Panthers are right in 7th Heaven......Again!

Thursday December 30, 2021
Mill Bay, British Columbia

After knocking off the Kerry Park Islanders 6-3 at home Wednesday night, a tight group boarded the bus for a short road trip just 40 minutes North on Highway #1.  Although the road conditions were not perfect and the thermometer had dipped once again well below the freezing mark, the jaunt was quick and certainly uneventful.  The bus was unloaded upon arrival and the players went through their routine in preparation for a 7:30 start against the Islanders.  The Cats appeared confident and rightly so.  The Club had racked up 6 straight wins, and were now hunting down their 7th in a row for the second time this season and were aware that a win would put them only two points behind the 1st place Victoria Cougars in the South Division.  And once 60 minutes were in the books, they had accomplished just that with a convincing 7-1 victory that never really seemed in doubt. 

The Cats led from wire-to-wire when at the 10:35 mark of the opening frame, Payton Braun beat Islanders' stopper Eric Young to open the seven-goal onslaught.  And only 8 seconds later, older brother and Panthers Captain Riley Braun dashed in alone on Young and snapped one by the netminder for a 2-0 lead.  Cats defenceman Evan Crawford scored with just over three minutes to go before the first intermission and it felt like the game might turn into a bit of a one-sided battle after that.

Payton Braun with his second marker of the game and VIJHL leading defenceman Matt Seale each scored in the middle frame and after 40 minutes were firmly in the books and with the visitors holding a commanding 5-0 lead, the only question that needed answering was would Panthers' starter Ashton Lukan put up a zero on the scoreclock.  Lukan had not been tested much but looked sharp when the Islanders answered the bell to this point in the game.

The final period was once again all Cats and Riley Braun with his 2nd of the game and Logan Speirs with a single put a big number 7 up on the Panthers side of the clock.  Islanders Mateo Sjoberg made sure Lukan would not leave without a mark on his record when he beat the Panthers goalie at the 8:23 mark of the final period to break the shutout bid.

Lukan picked up the win blocking 18 of 19 shots while Young, who turned 17 this day, was tagged with the loss knocking down 32 of 39 shots over his 60 minutes of play.  Riley Braun and Sjoberg picked up the Player of the Game award for each side.

Head Coach/GM Brad Tippett was cornered just outside the rink after the game by the Panthers bus and had these comments on the last two nights.

"Coming back after Christmas break you never really know what you’re going to get from your team. We had a great practice on the 28th and thought we’d be ready to go. The first period of the first game we were sort of stuck in wet  cement. We made some mental errors, coverage errors. We got better the last few minutes of the period. We have great leadership. The coaches never went into the players room after the 1st period. Everybody just sort of hung together. Our second and third we were really good and really sealed the deal with the three quick goals in the 3rd.
I thought tonight up here we were really good in the first.  We ran a perfect face off play to score the 2nd goal just a few seconds after we opened the scoring. We took advantage of the early lead and played solid in the 2nd. The final period was chippy and sloppy. Our special teams worked well again last night. We are getting good efforts from all four forward lines and that allows us to just roll the lines and everyone feels part of it.  We get a couple days off now have to get ready for Saanich on Sunday"

The Panthers do not have to wait long to get back into game action in front of their home fans as they will entertain the visiting Saanich Predators this coming Sunday, January 2nd, 2022 for a 2:00 pm afternoon contest in the oh so friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre.  The Predators are in a battle for the final playoff spot and a spirited 60 minutes of hockey should be front and centre.  Fans are reminded that the PHO has mandated a maximum capacity of 200 fans, all must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask.

On behalf of the Panthers Organization, Pete and Coreen Zubersky wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year and optimistically look forward to an outstanding 2022.  HAPPY NEW YEAR !