Panthers over Wolves 2-1 to take lead in series Friday night

Friday night just before 10:00 pm a lot of fans left the friendly confines of the Panorama whispering.  Most had used up their voices over the 60 minutes that had just unfolded and like the players, most did not have much left to give.  It was a great game, a heart-stopper.

The two Clubs showed up to the Panorama Recreation Centre around 5:30 pm and the usual meetings that take place took place.  And then they both entered the 200' x 85' sheet of ice at 7:00 pm and took the usual 15-minute warmup.  The crowd began to filter in as the warmup played out and a buzz began to grow as 7:30 pm neared. 

But there was an Awards ceremony to happen before the puck was dropped for real.  The Peninsula Panthers took home the Most Disciplined Team Award, a statistical-driven Award for being the Club in the VIJHL with the least penalty minutes.  And then in a vote of Coaches in the Vancouver Isalnd Junior Hockey League, Riley Braun collected the Most Sportsmanlike Player combinded with Skill Award.  Tanner Wort then gathered up the VIJHL Top Scorer and was also awarded the Most Valuable Player.

The puck dropped shortly after 7:30 pm and after only 36 seconds, Panthers' Captain Thomas Spink was sent to the sin bin for two minutes on a roughing call.  The Cats killed off the penalty but Spink would factor into the first goal a bit later in the 1st stanza.  Noah Taron came flying through the neutral zone and at the 8:43 mark, Spink made a solid hit just outside his blueline on the speedy forward.  The puck was then moved to Braun on the right side and he deftly gained the Wolves' blueline before feeding Wort about 30 feet out.  Wort found Lingard cutting through the middle and put it right on his tape and Lingard made no mistake as he blasted one past Wolves' netminder Dalan Marleau who was making his 3rd consecutive start in the series.  After the on-ice celebration Lingard lead a parade of Panthers towards the bench for a fly-by and as he did he grabbed an invisible monkey and tossed it from his back.  Lingard had been held off the scoresheet in the first two games of the series but this 1st period tally was a big one.  It would be the lone marker of the period as Marleau and Panthers' starter Connor McKillop each held the fort.

The action was frantic in the middle frame however, neither goaltender would give an inch.  Right at the end of the period, Wolves' defenceman Lee Ferrie blind-sided Panthers' forward Drew Coughlin without the puck and it set off a bit of a melee.  Ferrie received a five-minute major for interference and was sent to the showers.  The Panthers have requested a League review.  Coughlin did not returnand will be out of the lineup for Game 4 due to the hit.

And the Panthers made the Wolves pay early in the 3rd.  With only 48 seconds having expired, Braun moved the puck to Lingard in the neutral zone and he found left winger Denver Maloney on the fly.  Maloney took the puck just outside the blueline and raced in on Marleau before ripping a shot past him high on the glove side to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.  It would prove to be the winner.  

The Panthers seemed to move into the shut-down mode and continued to pound the puck out and then put it in deep.  And the clock wound down until 1:25 left in the period and with Marleau on the bench.  A Panthers' winger picked up the puck on the half wall in the defensive end and chose to make a risky play rather than chip the puck out and work the clock.  It turned over near the blueline and three seconds later, Lach Hadley put it past McKillop to make it 2-1 and 'Game on.'  But the Cats managed to get the puck deep into the Wolves' end and run out the final minute hanging for the 2-1 win and the 2-1 series lead.

Coach Brad Tippett commented on the game:

"It was another night where we started with a penalty in the first shift. Deserved or not - we have to stop this. These are two well-disciplined teams who are also highly competitive. We have now played each other 6 times in the last 17 days. That in itself will heat up the animosity. However, I think the rivalry has been unnecessarily multiplied for other reasons. Regardless, we are going to have to put up with the inconsistency, play hard between whistles, shut up and keep our focus on the big prize. Our best players were our best players tonight and our supporting cast continues to make major contributions. We have guys putting their bodies on the line to block shots and take a hit to make a play. The bond in the dressing room has everyone pulling for each other and refusing to let their teammates down. 
Injuries look like they will continue to play a big part in the series. We will know more about the status of defenceman Matt Seale and forward Drew Coughlin in a day or two."

Game 4 will go at the Q Centre Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm and then the two Clubs will be back at the Panorama Recreation Centre next Friday night for Game 5.  The puck drops at 7:30 pm.