Panthers exit 3-game weekend a single point out of top spot

Monday November 28, 2022
North Saanich, British Columbia

The Peninsula Panthers were on the road Sunday evening up in Lake Cowichan and when all the smoke had cleared and the final buzzer had sounded, the Club left the Cowichan Lake Sports Centre with the all-important two points after a 5-4 win over the Kraken. It was their 24th game and thus marked the midway point to their 48-game Regular Season.  And it also put them only a single point behind their arch-rival Victoria Cougars, albeit, the Cougars have played one extra game.

"The parity in the VIJHL this season is unparalleled for as long as we have owned the Peninsula Panthers," quipped the Cats General Manager Pete Zubersky. "We purchased the Team back in 1999 and there have been many years where at this point in the season everything had pretty well been decided in terms of playoff placement. But this is a fantastic year for the League and for the fans.  The top three spots in both the North and South Divisions are up for grabs while the final two playoff positions are within striking distance of the other five teams.  Every game in this League right now is meaningful and that is pretty exciting.  We have some issues we have to deal with and this evening at practice we can start to work on our 2nd half of the season and look to the stretch run to the playoffs."

The Panthers played two games on the road beating the Buccaneers 6-3 in Nanaimo on Thursday night and edging the Kraken on Sunday. But at home in the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre, the locals fell short and were bounced by a 5-1 count.

"I thought that they outhustled us and outsmarted us as well," said Zubersky. "We have been burned with our backchecking effort and it seems like every game we are gifting the opponent at least one goal with a lack of picking up the right guy or simply not working hard enough.  It happened in the Overtime against Comox ten days ago when our guys stood right beside their guy in front of our net and did not take him. And then it happened in Comox the next night when one of our forwards came off the bench in the 2nd period, was fresh but just refused to put in the effort coming back and it cost us the game. And against the Cougars in the 1st period our forward worked hard enough but was backchecking without a purpose and it too cost us a goal. There are a number of things we have to clean up defensively if we want to win and tonight is a great time for a reset. But if you asked me going into the season if at the midway point we were one point out of 1st place with a game in hand would I take it, and the answer is absolutely yes."

The Panthers are looking to get back to their winning ways and winning efforts from the goaltender right on out to every skater and they will not have to wait long.  On Friday night the Club will host the Kerry Park Islanders with the puck set to drop at 7:30 pm and will then head to Oceanside the following night to battle the League-leading Generals.  These two games will not be easy, none are at this point in the season.