Panthers earn hard-fought road victory over Cougars 4-1

January 9th, 2020
Esquimalt, British Columbia

The Peninsula Panthers scored two 1st period markers and never trailed in the game as they knocked off the Victoria Cougars at the Archie Browning Arena 4-1 in VIJHL action on a crisp Thursday evening.  Drew Coughlin opened the scoring when he ripped a shot to the top of the net from close in, beating Cougars' netminder Jonah Chambers with an assist going to Jonah Ragsdale.  And Riley Braun added another on the power play five minutes later.  Skyler Diamond-Burchuk gathered in a puck on the half wall to the left of Chambers and he moved it to the top of the umbrella to Josh Lingard.  Lingard quickly passed it onto the stick of Braun who was stationed to the right of the Victoria cage and he one-timed the pass past Chambers high on the glove save.  There would be no more scoring in the period.

Cougars' Zach Guerra brought his team back to within a goal at the15:05 mark and on the power play when he tipped a shot off the stick of Dawson Blanchette past Panthers' netminder Connor McKillop.  The Cougars continued to storm the Cats cage but at the 17:56 mark, Coughlin would strike again.  Mackenzie Benn-Wipp won a puck at the half wall to the left of Chambers and walked in all alone.  He sent a backhand up high from four feet out but Chambers was equal to the task.  Coughlin was right at the top of the crease to mop up the rebound to restore the two-goal lead at 3-1.

There was no scoring in the final stanza and with just over a minute left, the Cougars yanked Chambers in favour of an extra attacker.  Lingard gathered in the puck in his own zone and put the puck onto the stick of Wort and he promptly romped through the neutral zone and into the Cougars end.  A Cougars defenceman tried to stay in the shot lane but Wort outwaited him, found a clear path to the net and deftly drained it to the middle of the yawning cage.

Connor McKillop picked up his 21st win stopping 36 of 37 shots while Chambers was good on 30 of 34 and absorbed the loss.  Coughlin and Guerra were selected the Players of Game for their respective Clubs.

The Panthers do not have much time to enjoy the win as they welcome in the North Division leading Oceanside Generals Friday night with the puck set to drop at 7:30 pm.  There were some rumblings in the stands from a local hockey pundit that a large crowd should be expected Friday.