celebrate the win in front of their home crowd.

LePage stopped 31 of 34 shots by the Panthers while Akerman was one shot better stopping 31 of 33.  And that one extra save was the difference in the game. 

Ragsdale and Islanders Josh Parkin were selected as the Home and Away stars.

The Panthers hit the road on Sunday afternoon in Esquimalt against the Cougars and then next Friday evening will be in Saanich for a game against the Braves.