#9 Not a Worry Wort! Panthers over Islanders 6-3

It was a rainy Friday night out on the Peninsula and as a couple hundred fans filtered into the confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre just before 7:30 pm, many of them were shaking off the weather from outside.  And when the game started, the Panthers took a bit of time to shake off a few of the cobwebs as well.

The visiting Kerry Park Islanders were pasted last Friday night by the Panthers in front of an appreciative home crowd, but those in attendance on this night had to expect that the Islanders were going to come out with a little bit more bite in their game.  And that they did.  The contest was an evenly-played affair coming out of the opening draw and 5:21 into the first frame, it would be the Islanders' Alex Villa who would draw first blood when he beat Panthers' starter Connor Cheyne for the 1st marker of the game.  Cheyne was making his first start between the pipes this season, not an easy feat.  But the home side would go on the power play a few minutes later and at the 11:15 mark, VIJHL leading scorer Tanner Wort would hit pay dirt.  Riley Braun gathered in a puck out of the corner and moved it out to the point.  Defencemen Alex Benger and Thomas Spink passed the puck between them and then Benger let a shot go that was low and on target.  Wort tipped the puck causing it to change direction and the result was quickly a 1-1 tie.  The Panthers took over the game and controlled the play the rest of the way.  And at the 18:02 mark after some gritty forechecking, defenceman Hunter Jensen was able to get the puck to Lucas Thomson-Fiddes.  Thomson Fiddes made a sweet dish onto the stick of Denver Maloney who was stationed out front of the Islanders' net and he promptly burried the biscuit up high to give the Cats a 2-1 lead going into the first intermission.

The Panthers would score the only two goals of the 2nd period.  Wort got his 2nd of the contest when Riley Braun fed defenceman Matthew Seale.  The 17-year-old defenceman made one of the most skilled plays of the game when he toe-dragged a would-be defender and then sent a pass cross ice onto the stick of Wort.  He made no mistake at the 1:04 mark giving the Panthers a two-goal cushion.  And Wort added his 3rd marker of the evening while killing a penalty.  Alex Benger gathered in a puck behind his goal and moved it up the wall and past the pinching Islanders' defenceman.  Wort out-hustled the rearguard as the puck slid into the Islanders end just below the face-off circle.  The sniper held off the checker as he cut hard to the net from a spot almost in the corner of the ice and then came across the top of the crease looking like he was going to try and score on the long side.  But the goaltender moved with him a bit too soon and Wort pulled the disk back and tucked it into the side of the net where he come from initally.  It was quite easily the prettiest goal of the night and perhaps the season.

"Wort could not have done that a year ago," grinned Pete Zubersky.  "He has lost a bunch of weight and that allowed him to be first to the puck.  He has so much confidence right now.  I gave Wort a rough ride last season right around this time.  I let him know I wasn't happy and I don't think he was looking to send me a Christmas Card.  But things have done a complete 180 degree turn and all the credit goes to him.  I am really, really happy for the young man."

The two Clubs exchanged goals in the final stanza, each getting two.  Islanders' Reid Fitzpatrick and Riley Windsor scored for the visiting squad, while Logan Speirs on assists from Eric Horricks and Luc Pelletier and Josh Lingard into an empty net in the final minute of play replied for the Panthers. 

Wort and Islanders' Rick Takeda were named the Players of the Game for their respective Clubs.  Cheyne picked up his first win of the season blocking 14 of 17 shots sent his way.  And Nicholas Haisell was tagged for the loss stopping 47 of 53 shots.

Head Coach Brad Tippett opined on the game.  "The game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. I thought we played smarter for longer spans tonight. We missed 8-9 real quality scoring chances and a couple of their goals came off an unfortunate hop of the puck. We have to bury those chances in a tighter game.  I thought Grunert and Horricks were solid. I’m sure Connor Cheyne felt good about getting first win under his belt."

The Panthers head to the Archie Browning Arena on Sunday afternoon for a 1:30 pm meeting with the Victoria Cougars.  And on Wednesday night they will be on the road once again taking on the Westshore Wolves at the Q-Centre in Colwood.  The squad will be back home next Friday for their last home game before the Christmas break when they play the back end of the home-and-home affair with the Wolves.  The puck drops at 7:30 pm