Panthers close off busy week by pouncing 6-3 on Predators Thanksgiving Monday

Thanksgiving - Monday October 11, 2021
North Saanich, British Columbia

Nobody would ever fault Head Coach /Hockey Operations Boss Brad Tippett if after the final buzzer sounded on Thanksgiving Monday afternoon, he immediately headed for the exit and for home to have a big Turkey dinner.  It had been an extremely busy week for the Panthers Bench Boss with four games in six days - two of which were on the road - under his belt.  But Tippett's work at the rink was just starting while everyone else was leaving quite happily to the notes of Louis Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World" after a 6-3 'Cats' win over the Saanich Predators was in the books.  He was in search of a goaltender.

It was a fair way to end the week for the Coach and his troops.  Although the Club outshot and outplayed the Bombers in Port Alberni on Wednesday and probably should have come out with a couple more wins at home on Friday night and then up in Comox on Saturday for the back end of the home-and-home series against the Glacier Kings, the Club had only a single point to show for their efforts from a 5-4 shootout loss Friday night.

"We always stress the importance of doing our best, of doing things the right way and getting better every day as to what is most important at this time of the season. I told the players that the entire Coaching Staff would rather lose a game in which we played well, versus ekeing out a game where we were not at our best and did not deserve to win. Well that prophecy came true three times this week. We had 40 outstanding minutes in Port Alberni on Wednesday, we had 50 great minutes on Friday and again on Saturday, and we came out with one point out of a possible six.
 
There were some individual coverage mistakes, a couple of goals our tender would like a re-do on and some incidents where we assumed we were close enough to cover the guy who eventually put the puck in the net.  All fatal mistakes. It is these little mistakes that are sabotaging long stretches of solid effort and team play. The injuries, a couple suspensions from questionable calls, and a player retirement have provided excellent opportunities for other players to step forward into bigger roles. Some have.  Theo St-Denis is playing with a lot of confidence and in all key situations, Owen Cox is looking like the power forward we expected, and Julien Philips is making his presence known on the ice.  They are who we thought they were.
 
We continue the search for an older goaltender and we are getting close. There are a lot of goalies available and we have narrowed our focus to three of them. We wanted to give Rogan Bacon a chance to run with the ball for a while so that we could see what we have with him. This has allowed for us to make the best decision and not the first option that is at our fingertips."

After dropping these comments, the Coach led his troops for the 1:00 pm start in the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre.  And the Club did not disappoint those faithful fans in attendance on Turkey Day.  The 'Cats' had control of the contest almost from the opening face-off and were full value for their 6-3 win.

Denver Maloney notched two goals including one into an empty net and an assist to fit nicely into his afternoon, while Grant Gilbertson added a couple of his own.  The Braun brothers Payton and Riley each had singles while Riley had three helpers as well.  He continues to lead the VIJHL in scoring with 29 points while Payton sits in 2nd with 24.  And the final cog in the trio Logan Speirs, who had a couple of assists in Monday's game and who has tallied a point in all 13 Panthers contests this season ran his point totals to 23, good enough for 3rd in League scoring.

"We know we have needed to make a move between the pipes and both Brad and I are really excited about the aquisition," said GM Pete Zubersky.  "Coach has really worked on bringing in a quality guy, somebody who can grab the starter spot and run with it.  We have heard that Ashton Luken playing on the Port Alberni Bombers has a fire in his belly and wants to win and we have our core who wants exactly the same thing.  I hope he is down practicing with the Club tomorrow night and we can get him into his billet after that.  All things being equal, I believe Coach would like to get him going on Wednesday evening in Saanich which is a pretty significant game for us this early in the season."

An excited Tippett did not hesitate when asked for his thoughts about the latest aquisition. 

"Well it was no secret we were in the market for a goaltender. Connor Svieson and I chatted around 10 days ago about an employment opportunity he could not pass up. Every problem creates an opportunity and our young goaltender Rogan Bacon was the guy in the right place at the right time. This was a critical decision for our team. Making the right decision was far more important than jumping on the first available goaltender.
 
We kicked a lot of tires and did our due diligence. We wanted an experienced goaltender who also was a leader and outstanding character. The more we looked into Ashton the more boxes he checked.
 
Port Alberni JrB Bombers are the farm team for the BCHL Bulldogs. That means they are also have a development strategy so going with two older goaltenders was not a viable option. A young WHL draft was returned to them making one of their two veteran goaltenders available. The Panthers are the benefactors. I want to compliment the staff in Port Alberni as they took a genuine interest in making sure Ashton landed in a place where he can excel. We don’t make a trades unless both teams benefit."

Tippett spoke to his new goaltender late in the evening on Monday and he seemed exited to see what will happen next on his hockey journey.  Luken confirmed that he will be in town tomorrow evening to meet the Club and to stop a few pucks in practice. 

"Last week I had the pleasure of watching the Panthers take on my former club," said the stopper. "They are a very talented team. I was caught by surprised when I received the call about being traded. But I know I’m joining a good group of guys and hopefully I will be the last puzzle piece they need to win a championship.”

The Panthers will host the Kerry Park Islanders on Friday evening at 7:30 pm but for now all eyes will be on Wednesday night in Saanich at the George Pearkes Arena.  And for Tippett, nobody will blame him if he just sits back and has some Turkey this evening, extra dressing please!