Panthers win opening game of series, a 5-2 decision over the Westshore Wolves

February 24, 2020
North Saanich, British Columbia

There was some electricity in the Panorama Recreation Centre Monday night when the puck hit the ice for the opening face-off just a few minutes after 7:30 pm.  And when the final buzzer sounded 60 minutes of play later, a lot of fans of the Peninsula Panthers filtered out of the arena feeling good about their Club and about the result.  

Head Coach Brad Tippett exhaled in his office at the end of the contest.  He had arrived almost a full five hours before and had watched his troops battle back from a one-goal 1st period deficit to knock off the visiting Westshore Wolves in Game 1 of their best-of-7 series.

"We had an energetic and focused warmup. There wasn’t a lot of rah rah, just a real 'take care of business attitude'. The first few minutes certainly did not go as planned. We regrouped and began pushing the agenda. The goal which was called off near the end of the first period just added to our determination. The quick goal in the first minute of the second just added more fuel to the fire.  We got goals from all four lines and one from the defence. As the game wore on, there were some bad feelings created out of frustration - some of which were not even directed at the other team. Game 2 is Wednesday. I think we have to stay focused strictly on the task at hand."

The Cats were whistled with two quick penalties in the first three minutes of the game and the Wolves would capitalize on the opportunity when Ben Duffin opened the scoring at the 2:04 mark.  Connor McKillop in goal for the Panthers and Dalan Marleau between the pipes for the visitors shut the door the rest of the first stanza although Marleau was the busier of the two.

But a relentless effort and four unanswered Cats goals spelled disaster for the Wolves in the middle frame.  Luc Pelletier opened the scoring just 33 seconds in when he finished off a pretty play with helpers from Skyler Diamond-Burchuk and Drew Coughlin.  Diamond-Burchuk was running on fumes having been in Japan and Quebec for the past two weeks competing in the 'Red Bull Crashed Ice Series' and having only arrived back in Victoria around midnight on Sunday.  At the 8:30 mark, Logan Speirs moved the puck to Sterling Lyon and the gritty and speedy left winger blew around the net behind Marleau before feeding Panthers Captain Thomas Spink at the blueline.  Spink loaded the gun and then unloaded a bomb that blew high past Marleau and to the back of the net to give the Panthers a one-goal lead at 2-1.  At the 11:43 mark, a face-off took place to the left of Marleau.  Jack Taylor cleanly won the draw onto the stick of Lucas Thomson-Fiddes and the rugged right winger who was just welcomed back into the lineup snapped a one-timer past the startled Marleau.  It would prove to be the winner.  And with only 49 seconds remaining in the 2nd frame, Tanner Wort notched his first marker of the second season when he beat the Wolves' starter from 11 feet out on a pretty feed from linemate Riley Braun.  Hunter Jensen was awarded an assist on the play.

The two teams traded single goals in the final period.  Thomson-Fiddes scored his 2nd of the game on helpers from Stefan Grunert and Spink, while Wolves' Tory McClintick closed out the scoring in the contest when he beat McKillop with only 2:37 left in the game.  

Thomson-Fiddes and Andy Westhaver were named the two game stars.  McKillop gathered in the win stopping 16 of 18 shots along the way while Marlea was tagged with the loss blocking 27 of 32 Panthers' shots.

The series will resume in Westshore on Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm at the Q Centre for Game 2.  And on Friday night, the Panorama Recreation Centre will be jumping with Game 3 set to go at 7:30 pm.

Panthers tracks...Speirs was held out of the Panthers' lineup for the past week and did not miss a beat Monday night...Diamond-Burchuk was explaining after the game that he had to get used to sharp skates again...during crashed ice he needs duller blades in order to slide around the sharp corners of the downhill course...Alex Benger looked like a man possessed and was a physical force in this his last Junior playoff run...Both Panthers 16-year-olds in Pelletier and Thomson-Fiddes stepped up in a big way...both were physical with Thomson-Fiddes picking up two goals and Pelletier adding one of his own...Jack Taylor and Stefan Grunert were a force with Thomson-Fiddes all night...Hunter Jensen was whistled for a checking from behind with only 2:49 left in the game and will face a one-game suspension for the deed...McKenzie Benn-Wipp has served his two-game suspension and will be back in the saddle on Wednesday...with only 30 seconds left in the first period it appeared as though Tanner Wort lifted a puck over Marleau to the back of the net...most people in the rink felt the shot was in but not the ones that counted, the officials...