With 4-2 road win, Panthers send Wolves packing for the season

Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Colwood, British Columbia

The Peninsula Panthers played textbook hockey with 6:49 remaining in the final stanza of Game 6 after Captain Riley Braun scored to give his side a 4-2 lead.  The score held and with the win over the Westshore Wolves at the Q Centre in Colwood on a crisp winter evening, the Cats won the best-of-7 series by an identical 4-2 score and in the process, punched their ticket to the Round 2 dance with the red-hot Kerry Park Islanders.  The Islanders completed a 4-0 series sweep against the Victoria Cougars on Tuesday night up in Mill Bay in front of a huge and appreciative crowd to send the Cougars group scurring for their golf clubs.  

Riley Braun paced all scorers with two goals and two assists while Kyle Brown and Payton Braun added single markers of their own.  Jack Westhaver and Blake Bentham replied for the Wolves but it was simply too little.  Ashton Lukan collected his 4th win of the series between the pipes for the Panthers while Jacob Haydar absorbed the gut-wrenching loss for the home side.  The two stoppers were named as the Players of the Game and both were brilliant throughout the six-game set.  The series arguably pitted the two fastest squads in the VIJHL together on one sheet for the six games and the product was simply outstanding.  

"I really want to tip my hat to the Wolves Organization and to Derek Sweet-Coulter, their Bench Boss," quipped Panthers GM Pete Zubersky.  "I coached Derek for a lot of years as a young kid and as we shook hands, we spoke about the past.  I said to one of our players before the game that I thought he had really run the bench well throughout this series.  Our group spoke of their 20's and how talented they were sitting in the other dressing room.  They have some of the top kids in the VIJHL and I tip my hat to those 20's and wish them all the best moving forward both in the game and in whatever careers they choose to pursue.  This series was really evenly matched and somebody always has to come out on the short end of the stick.  We feel fortunate that it was not us this time."

The Cats will now turn their focus to the Kerry Park Islanders who dispatched the Victoria Cougars in four straight games to move on to the VIJHL semi-final series.  "The Islanders are on fire right now and I think this is yet another series that has the potential to go six or seven games," said Zubersky.  

The Panthers hold home-ice advantage however the series will open up in Mill Bay this Saturday night and will then move back to the Peninsula next Monday and Friday.  All games will start at 7:30 pm except for a possible Game 7 set to go on March 20th at Panorama Recreation Centre if needed.  

GM 1  Peninsula at Islanders    Saturday, March 5 
GM2   Islanders at Peninsula    Monday, March 7
GM3   Islanders at Peninsula    Friday, March 11
GM4   Peninsula at Islanders    Saturday, March 12
GM5   Islanders at Peninsula    Friday, March 18 (if necessary)
GM6   Peninsula at Islanders    Saturday, March 19 (if necessary)
GM7   Islanders at Peninsula    Sunday, March 20 at 3:30 pm (if necessary)

Four teams still remain alive and kicking in the Northern Division of the League.  The Port Alberni Bombers are knotted at 2-2 in their best-of-7 series with the Campbell River Storm while the Comox Valley Glacier Kings won a 5-2 affair last night against the Oceanside Generals and hold a 3-2 series lead in that one.  The two winners will advance to the North Division final series.  This 2021/22 season looks like it has the opportunity to be the best VIJHL playoffs in a number of years.  Buckle up, it's only going to heat up from here.

Panthers next home game will be Monday night at 7:30 pm, Game 2 of the series with the Islanders.