Panthers scratch out 4-2 victory in 'must-win' against the Wolves

North Saanich, B.C.
September 25, 2019

The Peninsula Panthers were entering getting ready to enter the home stretch of their regular season just before 7:30 pm and just before the large Olympia ice machine was also in the home stretch with only one strip left to grease.  The players seemed aware of the magnitude of the game as they were already at the gate and chomping at the bit to get out on the ice and to get the opening faceoff deep in the rearview mirror.  Coach Brad Tippett had delivered his pregame fireside chat with his troops and Goaltender Chris Akerman had been tapped on the shoulder, a confirmation that he would be situated between the pipes for the Club for the evening.  A sizeable crowd was filtering into the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre and it seemed like each and every one of them were also chomping at the bit as well.

The starting lineup and the McDonalds Player of the Week Sid 'the kid' Napier were introduced and then the National Anthem filled every corner of the rink just as it does every single Friday night.  And finally the puck dropped and it was time for the 60 minute ritual where 40 young men race up and down the 200' sheet of ice on blades as sharp as knives to determine which group will be just a bit better than the other on an given evening.  And on this night it would prove to be the Peninsula Panthers as they bounced the visiting Westshore Wolves by a 4-2 count.

Josh Lingard scored his 22nd marker of the season when he intercepted an errant Wolves pass and ripped a bullet past the visitors starter only 4:32 into the contest.  And then late in the period the line of Jack Taylor, Logan Speirs and Jonah Ragsdale worked and worked and worked on a shift deep in the Wolves end and eventually Ragsdale pulled the trigger from in close, a shot that found nothing but net.  Taylor and Speirs were awarded helpers on the play and the two Teams were to the intermission with the home squad up 2-0 to the delight of their supporters.

Almost midway through the 2nd stanza and at the 9:02 mark 6'4 defenceman Alex Benger moved the puck to his defence partner Skyler Diamond-Burchuck.  The dynamic skater raced down the right side and deep inside the Wolves end he deftly dropped the puck to the trailing Braun who blasted a shot past Spandli for a commanding 3-0 lead.  Both Akerman and Spandli were tested throughout the period but Braun's shot would be the only one that would count on the board.

It seemed like the game was over only 37 seconds into the final frame.  Braun beat Spandli on the power play on a helper from Lingard and everyone in the building assumed the game was in the books.  The Wolves had other ideas.  Kahlil Fontana scored at the 1:07 mark and just 1:22 later Wolves Keegan Durrance beat Akerman and the 4-0 lead had quickly evaporated and it was time to turn off the party music and get back to work.  There were be no more scoring in the final 17 minutes of the game and the Panthers left the ice at the end of the contest full-value for the 4-2 win.

Coach Tippett was under the weather but the win probably made him feel just a little bit better.  "It was a solid effort all the way through our lineup. Our special teams were good. We did a lot of little simple things very well. Sometimes players think if they make one great play all will be better when in fact just a series perfectly executed simple plays is usually the answer.  Tonight we made simple plays and that will translate into wins just as it did tonight."

Braun and Durrance were named the two stars of the game.  Akerman picked up the win knocking down 28 of 30 Wolves shots while Spandli blocked 20 of 24 attempts directed his way.

The Panthers head to Saanich on Wednesday evening to take on the Braves and will be right back at the Panorama Recreation Centre next Friday night to welcome the Braves for the back end of the home-and-home series.  'Must win' will probably be the cry for the balance of the regular season and for the playoffs which start in late February.

Goaltending is key down the stretch and Akerman was near the top of his game. He looked confident in the net and was back to being vocal with his defencemen.