Sept. 20th vs. Westshore Wolves - Hockey Ops.

Hello Hockey Fans on the Peninsula!

Well, here we are ready for another Friday night affair which will feature your Peninsula Panthers!  Thank you all for coming out tonight, I hope you enjoy the game and are treated to a good one this evening.  Tonight we have the Westshore Wolves once again, you will recall that we played them last Friday night and ended up on the right side of a 7-4 score.  There are a couple of interesting storylines for tonight's affair, so let's get right to it.

The seating, oh boy!  I was promised by the Panorama Recreation Centre that the seats were going to be installed this past week however, one quick look around the rink tells a different tale.  There have been several emails go back and forth between the management at the Panorama and me and they have absolutely assured me that the seats will be put in this week and they WILL BE IN FOR NEXT FRIDAY.  OK, that's as close as I can get to making a promise but count on it, you will be sitting in new seats come next Friday.  If you know fans that have stayed away due to the seating issue, please pass my comments along to them.

Our Head Coach and General Manager was married this past summer to his bride Alicia.  The wedding took place in Kelowna, B.C.  Passy and Alicia left on their honeymoon two weeks ago heading out to Ontario to see family and then down to Aruba where they enjoyed sun-drenched beaches and a couple of sodas.  I watched Passy this past summer and with the recruiting for this Hockey Club, as well as running ice sessions for Passmore Hockey.  He was a busy, busy fellow and so I am sure that they both enjoyed the time away.  Passy has missed the first four regular season games so I would imagine he will have a few butterflies before the puck drops tonight.  Along with Ben King and Trent Brandvold on the bench and Rob Mortin doing video of the games and then breaking it down for the other coaches and the players, I believe that we have as good a staff as anyone in our league.

I watched the kids practice this week and am really quite amazed by their speed and size.  The passing is getting better and better and I think you will see some really special things out of this group this season.  Some of the new kids are going about getting their feet wet, while some of the returning players are already making their mark this season.  Take a long look at the stats - I believe we will start to move up on the VIJHL leaders in the next several weeks.
Kyle Peterson might be the most talented player in the VIJHL and this 20-year-old is expected to be in the Westshore lineup this evening.  Kyle was an 18-year-old with the Panthers when we took over the team in December of 2011 and as you recall, he was moved to Kerry Park with his older brother Cole.  Coming this way in that transaction was 20-year-old Trevor Yee who really fit in with a line of Joe Densmore and Dave Stephens and Trevor went on to lead the VIJHL in playoff scoring that season.  Kyle stayed with the Islanders last season however, this week the trade winds were blowing once again and as of Wednesday it looked like he might land with the Wolves.  Peterson can score so it will be interesting to watch and see if our Club can shut him and the rest of Wolves squad down tonight.

After winning our game last Friday we travelled up to Oceanside on Sunday afternoon and ended up getting bounced 4-2 by a determined Generals team.  The Club got off the bus but it seemed as though we were skating in quick sand all game long and could never really get it going.  The team looked tired and sluggish and I thought that perhaps 3 games in 4 days might have been a real factor in the eventual outcome.  It was an afternoon game to boot and even though there were a couple memorable plays for the squad, a couple delay of game penalties in the first period when defencemen inadvertantly shot the puck over the glass in our defensive zone - a penalty this season - game the Generals momentum and they capitalized on it.  It was two points that I thought we should have had, that we needed and when you drop points like this early in the season, it sometimes comes back to bite you.  I believe that we will be a pretty determined and fired up crew this evening.

It is early but I thought I would chat just a bit about the playoff format for the VIJHL for the 2013/14 season.  As you recall, last season the last-place team in the North (Campbell River) and the last-place team in the South (Kerry Park) played one sudden death playoff game which was tabbed Wild Card Weekend.  Kerry Park won that game and advanced to the playoffs, while Campbell River lost the game in overtime and were eliminated.  I would have liked to see the Wild Card Game continue however, at the VIJHL summer meetings the Governors of the teams voted it down.  This time around, the last-place team in overall points will be eliminated and then the North and South will play round one within their respective divisions.  After the first round is complete, the four remaining teams will be reseeded and 1st will play 4th and 2nd will play 3rd irregardless of Division.  The finals will be the two remaining teams and this format will allow for the best two teams in the VIJHL to face off in the final series.  I don't mind this format however, when we get down to the chase for the final playoff position, there will be some intense hockey games come late January and early February.

I just want to take a minute to talk about Connor Logan so you the fan will get to know him just a little bit better.   17-year-old Logan is having a breakout start to the season.  Last year he was a16-year-old who at the start of the season was a borderline Junior “B” player.  I remember talking to him just before his first exhibition game in Kerry Park late in August and he was honest and said that he was really nervous, well, he actually said he was scared.  Connor struggled out of the gates but around the 25-30 game mark started to show more confidence.  And then very late in the season in a game against the Victoria Cougars a 19-year-old picked a fight with Connor.  He threw several punches before our young fellow engaged back at him and when he did, it was all Connor Logan.  I remember him coming off the ice and he was so pumped.  He has not had a fight since that one, but I saw his confidence jump once again and it really showed in the playoffs.  We were bounced in the first round by those same Victoria Cougars however, Connor picked up five (5) points and was named as our Playoff Most Valuable Player.  This time around he is 15 pounds heavier and 3 inches taller and now sits at 5’11, 165 lbs.  He is still growing and will easily be over 6’ when all is said and done.  He has the best points-per-game average in the VIJHL and if he continues at the rate he is going, he will move closer to the top rung in scoring in the VIJHL in the next couple of weeks.

I was up in Oceanside and had a long chat with the Island Scout for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL.  He believes that Connor can make the jump to their league next season and so the young fellow will have options.  He could decide to go BCHL and go the NCAA route as well, both great roads to travel.  And only 12 months ago he was a young player trying to find his way with much older players, 19 and 20-year-olds.

So how does a young player change so much in one year and grow into one of the VIJHL’s leading scorers, at least early in the season.  There are five or more factors at work here and they are; confidence, physical growth, desire by the player - in this case Connor Logan - top level coaching and last but not least, opportunity.  The Panthers Organization has always taken young players, heaped ice time on them and watched them develop.  Older players like linemates Jackson Skerratt and Brandon Story are key, they accept a young player and they take ownership in the younger player’s strides.  The entire process of player development starts at the top and runs right though our organization. Watch this young fellow closely tonight.

I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight to help support Junior Hockey on the Peninsula.  We have such great fans and always have and I know that John Wilson, Coreen and I always love to see the familiar faces and enjoy game-night chats with you.  I hope you have an enjoyable evening, try and get comfortable and then sit back and watch what should prove to be a pretty good tilt this evening.      Pete Zubersky