Kelly twins shine bright and lead Panthers to a pair of 2-1 weekend wins

January 15, 2022
Port Alberni, B.C.

The Peninsula Panthers continued winning hockey games even though injuries to key players have piled up.  No less than six of their regular lineup were out this past weekend but somehow bench boss Chris Driebergen's troops managed to find a way to win.  On Friday night in front of a large crowd and in the electric confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre, Ryan Grambart and Tanner Banks each picked up a goal and an assist and Brady Kelly turned aside 22 of 23 Islanders shots to lead the Cats to a 2-1 victory of the Islanders.  And on Saturday evening on the road in Port Alberni, Tristan Rosenblood and Payton Braun each put a notch in their belt while Mason Kelly knocked down 21 of 22 Bombers scoring attempts and once again the Panthers came out on top by an identical 2-1 score.

"It's no secret that we are very much relying on our depth right now," explained Panthers' General Manager Pete Zubersky.  "We have 24 guys and have not had a healthy scratch this season.  In fact, we have had to call on some affiliate players and they have really played a part in our success in the past number of games.  I am hoping we can get Spencer Cotie back this Friday night and perhaps even a defenceman or two.  What I really love is how we are finding ways to win games right now.  We have Nanaimo Buccaneers at home on Friday and they have just recently knocked off the Saanich Braves and got a point out of Lake Cowichan and they are on the way up.  And on Sunday afternoon we head up to Campbell River and they are starting to catch fire as I fully expected they would.  I know Coach is working his way through the lineup and what it could look like this weekend, he is doing a great job in playing the hand he is being dealt.  Facing this adversity and finding ways to come up on top will make us a better Club in the long run and so we have to view our situation as the cup is half full rather than half empty."

The puck drops at 7:30 pm Friday night in what should be a hungry Bucs team coming into town.  And if the past month is any indication, an electric crowd will file into the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre with the puck set to drop at 7:30 pm.

Panthers Tracks...Defenceman Evan Crawford was named the Player of the Game for the Panthers on Friday night...Mason Kelly was lights out on Saturday and was named as Player of the Game on Sunday...tunes from the movie Slapshot were rocking on the bus on the climb out of Port Alberni...after starting out the season racking up some penalty minutes the Panthers seemed to have fixed that issue as of late...they picked up two minutes on Friday and four minutes on Saturday...at the close of the weekend, the Cats sit in 1st place in the VIJHL and have collected 22 of a possible 24 points...the Club has points in all 12 games having lost to Victoria Cougars in Overtime and to the Westshore Wolves in a Shootout...