Panthers make deadline deals

January 10th is always a busy day in Junior Hockey in Canada as it marks the deadline for players moving from team to team.  And for the Peninsula Panthers it was a very big day as three separate deals spelled a change of residence for 17-year-old Spencer Loverock, and 18-year-olds Patrick Croome and Cole Golka.

The day started with a call from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL who indicated that they wanted to swoop in and scoop smooth skating defenceman Spencer Loverock.  And this was followed by Cole Golka being traded to the Saanich Braves and Patrick Croome being moved to the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.  The Panthers were in heavy discussion on one further transaction however just before the midnight deadline the 4th deal of the day fell through.  All three deals completed were for future considerations confirmed Panthers General Manager Pete Zubersky.

"We really had to look at our situation and be honest with ourselves," explained Zubersky.  "I spoke with the coaching staff and with John Wilson but in the end I made some tough choices that I believe will help our club in the long term, will help the players that we moved and will also help the players on our squad that will be picking up the minutes that Loverock, Croome and Golka would have eaten up.  I love all three of these kids and all three were given the option of turning down the moves but the moves will be good for all three."

Loverock will be leaving on Saturday for Salmon Arm and will probably be a healthy scratch on Sunday when the Silverbacks are back in action.  He is expected to be in uniform a week from Friday and is looking forward to the new challenge.  "It was such a hectic day," said Loverock.  "I got the text in the afternoon and left class and did cartwheels in the parking lot.  I will miss the Panthers but I am so happy to have the chance to move up to Junior A."  For Loverock the jump will allow him to chase his dream of an NCAA scholarship, a goal that Zubersky believes he will achieve.  "We were heading to Oceanside on the first weekend of the season and Spencer and I had a good long chat on the bus as we headed North for the game.  I told him back then that in my mind he is a scholarship kid and good things will happen to him if he works hard every single game for the Panthers.  I explained that somebody would see him, that there will be an opportunity pop up and here it is today.  When he adds a bit more strength he will be one heck of a player.  His skating will be good enough to play in the National Hockey League.  He can improve other parts of his game and he needs to continue to work hard.  But he is so young and has a lot of time for his game to develop and I am excited for the youngster."  Loverock is the 2nd Panthers player to move to Junior A this season and he follows Dane Gibson who was signed by the Cowichan Capitals in November.

Croome contacted Zubersky two weeks ago and they had a long chat on the phone one evening.  He wanted a chance to move to Junior A and Zubersky told him that the best way to do this is to perform every singe game and to play deep into the playoffs so that he would be noticed.  "I called Croomer this afternoon and told him that I had a deal in place for him to be moved to the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.  I let him know that the choice was his, he did not have to go if he chose not to however I also told him that this opportunity would allow him to play in the Cyclone Taylor Cup as the Glacier Kings were hosting the BC Junior "B" Championship in April.  Patrick asked me if I thought it was a good idea and I let him know that it was a no brainer in my mind.  I told him to call his dad and anyone else he felt he needed to lean on and an hour or so later I pulled the trigger on the deal after hearing back from Patrick."  C

roome had mixed feelings.  "I really did not want to let the boys down," he explained.  "But this is part of the game and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to be playing in the Cyclone Taylor.  I am leaving in the morning for Comox and am excited but sad at the same time.  It's a weird feeling.  The Panthers have been awesome to me."

Zubersky called Golka and told him the same thing as Croome, the only difference being that there was a tentative deal in place with the Saanich Braves rather than the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.  Golka took time to contact his father and he too saw the opportunity and chose to jump at it.  "Saanich called several days ago and indicated they were interested in obtaining Golka," explained Zubersky.  "At first we discussed two of our players heading over there but in the end it was just Cole.  Saanich have an older group of players and they have built a strong team that they believe can challenge for a championship in our League and in the Province.  Cole will add a whole bunch to their lineup and I know they are thrilled to have added him."

The Panthers did not receive any players at this time however further discussion will be held once the Regular Season and Playoffs are over.  "These moves accomplished several things for our Club in my mind," said Zubersky.  We have such an inexperienced group and we will be learning how to compete in the playoffs.  The South Division of the VIJHL is the toughest in the entire Province and it is going to be a dogfight to get through.  We lost Loverock to Salmon Arm and that is what our program is about.  We also provided Croome and Golka great opportunities and hopefully it will help them to be noticed in the playoffs which should help their stock in terms of getting to the next level come September.  And the kids on our team will get a lot more of the key minutes that they might not have seen had these three players been around.  The deals are structured so that we will see some talent come back, it might just take some time until next season rolls around.  But I think that the teams we moved the players to will get a real spark this season and we will continue to work hard at bringing a Championship out here to the Peninsula."

The Peninsula Panthers wish Loverock, Croome and Golka the best of luck this season and beyond and the organization will follow their progress closely and with a real interest.

The Panthers will be back in action on Friday night when they face the visiting Kerry Park Islanders with the puck set to drop at 7:30 pm.