Skerratt takes the helm as Bench Boss as his troops romp over Islanders 6-0

February 8th, 2020
Mill Bay, British Columbia

Peninsula Panthers Josh Lingard picked up the puck only 1:10 into the 1st period, raced down the left side, and then dropped the puck for the trailing Tanner Wort just inside the Kerry Park Islanders' blueline.  Wort cut to the middle of the ice, toe-dragged a Kerry Park Islanders defenceman, and then let it fly.  The disk sped past the Islanders' goaltender and found the back of the net and the early game marker would prove to be the winner.  It was Wort's 38th goal of the season.

Wort added his 39th goal to open the 2nd period and had some goal-scoring support from Jack Taylor, Drew Coughlin, Jonah Ragsdale and Alexander Benger as the Panthers pounced on the Islanders 6-0.  Goaltender Andrew Rocha was named the Panthers' Player of the Game blocking 18 of 18 shots sent his way for the shutout win.  The Panthers outshot the Islanders 60-18.

The win completes the 8-game season series between the two squads with the Panthers having a perfect 8-0 record.  It is the first time the Club has ever swept the Islanders in the history of the Organization.

Back on the Peninsula on Saturday night, Brad Tippett was laid up with a major back issue and he missed his 2nd consecutive game behind the bench.  Assistant Coach Len Dawes had family commitments and could not attend the game and so the Coaching duties were left to the youthful Jackson Skerratt.  Only several years ago, Skerratt was racing up and down the ice for the Panthers and was a key offensive threat game in and game out.  But on Saturday, he was behind the bench and his troops responded with a solid effort and the win.  He gave his thoughts about the win minutes after the final horn had sounded.

"Tonight was a very impressive performance from everyone. Scoring hasn’t come easy recently, and our guys kept pushing and didn’t get discouraged.  From the net out,  I thought our guys played a full sixty minutes and were engaged all night long. They played the right way and played for each other which is all a coach can ask for. The effort level was great and is exactly what we need going into playoffs."

The Panthers head to Westshore to take on the Wolves Wednesday evening and will be back at home against the same Wolves squad on Friday night.

Panthers Tracks.....Aiden Craig-Steele has five points however has yet to record a goal since joining the squad...he has five assists and did everything but score on Saturday night having at least 4 fantastic chances ...Mackenzie Benn-Wipp looked to come out of recent funk on Saturday skating hard and getting to the net with a mission in mind ...Eric Horricks, who missed over two months and just came back Friday, left the game in the 2nd period with a Charlie Horse after a skate caught him...he is not expected to be out of the lineup more than 7-10 days...Stefan Grunert continues to mend his broken foot while Lucas Thomson-Fiddes was a spectator last night after banging up his shoulder on Friday against the Cougars ...Skyler Diamond-Burchuk will miss the Panthers final four games as he heads out on Monday to participate in two Red Bull Crashed Ice events...the durable immensely important piece of the Cats defensive Corps will be back in time for the playoffs...With the win the Panthers locked up 2nd place in the South Division and are only a win or an Oceanside Generals' loss away from clinching 2nd place overall in the VIJHL...Tanner Wort scored his 38th and 39th goals of the season and trails only Tyson Pace for most goals in a single season for the Club...Pace scored 41 markers when he played for the Club back in 2001/2002 season...In the 2013/14 season Skerratt had 19 goals, 29 assists and 48 points in 45 games and then added 7 goals, 4 assists and 11 points in 18 playoff games that same season...Panthers Captain Thomas Spink has played 197 games with the Club over a four-year period...His 200th game will be on Family Day Monday, February 17th at 1:00 pm when the Club hosts the Saanich Braves in their 3rd Jersey giveaway.