Good Evening Hockey Fans,
Welcome back to the Panorama Recreation Centre where tonight we take on a big, tough and talented Nanaimo Buccaneers squad who are making their last trip to our barn this evening. The Bucs are leading the Northern Division of the VIJHL and for all intents and purposes, look like they are back at home and cooling in the race up there for 1st place. Comox and Oceanside still have a ways to go to see who gets into the 2nd and 3rd place positions while Campbell River will be in 4th place when the last puck is dropped.
To say that tonight is a big game for our Club would be quite an understatement. We are currently 4 points behind the Westshore Wolves in the battle for 2nd place in the South Division and this race is by no means over. We have eight games remaining in the schedule while the Wolves have five so we certainly have games in hand which are crucial at this stage in the season. We play the Kerry Park Islanders on Sunday afternoon while the Wolves are playing the Saanich Braves this evening. Yes, tonight is a big night for both us and the Wolves. The last game of the regular season for the Wolves and our second to last game will be a game when we travel to Bear Mountain to tangle with the Wolves on February 13th. That game right now is looming large - I love when games that go on in the regular season have such important meaning as for me they take on playoff implications and we get to see and evaluate our players when the games are of huge importance.
We do play the Victoria Cougars three times in a row next week and those will be huge games as well. We might well hook up with the Cougars in the first round if we do not catch the Wolves and for me, this is a mini playoff series, a Best-of-3 if you will. We play back-to-back on next Thursday at the Archie Browning and then back here to the friendly confines of the Panorama next Friday before going back to Esquimalt the following Thursday for the third game. I don't think the schedule could be any better for a young squad trying to learn how to win. Big games against the top Club in the VIJHL and a possible first-round opponent, it really could not get any better. I hope that you will all join us next Friday in what should be an absolute barn burner with playoff-like atmosphere.
Back tonight, Stephen Heslop will start in goal for our Club and I am looking for him to play his best game of the season. Stephen is due for a big game and I have a feeling tonight is going to be the night. Josh Round beat Saanich last Tuesday evening and looked strong in doing so garnering the 2nd star in the process. Josh will be getting the start in Kerry Park on Sunday afternoon when the puck drops in Mill Bay. On the back end, Brett Sjerven checks back in after a one-game suspension for some antics up in Mill Bay when we last played the Islanders. Our Captain and leader Cody Breitenstein will also be back in action after missing several games due to a minor injury. I know that both of these kids are looking forward to competing tonight. Up front Jonas Horvath received a two-game suspension for becoming involved in the 2nd fight on the same stoppage on Tuesday night right here against the Saanich Braves. Logan Gibson started that melee when he ran into a Braves player and was ejected with a five-minute major for a hit to the head. For his troubles, Gibson will be forced to the sidelines as well tonight however will be back in on Sunday afternoon against the Islanders. And finally Josh Adkins who has arguably been our best player this season was called up and is playing with the Victoria Grizzlies this evening. This is a bit of a blow to the squad but once again we will need others to step up and do a better job and help nail down the all important two points in an expanded role.
We have called up two affiliate players this evening, both who play Midget AA. Braeden Pearce is a 16-year-old who hits hard and plays the game the way it should be played and that is full out. Braeden was in our Spring camp last April and I thought looked quite strong all weekend long. And Hunter Atchison is another big-bodied kid who will draw into the lineup tonight for the first time. He has soft hands for a big kid and I am looking forward to seeing how he handles the physical going. Both of these fellows will see a good amount of ice time and it will give us a chance to put a win up on the board while evaluating their talents at the Junior B level.
Back to Tuesday night and if you were not there you missed one of the best and most exciting games of the year. The game was as close to a must win for the Panthers as they come and, although the Braves opened the scoring, our kids kept on going. The two teams exchanged goals in the 3rd period and the score remained 2-1 for the visitors late in the game. With 11 seconds left Head Coach Brian Passmore called a timeout and then with the net empty and the draw set to take place in the Saanich zone, the plan was to win the draw, get the puck to the net and have numbers at the net when the disk arrived...and it worked and we need more of that.
We play our last regular season game on Friday, February 15th against the Kerry Park Islanders and the following evening on
Feb. 16th will be our wrap-up awards banquet. I always like to have our awards evening right after the regular season because it is never a happy feeling when you are bounced from the playoffs and only one team can be the winner. It does not matter if you play in the BC Championship game in April, the loser always takes it hard. The evening will take place at the Glen Meadows Golf and Country Club and the meal will be the deluxe buffet with Chicken and Beef and more items that you can shake a stick at. It is the best meal put on by Glen Meadows and we would like you the fan to join us for the evening. The cost will be $40. which will include tax and a gratuity but trust that it will be money well spent. If you are interested in being with us on the evening, please see Coreen in the ticket booth and let her know. She will collect the monies for the evening and the sooner that you let us know the better. We have to figure out how many will be in attendance and to get this figured out early makes everything so much easier on us.
The VIJHL "Wild Card Playoff Game" will be the afternoon of February 17th between Kerry Park and Campbell River, the last place teams in each Division. The loser of this game will be done for the year, while the winner will move on and take the 4th place seed in the North Division. The playoffs will start on Monday February 18th but for us we will start on the road either in Victoria or Saanich. We will probably be back at home for our first playoff game on Friday, February 22nd, but as we near and know who our opponent will be, things will get much more clear.
Okay, it’s almost time for the puck to drop and before it does, we want to thank you all for being such great fans and great supporters of our Hockey Club. It takes such a large amount of resources to run a team properly, and without the support of you the fan and our corporate sponsorship, we would not and could not exist. Enjoy the game tonight - it’s a big one! Enjoy!
Pete Zubersky
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