Feb. 17th vs. Westshore Wolves - Playoff Action - Hockey Ops.

Good Evening Hockey Fans,

Monday, February 17th......can’t think of a better evening to welcome you all back and to kick off the VIJHL playoffs against the visiting Westshore Wolves Hockey Club.  We are the only game going tonight in the VIJHL and so I expect there will be folks watching this game with interest - yes the post-season will officially start tonight.

Last Friday night we tangled with the Kerry Park Islanders in our final Regular Season game and ended up winning our 16th game in a row at home, this one by a 5-1 count.  It was a cleanly-played affair with both teams going up and down the ice, I believe there were only eight minutes in penalties on the night.  We were wearing a Special Edition 3rd Jersey with a Valentine’s Day theme and to say they went over big would have been an understatement.  Our guys loved them and we had a lot of comments from fans who loved them equally as much.  After the game we held the on-ice draw where 23 lucky winners from Peninsula Minor Hockey were each gifted one of the 3rd Jerseys.  It was a great night and it always is.  PMHA is a real important partner of ours in the game of hockey and I believe that we support them and they support us and we want to keep the relationship alive and well.  Brad Peden from Peden RV was once again the sponsor on the evening.  We always count on Brad and he came through once again.  Brad and his family were at the game and as he was leaving he was already passing along his thoughts about next year.  He mentioned that he was talking to his wife during the game and they were going to make notes so a few new wrinkles could be added next time around.  What an awesome sponsor!

And then on Saturday night we held our annual Awards Dinner at the Glen Meadows Golf and Country Club, always one of my favourite evenings during the season.  Many folks ask why we hold the Dinner right after the regular season and before the playoffs.  Going into the playoffs, every Club starts at zero once again and almost every Club believes they have an honest chance to win it all.  Unfortunately, winning is not easy and only one squad will eventually be crowned the champion.  It does not matter how much a Club achieves during the post-season, being knocked out is always a huge disappointment.  Most times once a team is done, players from out of town want to say their goodbyes and head back home.  The ownership is scrambling to put together an event and perhaps a bit of the edge comes off.  For these reasons I have always chosen to hold our banquet right after the Regular Season is over, the only award winner that we have not nailed down at this point in the season is the Playoff MVP.

Saturday evening was a lot of fun and I believe that everyone who attended had a really enjoyable time.  Our players wear their dark jerseys and the 20-year-olds wear their whites.  I always gift the white game jerseys to the 20’s once the playoffs are over.  It is nice for fans who attend to see players in their jerseys away from the rink and it allows them to identify more with each of them.

Sean Buchanan was the only player who won more than one award sharing Rookie of the Year with 16-year-old Tate Coughlin and then packing home the Best Defenceman hardware.  What a year the big 17-year-old had on the back end for the Club this season and of course we are waiting for his best in the playoffs.  Some of the names on these trophies bring on great memories for all of us who are involved in the Panthers Organization and I think we will all look back in several years from now and talk about kids like Buchanan and Coughlin and how they once played for our Club.  Both of these kids have really developed a ton over the past six months and I believe this is large part due to the philosophy of the Organization and a great group of coaches lead of course by the leader in that area, Brian Passmore.  I think we will see the best that these two kids have to offer starting tonight and I hope our fans enjoy these last games the two will play for the Peninsula Panthers.  I have no doubt at all that both will be moving up to the next level come September.  Here is a list of all the winners from Saturday night:

Community Leadership Award - Brett Sjerven
Top Scorer - Connor Logan
Most Sportsmanlike Player - Jordan Law
Unsung Hero - Cole Glover
Steve Simpson Memorial - Jackson Skerratt
Volunteer of the Year - Dennis Varga

There were a couple highlights for me at the Banquet and I wanted to pass them along to you.  I presented the Steve Simpson Memorial, an award which is in memory of #17 and 20-year-old Steve Simpson who was killed in a single- vehicle accident on the Pat Bay Hwy. in November of 2001.  Steve was such an awesome kid, if you have time take a peek into the trophy cabinet as we have dedicated quite a bit of space to his memory.  Jackson Skerratt accepted the award and then spoke briefly how he remembered the events and how he remembered Steve.  Jackson let the room know that Steve was his favourite player and in his memory he always wore Steve’s #17 as much as he possibly could.  Jackson was just a small boy at the time but was the biggest Panthers’ fan there was and would never miss a game.  He walked out on the ice in a ceremony we had one week after Steve was killed and I asked Jackson to say a few words but he just could not get anything out.  It was so interesting to hear from Jackson and to get a glimpse into how a little child looked at this terrible incident.  A big congrats to you Jackson.

It was fun giving Dennis Varga an award.  He has been with us since we started a way back in 1999 and he is a man that we have counted on for years and years and years.

And our final award was given to Matthew Sheeran as he was named the Panthers’ Most Valuable Player for this past season.  Matthew joined us from the Saskatchewan Junior “A” League and he instantly made our team a winner.  We had a good Club but he just made us so much better both on the ice and in the room.  We were a .500 Club when he arrived but we immediately began to pile up the wins.  He was out of the lineup for many games over the past four months but it didn’t matter, Matt had lit the fuse that still is burning brightly.  I have never met a young man who just wants to win more than anything else.  He cares about this Club and I would love to see him return next season as an assistant coach here on the Peninsula if being in Victoria is in the cards for him.  What an awesome young man, truly knows what the meaning of being a team player is.  And I believe he will be a key in our playoffs even if he watches from the sidelines, his attitude is infectious.  Passy presented Matt with the award and I know that I speak for him when I say that there was no doubt about our MVP this season.  Congratulations on winning this award Matthew!

I had several people speak to me as they left the banquet and all of them were saying they just wished that everyone on the Club could win an award.  The fact of the matter is, these kids have played hockey all their lives and although it is nice to pack out an individual award, the real joy in the game is to win with a group that you have battled with all season long.  I know that this is the feeling in our room right now, it’s all about putting up 12 wins on the board before these playoffs win....the Drive for 12.

We are just about set to go for Game 1 in this Best-of-7 series against the Westshore Wolves.  They gave us a lesson just last week and so we hope to turn the tables on them tonight and in this series.  We will be in Westshore on Wednesday and then back here Friday for Game #3.  Enjoy!   Pete Zubersky