Panthers cookbook now will feature a healthy dose of Currie

Friday, July 7, 2023
North Saanich, British Columbia

Curry always adds some real flavour to any dish and the Peninsula Panthers feel as though they added some flavour of their own when they inked Silas Currie - albeit with a different spelling - to be 1/2 of the tandem between the pipes for this coming 2023/24 campaign. The 18-year-old youngster toiled last season with the U-18 Medicine Hat Cubs AA squad and his name landed on the desk of Panthers owner Pete Zubersky several times early in 2023.  Zubersky had a number of conversations with the stopper and his family over several weeks and he then jumped on a plane to and headed to Alberta to meet Currie and his family and to see him in action in his League's playoffs.  

Zubesky met with his Coach and spoke to his Goaltender's coach who was also guiding stoppers with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League.  Every person he spoke to raved about Currie's character, work ethic and talent and they unilaterally and emphatically stated that he simply needed a chance.  Currie's grandparents reside in the Victoria area and so his billet home was already predetermined and therefore the fit seemed outstanding for both the Club and the Currie family.

"I really enjoyed watching Silas and meeting his father and younger brother when I headed out to Cochrane to see him play," explained Zubersky.  "We had done a bunch of work on him at that point but I wanted to actually meet the young fellow to make sure he would fit in our room.  We have such a tight group and goaltenders are such a huge part of any Club that I felt I had to have some face-to-face contact.  His Club lost in double-overtime the night I watched him but Silas was great.  He and his family came out to the Peninsula in April for a couple days as we were playing a couple intersquad games with our returning players and some other youngsters we were considering, and so it was a bit of an eye-opener for him.  I know he will be working hard this summer and I have no doubt he will come to Main Camp in mid-August and be ready to compete."

Currie and his family were certainly thrilled with the opportunity to be able to move in with family and compete in perhaps the best Junior B League in the Country.  The Club inked him in the first week of June as soon as was allowed by BC Hockey and now it is up to the stopper to do the rest.  He was recently asked to let the fans on the Peninsula know some things about him as a person and a goaltender.

"I am a calm, cool and collected as a goalie. I strive to use my athleticism and competitiveness to give my team a chance to win in every game. I’m a team player and strive to be the best possible version of myself. One of the things I am looking forward to is taking my game to the next level, and am excited to do that with the Panthers!!"
 
Currie went on, "When I came out in April to skate with the Panthers, it was an amazing experience and the atmosphere in the area is amazing. I am super stoked to be joining the Panthers this coming season.  The Panthers family has been super welcoming.  I am looking forward to growing as an athlete and as a person and also to have a great season with the Panthers!"

The Cats will play a pair of games on opening weekend including at home on September 8 and on the road Sunday in the early evening in Lake Cowichan.  Undoubtedly, Currie will get a start in one of those two games and Panthers fans and the Club are hoping that Currie will leave a good taste in their mouths after posting his 1st Junior win.