Panthers open season with a bang!

There was something a bit different on Friday night in the oh so friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre and a large crowd that began to filter in even before the warmups had begun, could see it.  The Olympia ice cleaning maching ambled out of the bay in which it was housed and it began the routine of greasing up the ice which would allow both the Peninsula Panthers and the visiting Saanich Braves to get loose on clean ice.  The machine had a crisp new wrap featuring the local Slegg Building Materials logo, something that Panthers' veteran Tanner Wort had been a big part in securing for his Panthers.

The two teams completed the customary 15-minute warm-up and the same ice cleaning machine once again worked its way out of the bay and onto the ice with a fresh load of water onboard.  The ice was greased once again as the growing crowd watched it go round and round and round.

The two Clubs came out shortly after 7:30 pm and after the 2019/20 edition of the Panthers was introduced and after the suddenly taller Brendan Dawes belted out the National Anthem, it was game on!  The start of the new season was upon us!

Panthers' Logan Speirs wasted no time getting the party started when with just 45 seconds into the 1st stanza, he hit paydirt after some tidy work from linemates Jonah Ragsdale and Denver Maloney.  And it did not stop there.  The Panthers continued the onslaught of shots on Braves' netminder Alfie Duncan and at the 3:40 mark, Wort notched his 1st marker of the year, his first of many.  Linemate Riley Braun and Panthers' Captain Thomas Spink added helpers on the play.  It looked as though the Panthers were set to blow the Braves right out of the rink but an untimely penalty seemed to stop the momentum in its tracks.  And the Braves were quick to capitalize on the power play when at the 11:34 mark, Jackson Estey beat Panthers' stopper Connor McKillop.  Josh Lingard got that one back late in the period with the aid of Matthew Seale and left the ice after 20 minutes with a well-deserved 3-1 lead. 

The 2nd stanza was all Panthers as they outshot the visitors 17-1.  Matt Sparrow with two markers, Braun and Sterling Lyon all scored for the Cats while Benn-Wipp, Spink, Lucky Luc Pelletier, Lucas Thomson-Fiddes and Jack Taylor all added helpers.  McKillop blocked the only shot sent his way. 

The Panthers grew their lead to 9-1 scoring the first two goals of the final period.  Defenceman Skyler Diamond-Burchuck found the back of the net behind Connor Svienson who had gone between the pipes in relief for Duncan.  Braun and Lingard each posted an assist on the goal.  And Spink hit some paydirt of his own with a blast from the point with hulking Alexander Benger and Maloney being awarded assists on the goal.  Estey, Ryan Strange and Joe Stafford-Veale all scored late for the visitors to make the score somewhat respectable.

Estey and Sparrow were the two stars in the contest.  McKillop picked up the win while Duncan was tagged with the loss.

The "Cats" head up to Mill Bay on Saturday night to take on the Kerry Park Islanders in their opener and will be back at home next Friday night when they will attempt to cool the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.  The puck is set to drop at 7:30 pm.