VICTORIA COUGARS SEEK REVENGE IN GAME 2

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars will be looking for redemption tonight when they return home to face the Peninsula Panthers.

Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

Drawing first blood, Peninsula leads the Cougars 1-0 going into Game 2 of their South Island Division final.

On Monday, the hometown Panthers came away with a 4-2 victory.  Backed by a power play goal from Mike Scarborough, a shorthanded goal from Evan Campbell, and an even strength goal from Mike Colantone, Peninsula went into the first intermission with a three goal lead.

Monday’s tilt was the eighth game in 12 nights for the Cougars, which survived a grueling seven game series with the Saanich Braves.

Trevor McNeil, who had been sidelined for the last ten games because of an upper body injury, provided the offense for Victoria.  After McNeil cut the Panther lead to one at 4:15 of the third period, Campbell scored 80 seconds later to put the game out of reach.

The Cougars outshot Peninsula 26-23.

Jimmy Carter leads all Victoria players in scoring with five goals and eight assists.

Leading the way for the Panthers is Brent Lucente who has four goals and four assists.

Since 2002, the Cougars and Peninsula have met in the South Island Division final six times.  Victoria won the title in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008.  The Panthers last won it was back in 2003.

Game 3 goes Friday in Peninsula before the series shifts back to the A.B.S.C. Sunday for Game 4.

In the North Island Division final, the Comox Valley Glacier Kings has a 1-0 series lead over the Kerry Park Islanders.  Game 2 goes Thursday night in Comox Valley.

This year’s Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament will be held April 1-4 in Parksville, British Columbia.  Joining the host Oceanside Generals will be the champions from the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, Pacific International Junior Hockey League, and Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.

TEAM LEADERS:  Victoria – Jimmy Carter, Josh Wyatt, 5 goals; Jimmy Carter, 8 assists; Jimmy Carter, 13 points; Blair Murphy, Justin Sotkowy, 12 penalty minutes.  Peninsula – Gerry Fitzgerald, 5 goals; Josh Bryan, 7 assists; Brent Lucente, 8 points; Brent Lucente, 24 penalty minutes

SPECIAL TEAMS:  Victoria – Power play: 21.6 percent (11-for-51). Penalty kill: 93.5 percent (29-for-31).  Peninsula – Power play: 26.1 percent (6-for-23). Penalty kill: 87.5 percent (28-for-32)

GOALTENDERS:  Victoria – Max Pelzner (2.31 goals against average; .907 save percentage), Zach Wear (no appearances).  Peninsula – Brady Berisoff (2.00 goals against average; .910 save percentage), Lukas Simpson (1.00 goals against average; .969 save percentage)

SERIES:  Peninsula leads, 1-0

PAST AND FUTURE MEETINGS:
Victoria 2 @ Peninsula 4                                            March 8, 2010
Victoria @ Peninsula                                                  March 12, 2010
Peninsula @ Victoria                                                  March 14, 2010
Victoria @ Peninsula (if necessary)                            March 15, 2010
Peninsula @ Victoria (if necessary)                            March 18, 2010
Victoria @ Peninsula (if necessary                             March 19, 2010

HOME/ROAD RECORDS:  Victoria, 3-1 at home.  Peninsula, 2-0 on the road

COUGARS BOUNCE BRAVES FROM POSTSEASON PLAY

 

The Comox Glacier Kings take on the Kerry Park Islanders starting Tuesday  for the VIJHL North Division Final

 

 

By Peter Kung

With their season on the line, the Victoria Cougars came through with a dominating performance.

Jimmy Carter scored once and added a pair of assists and Max Pelzner made 29 saves to lead Victoria to a 5-1 series clinching win over the Saanich Braves Sunday night.

Battling back from 2-0 and 3-1 series deficits, the Cougars will now face the Peninsula Panthers in the South Island Division Final, which begins Monday in Peninsula.

 

 

 

Also scoring for Victoria was Sam Rice, Anthony Hordyk, Chris Bannister, and Tommy Kala.

 

Travis Stephens replied for the Braves.

Carter opened the scoring late in the first period but not before some brilliant goaltending from Pelzner and Tanner McGaw.

Pelzner made 13 saves in the period which included stopping Blaine Carey, who was in the slot at the time, and then making a save off Ty Jones, who deflected the puck from the side of the net.

Not to be outdone, McGaw got a piece of Jesse Grieve’s slap shot and then reached behind and grabbed the puck before it trickled into the net. McGaw, who also faced 13 shots in the period, flashed the leather to rob Carter of a sure goal.

But Carter would get the last laugh after he beat the Saanich netminder with 2:51 remaining. On a power play, Carter wristed the puck top shelf from the slot to give the hometown Cougars a 1-0 lead. Assisting on Carter’s fifth postseason goal was Hordyk and Rice.

With one minute left in the period, McGaw got his blocker on Kala’s backhander and then with 22 seconds remaining before the first intermission, Pelzner got a piece of Trevor Yee’s slap shot which was labeled for the top corner.

There was no scoring until the 10:21 mark of the second period when Rice redirected a pass from Carter. Adam Steenbergen, held pointless in his last four games, picked up the second assist.

 

 

 

Late in the period, Cougars’ defenseman Kai Ohs and Ian Ellenberger got into a skirmish. After the dust settled, Saanich received a power play that carried over into the third period. But the power play was negated 19 seconds into the final frame when Sam Waterfield received a double minor for roughing, a ten minute misconduct, and a game misconduct.

 

Wade Masch, who was jostling with Waterfield, was assessed a two minute minor for his part.

Waterfield’s antics cost the Braves a goal, which was scored at 2:04. From the blue line, Carter fed the puck down low to Hordyk who found the back of the net on his second attempt. Scott Mellett with the second helper.

38 seconds after Hordyk’s goal, Chris Bannister, with assists going to Mark Meyer and Masch, gave Victoria a 4-0 lead.

McGaw, who had stopped 26-of-30 shots to that point, had to leave the game because of an injury. His replacement was Ben Kantor, who had gotten the start in Games 4, 5, and 6.

Saanich got on the board at 7:36 when Stephens wired a ten foot slap shot past Pelzner.

But with 1:02 remaining in the game, Kala beat Kantor five-hole after taking a stretch pass from Brandon Smith. Kantor made nine saves in relief.

Then with less than half a minute to play, referee Adam Griffiths tossed Ryan Komori and Matt Maycock from the game after the pair tried to start a fight with anyone .

The Cougars went 2-for-7 on the power play to finish the series 11-for-46.

After scoring its first goal of the series on the power play, Saanich went 0-for-25 over its last six games which included going 0-for-4 tonight.

It was the final game for Braves’ forwards Mark Stinson, Ryan Toporowski, Komori, and Maycock. All four players are 20-years-old and in their last year of junior eligibility.

In the Northern Division play-offs, the Comox Valley Glacier Kings defeated the Oceanside Generals 4-2 on Friday night, eliminating them in six games (4-2).

They advance to the North Island final and will meet the Kerry Park Islanders in the second round on Tuesday. Earlier in the week, the Islanders defeated the Campbell River Storm in five games.

 

 

 

THREE STARS: 1st star, Max Pelzner (Victoria). 2nd star, Jimmy Carter (Victoria). 3rd star, Mark Meyer (Victoria)

NEXT AWAY GAME (GAME 1): Victoria Cougars at Peninsula Panthers on Monday, March 8. Game time at the Panorama Recreation Centre, located at 1885 Forest Park Drive, is 7:30 p.m.

NEXT HOME GAME (GAME 2): Peninsula Panthers at Victoria Cougars on Thursday, March 11. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

The schedule:

The Victoria Cougars will meet the Peninsula Panthers in a best-of-seven series with the winner advancing to the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League Final.

GAME 1:
Victoria Cougars @ Peninsula Panthers
Monday, March 8
Panorama Recreation Centre
7:30 p.m.

GAME 2:
Peninsula Panthers @ Victoria Cougars
Thursday, March 11
Archie Browning Sports Centre
7:15 p.m.

GAME 3:
Victoria Cougars @ Peninsula Panthers
Friday, March 12
Panorama Recreation Centre
7:30 p.m.

GAME 4:
Peninsula Panthers @ Victoria Cougars
Sunday, March 14
Archie Browning Sports Centre
7:15 p.m.

GAME 5 (if necessary):
Victoria Cougars @ Peninsula Panthers
Monday, March 15
Panorama Recreation Centre
7:30 p.m.

GAME 6 (if necessary):
Peninsula Panthers @ Victoria Cougars
Thursday, March 18
Archie Browning Sports Centre
7:15 p.m.

GAME 7 (if necessary):
Victoria Cougars @ Peninsula Panthers
Friday, March 19
Panorama Recreation Centre
7:30 p.m.

Northern Division Schedule:

Game 1 – Tuesday, March 9th in Kerry Park @ 7:30 p.m.
Game 2 – Thursday, March 11th in Comox Valley @ 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 – Saturday, March 13th in Kerry Park @ 7:30 p.m.
Game 4 – TO BE DETERMINED
Game 5 – Tuesday, March 16th in Kerry Park @ 7:30 p.m.
Game 6 – TO BE DETERMINED
Game 7 – Saturday, March 20th in Kerry Park @ 7:30 p.m.

DOWN TO THE WIRE FOR COUGARS, BRAVES

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars staved off elimination Friday by beating the Saanich Braves 4-3 to force a Game 7 in their South Island Division Semi-Final.

Saanich had a 3-1 series lead but is now tied after two straight Cougar wins.  Game 7 goes Sunday night in Victoria.

Braves’ Travis Stephens opened the scoring with the only goal of the first period.  After digging the puck out of a scrum from behind the Cougar net, Sam McMullen centered the puck to Stephens who beat Max Pelzner short side at 3:39.

Tommy Kala, who was assessed a ten-minute misconduct in the first period, scored his first of two at 5:51 of the middle frame.  From the side wall, Kala sent a rocket past Ben Kantor who was screened on the play.  Then at 11:07 and on a nice individual effort from Justin Sotkowy, the rugged defenseman found the back of the net for his first goal of the postseason.

But only one minute and 48-seconds later, Alex Wong sent the two teams to the second intermission tied at two apiece when he rang the puck off the post and in during a breakaway.  

After back-and-forth action from both teams in the third period, the large contingent of Victoria fans who travelled to the Pearkes Recreation Centre erupted when Kala scored at 11:05.  Deep in his own zone, Adam Steenbergen sent a long diagonal pass to Josh Wyatt.  Taking a few steps in, Wyatt dropped the puck back to Kala who wired it just underneath the crossbar.

Then at 13:42, Jimmy Carter scored into a wide open cage after Kantor misplayed the puck.  As it turned out, Kantor’s mishandling of the puck became the game winner because Trevor Crosby lit the lamp with a shorthanded goal two minutes later.

With Kantor pulled for an extra attacker, Trevor Yee sent the puck out front to Ryan Komori who had his shot stopped by Pelzner with 8.1 seconds remaining.

The Cougars outshot Saanich 38-30.

Victoria went 1-for-5 on the power play while the Braves went 0-for-3.  And for the second time in the series, Saanich’s assistant coach Greg Batters received a game misconduct at the 20 minute mark of the third period.

Sunday’s winner will advance to the South Island Division Final and face the Peninsula Panthers.

In other action around the VIJHL:

Comox Valley Glacier Kings 4, Oceanside Generals 2 (Glacier Kings win series 4-2)

THREE STARS:  Unavailable

NEXT GAME (GAME 7):  Saanich Braves at Victoria Cougars on Sunday, March 7. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

COUGARS DOWN BRAVES IN GAME 3

 

 

 

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars proved that they still have plenty left in the tank.

Josh Wyatt and Chris Savage each chipped in with three points apiece to lead the hometown Cougars to a convincing 6-1 victory over the Saanich Braves Sunday night.

With the win, Victoria now trail the Braves 2-1 in their best-of-7 South Island Division Semi-Final.

Game 4 goes Tuesday night in Saanich.

Making his playoff debut was Anthony Hordyk, who had missed the last five games because of an injury. Not at all looking rusty or out of place, Hordyk managed to score and pick up an assist for a two point night.

Aside from a second period goal by Trevor Yee, which cut the Cougars lead to 4-1, Victoria was otherwise in complete control.

For the second consecutive game, the Cougars recorded more than 40 shots on goal. They outshot Saanich 41-14 which included outshooting the Braves 13-1 in the final frame.

Tanner McGaw, a firewall for Saanich the last two games, was pulled 33 seconds into the third period after Victoria scored its sixth goal. After stopping 36-of-39 shots in Game 1 and 50-of-53 shots in Game 2, McGaw managed to only make 23 saves on 29 shots before giving way to Ben Kantor.

Kantor stopped all 12 shots in relief.

It did not take long for the Cougars to start lighting up the scoreboard. 17 seconds in, Tommy Kala was sent in all alone by Josh Wyatt and from 15 feet out, scored top shelf with his first point of the playoffs.

Seven minutes later, a Victoria turnover allowed Ty Jones to get a shot on goal.

 

After a mad scramble in front of goaltender Max Pelzner ensued, all the Brave players on the ice began to rejoice. However, referee Trent Knorr ruled that the puck never crossed the goal line.

 

The score remained 1-0 until Wyatt’s snap shot at 13:23 put the Cougars ahead by two.

Then on a delayed penalty to Saanich, Jimmy Carter took a pass from Mark Meyer and from the slot, lit the lamp at 18:56 for the final goal of the period.

Hordyk, who earlier hit the crossbar, made it 4-0 at 7:34 of the middle stanza. From the half wall, Carter sent the puck out front which hit Hordyk squarely in his visor. Shaking off the effects, Hordyk banged home the loose puck.

Pelzner’s shutout bid was ruined when Yee scored unassisted at 8:30.

Mark Stinson, who was penalized for holding-the-stick 32 seconds earlier, watched as Victoria celebrated its fifth goal. After Hordyk missed the target with a slap shot, Wyatt, at 16:28, took the carom off the end glass and scored from the side of the net.

16 seconds into the third period, the Cougars received their third powerplay of the night when Ryan Komori was penalized for tripping. 17 seconds later, Savage banged home a rebound to give Victoria a 6-1 lead.

Midway through the period, Meyer hit the goal post with a point shot.

Sam Rice picked up a pair of assists while singles went to Eric Guthrie, Chris Bannister, and Kala.

The Cougars went 2-for-6 on the powerplay; meanwhile, Saanich went 0-for-4. Braves’ assistant coach Greg Batters was assessed a game misconduct at the 20 minute mark of the third period.

In other playoff action around the VIJHL:
Kerry Park Islanders 6, Campbell River Storm 5 (Islanders lead series 3-1)
Oceanside Generals 3, Comox Valley Glacier Kings 2 (Series tied 2-2)

THREE STARS: 1st star, Josh Wyatt (Victoria). 2nd star, Chris Savage (Victoria). 3rd star, Tommy Kala (Victoria)

GAME 4: Victoria Cougars at Saanich Braves on Tuesday, March 2. Game time at the Pearkes Recreation Centre, located at 3100 Tillicum Road, is 7:30 p.m.

GAME 5: Saanich Braves at Victoria Cougars on Thursday, March 4. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

STINSON, MCGAW PROPEL BRAVES TO 1-0 SERIES LEAD

 

 

By Peter Kung

The Saanich Braves stole home ice advantage away from the Victoria Cougars following a 4-3 victory on Thursday.

Mark Stinson had three assists while goaltender Tanner McGaw made 36 saves as Saanich put a damper on the festivities at the Archie Browning Sports Centre.

 

Prior to the game, Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League president Ken Connelly presented the Larry Lamoureaux Trophy (league’s rookie of the year) to Sam Rice and the Jack Kingston Trophy (league’s top defenseman) to Adam Steenbergen.

 

With the win, the Braves lead the best-of-seven South Island Division Semi-Final series one game to zero.

Game 2 goes Friday in Saanich.

Both teams, who were missing key players from their lineup, were deadlocked at 1-1 after one period and 3-3 after two.

Anthony Hordyk and Trevor McNeil were out of the lineup for Victoria while the Braves were without the services of Wade Murphy.

Saanich, on a power play, opened the scoring at the eight minute mark. With Cougars’ defenseman Brandan Smith sitting in the penalty box, Travis Stephens ripped a shot from the top of the faceoff circle which quickly bounced in and out of the net.

Standing in perfect position on the goal line, referee Trent Knorr repeatedly pointed at the net signaling a goal.

Tommy Kala, who finished third in the league with 31 goals, rang the puck off the goal post with eight minutes left.

 

Brandon Nicholson put Victoria on a power play after he roughed up Jesse Grieve deep in the defensive zone. 70 seconds into the man advantage, Wade Masch banged home a Jimmy Carter rebound at 14:02 to tie the game at one apiece.

 

Then with ten seconds remaining, Steenbergen, on one final rush of the period, hit the crossbar from 15 feet out.

The Braves restored their one goal lead at 1:14 of the second period. Just like a quarterback in football checking off his receivers, Stinson, from deep in his own zone, was going to send Ryan Komori in on a breakaway but instead decided to send Trevor Yee in all alone. Three seconds after Komori’s penalty had expired; Yee threaded the puck between the legs of goaltender Max Pelzner.

Stinson, the only player left from the 2005/06 team which ousted the Cougars from the opening round of the playoffs that year, sent Komori away on a partial breakaway. From his off wing, Komori backhanded the puck over Pelzner at 8:58 to give Saanich a 3-1 lead.

But a pair of Brave penalties to Trevor Crosby and Stephens resulted in a pair of

Victoria goals.

 

At 11:11, Josh Wyatt scored from Steenbergen and Chris Bannister. And then at 12:53, Steenbergen gave the hometown crowd more to cheer about after he beat McGaw with a laser from the right faceoff dot.

On the ensuing play, Cougars’ Tanner Burns levelled Jamie Cartwright with an open ice hit. Cartwright skated to the bench under his own power but went immediately down the tunnel to the dressing room. Cartwright, who finished the regular season with four points in six games, would later return.

Playing four aside, Ty Jones scored the game winner from Ian Ellenberger at 2:59 of the third period. Skating around the Victoria net, Ellenberger centered the puck to Jones who had a wide open cage to shoot at.

With two minutes remaining, Komori threw his body in front of a Kai Ohs point shot to the delight of the Saanich fans in attendance.

Pelzner, who faced a total of 22 shots, was able to get to the bench for an extra attacker with just over half a minute left but had to return to his net with 6.7 seconds remaining after Kala inadvertently iced the puck.

Victoria went 3-for-7 on the power play while the Braves went 1-for-4.

In other playoff action around the VIJHL:
Campbell River Storm 6, Kerry Park Islanders 1 (series tied 1-1)
Oceanside Generals 3, Comox Valley Glacier Kings 2 (series tied 1-1)

 

THREE STARS: 1st star, Mark Stinson (Saanich). 2nd star, Adam Steenbergen (Victoria). 3rd star, Tanner McGaw (Saanich)

NEXT AWAY GAME: Victoria Cougars at Saanich Braves on Friday, February 26. Game time at the Pearkes Recreation Centre, located at 3100 Tillicum Road, is 6:30 p.m.

NEXT HOME GAME: Saanich Braves at Victoria Cougars on Sunday, February 28. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

BATTLE OF THE CATS IN VIJHL PLAYOFFS THURSDAY

By Peter Kung

For the second straight year, the Victoria Cougars will open the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League playoffs against the Saanich Braves with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday.

Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

Last year, the Cougars beat Saanich four games to one.

The playoff format will remain the same with each team alternating back and forth until one team wins the necessary four games.

After compiling a record of 34-7-7, Victoria seeks its fourth straight South Island Division title and sixth in its last eight years.  Standing in their way are the Braves, which finished the season with a 28-17-3 record.

When healthy, Victoria is a very good team.  Despite getting hit hard recently by the injury bug, the Cougars still managed to lead the league in total offense with 229 goals.  Their goals against was not too shabby either, allowing 141 for an average of 2.9 goals per game.

Victoria is led by team captain Tommy Kala, who was part of the 2006/07 squad which advanced all the way to the Keystone Cup.  Kala returned to the Cougars for his final year of junior eligibility after playing half a year with the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and then one and a half years with the Quesnel Millionaires of the British Columbia Hockey League.

As of Sunday, Kala was leading the league in scoring with 31 goals and 45

assists.  His lead over Karl Hagg and Steven Schmidt, both of whom play for the Campbell River Storm, was four points.  However, a five-point night against the Westshore Stingers on Monday – signed, sealed, and delivered Hagg a well deserved scoring title.

It was one of the tightest races since 1999/2000 when Mitch Heslop of the Port Alberni Bandits edged out teammate Francois Houde by one point.

Up front, the Cougars’ arsenal includes Jimmy Carter (averaging 1.87 points per game), Anthony Hordyk (28 goals), Sam Rice (18 goals), Wade Masch (17 goals), Josh Wyatt (14 goals), and Chris Savage (13 goals).

Victoria possesses a towering defense which will need to use their size to slow down Saanich’s speedy forwards.  Jeff Morberg is the tallest at six-foot-six followed by Blair Murphy (six-foot-five), Mark Meyer (six-foot-four), Brandan Smith (six-foot-two), Kai Ohs (six-foot-zero), Justin Sotkowy (six-foot-zero), and Adam Steenbergen (six-foot-zero).  Scott Mellett, the shortest of the bunch, stands in at five-foot-ten.

Steenbergen led the league amongst all defensemen with 44 points.

Goaltender Max Pelzner is 7-2-0 lifetime against Saanich.

Labelled a “dark horse” by many at the beginning of the season, the Braves did not disappoint.  They went from 17 wins from a year ago to 28, improved their offensive output from 144 goals to 184, and cut their goals against from 186 to 161.

Saanich is led by Trevor Yee (16 goals and 38 assists), Ty Jones (26 goals and 27 assists), and Wade Murphy (16 goals and 29 assists).

Murphy, who turned 16-years-old last October, is a future star.  As an affiliate player for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL, Murphy collected three goals and one assist in six games.  Already the five-foot-nine, 150-pound forward has fielded calls from various colleges and universities.

Mark Stinson, Matt Maycock, Blaine Carey, and Ryan Komori provide grit up front.

Saanich has defensemen who can put the puck in the net.  Ian Ellenberger leads the way with nine goals followed by Ryan Smith (6 goals), Ryan Toporowski (6 goals), Trevor Crosby (5 goals), and Alex Wong (5 goals).  Rounding out the defense are Sam Waterfield, Jordan Game, and Chad Roorda.

Goaltenders Tanner McGaw and Ben Kantor provide a strong 1-2 combination.

The winner of the Cougars-Braves series will meet the victor of the Peninsula Panthers-Westshore series.

In the North Island Division, the Kerry Park Islanders will face Campbell River while the Oceanside Generals will square off against the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.

STANDINGS (FINAL):  Victoria – 2nd place, 75 points, South Island Division.  Saanich – 3rd place, 59 points, South Island Division

TEAM LEADERS (FINAL):  Victoria – Tommy Kala, 31 goals; Tommy Kala, 45 assists; Tommy Kala, 76 points; Brandan Smith, 114 penalty minutes.  Saanich – Ty Jones, 26 goals; Trevor Yee, 38 assists; Trevor Yee, 54 points; Mark Stinson, 195 penalty minutes

SPECIAL TEAMS (FINAL):  Victoria – Power play: 24.5 percent (72-for-293), 2nd in VIJHL. Penalty kill: 84.4 percent (206-for-244), 2nd in VIJHL.  Saanich – Power play: 20.1 percent (51-for-253), 4th in VIJHL. Penalty kill: 83.8 percent (223-for-266), 3rd in VIJHL

GOALTENDERS (FINAL):  Victoria – Max Pelzner (2.65 goals against average; .899 save percentage), Zach Wear (3.08 goals against average; .869 save percentage).  Saanich – Tanner McGaw (3.07 goals against average; .918 save percentage), Ben Kantor (3.23 goals against average; .906 save percentage)

LAST TEN GAMES (FINAL):  Victoria, 5-4-1.  Saanich, 4-5-1

SEASON SERIES (FINAL):  Victoria won series, 6-1-1

PAST MEETINGS (FINAL):
Saanich 5 @ Victoria 6 (OT)                           September 10, 2009
Victoria 5 @ Saanich 4 (OT)                           September 13, 2009
Saanich 5 @ Victoria 4 (OT)                           October 29, 2009
Victoria 8 @ Saanich 0                                   October 30, 2009
Saanich 4 @ Victoria 6                                   November 19, 2009
Victoria 8 @ Saanich 3                                   December 18, 2009
Saanich 3 @ Victoria 6                                   February 11, 2010
Victoria 0 @ Saanich 5                                   February 12, 2010

HOME/ROAD RECORDS (FINAL):  Victoria, 16-5-3 at home.  Saanich, 13-9-2 on the road

GENERALS SHOOT DOWN COUGARS

By Peter Kung

Braeden Johnson stopped 35 shots as the Oceanside Generals defeated the hometown Victoria Cougars 5-2 on Thursday night.

Johnson allowed a goal in each of the first two frames before shutting the door with a 13-save third period.

Ty Johns and Jared Crema, both defensemen, led the attack with a goal and two assists. Other goal scorers for Oceanside were Nolan Zarazun, Conner Morgan, and Scott Austin.

Replying for the Cougars were Chris Savage and Tommy Kala.

The Generals, who led 2-1 after one period and 4-2 after two, opened the scoring at 3:11 when Zarazun beat goaltender Zach Wear. Seven minutes later, Morgan gave Oceanside a 2-0 lead.

Savage cut the lead in half at 12:21, scoring from Kai Ohs and Brandan Smith.

The Cougars tied the game on an unassisted goal by Kala at 15:09 of the second period to give the hometown crowd at the Archie Browning Sports Centre something to cheer about.

But in a span of 26 seconds, the Generals took the lead for good. Crema, at 18:01, scored the game winner on the powerplay. Then at 18:27, Austin gave Oceanside some breathing room heading into the final period.

Johns iced the cake with two minutes and ten seconds remaining in the game, beating Max Pelzner with his fourth powerplay goal of the season.

Pelzner stopped ten shots in relief of Wear, who made 17-of-21 saves through the first 40 minutes.

The loss dashed any hopes a South Island Division title for Victoria (34-6-7), who now trails the Peninsula Panthers by three points with one game remaining. Peninsula beat the Saanich Braves in overtime, 3-2.

Oceanside (23-21-2) won its second straight game.

Special teams were dominated by the Generals, who went 2-for-6 with the man advantage while killing off all five Cougar powerplays.

Victoria won the season series, 3-1-2.

THREE STARS: Unavailable

NEXT AWAY GAME: Victoria Cougars at Peninsula Panthers on Friday, February 19. Game time at the Panorama Recreation Centre, located at 1885 Forest Park Drive, is 7:30 p.m.

NEXT HOME GAME: Saanich Braves at Victoria Cougars in Game 1 of a best-of-7 series. Playoff dates and times are still yet to be determined

DONATE FOOD, SEE VICTORIA COUGARS FREE

By Peter Kung

Who says nothing is for free?

The Victoria Cougars Fan Appreciation Night is!

A food drive is planned for Thursday when the Cougars take on the Oceanside Generals at the Archie Browning Sports Centre in Esquimalt.

Fans bringing a non-perishable food item or cash donation to the game will be admitted free of charge.

“We considered reducing our ticket prices for those donating but instead decided to go the whole way in support of the Mustard Seed Food Bank,” Cougars’ governor Gary Boyer said.  “Fans can donate to whatever degree they are comfortable with.  In any event, 100% goes to the food bank.”

Collection bins will be stationed at the main entrance of the arena.

According to the Mustard Seed Food Bank website (www.mustardseed.ca), they are the second largest food bank in British Columbia and serve approximately 5,000 people per month.  The website also said that for every dollar donated, the food bank can purchase two dollars worth of food.

“We want to give back to the community and show our support for those in need.  When it comes to donating, it should not be limited to just around Christmas time,” Boyer said.

Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

Doors open one hour prior to game time.

VICTORIA COUGARS FINAL REGULAR SEASON HOME GAME THURSDAY

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars will face-off against the defending Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League champion Oceanside Generals this Thursday.

Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

Victoria will try to bounce back in the final weekend of the regular season after dropping three of its last five games.

During that span, the Cougars have been outscored 19-16.

With two games remaining, Victoria (34-5-7) will need a win Thursday to keep pace with the South Island Division leading Peninsula Panthers.  Victoria currently trails the Panthers, who also have two games left to play, by one point.

The South Island Division winner, who will have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, will play the Westshore Stingers in the opening round.  The loser of the Cougars-Peninsula battle will face the Saanich Braves.

On Thursday, both Victoria and Panthers will be scoreboard watching.  15 minutes after the start of the Cougars-Oceanside game, Peninsula will be taking to the ice against the Braves at the Panorama Recreation Centre.

If after Thursday and no more than one point separates Victoria and Panthers, it will all come down to the final game of the season.  The Cougars travel to Peninsula on Friday.

After winning nine in a row, Victoria has scraped together two wins, two losses, and one shootout loss in its last five games.  Their recent loss came last Friday, 5-0, to Saanich.  The Cougars, who trailed 1-0 after one period and 4-0 after two, peppered goaltender Tanner McGaw with 47 shots.

The last time Victoria got shut out was back on December 20, 2006.

Tommy Kala is on the verge of becoming the sixth Cougars player to win the league’s scoring title.  Kala, who has 30 goals and 44 assists for 74 points, leads Karl Hagg and Steven Schmidt of the Campbell River Storm by four points.

As hosts, the Generals have a guaranteed berth at this year’s Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament which will feature the best teams from the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, Pacific International Junior Hockey League, and VIJHL.

Last Saturday, Oceanside (22-21-2) moved one game over .500 with a 6-0 win over Westshore.  Braeden McGowen, getting a rare start in net, recorded the shutout.

While the South Island Division standings are still up in the air, the positions in the North Island Division were decided last weekend.  The second place Generals will meet the third place Comox Valley Glacier Kings while the first place Kerry Park Islanders will face the fourth place Campbell River Storm.

STANDINGS:  Victoria – 1st place, 75 points, South Island Division.  Oceanside – 2nd place, 46 points, North Island Division

TEAM LEADERS:  Victoria – Tommy Kala, 30 goals; Tommy Kala, 44 assists; Tommy Kala, 74 points; Brandan Smith, 110 penalty minutes.  Oceanside – Kyle Bixby, Austin Moran, 15 goals; Conner Morgan, 27 assists; Conner Morgan, 41 points; Sam Corcoran, 197 penalty minutes

SPECIAL TEAMS:  Victoria – Power play: 25.4 percent (72-for-283), 2nd in VIJHL. Penalty kill: 84.9 percent (197-for-232), 2nd in VIJHL.  Oceanside – Power play: 12.2 percent (31-for-253), 6th in VIJHL. Penalty kill: 82.0 percent (228-for-278), 4th in VIJHL

GOALTENDERS:  Victoria – Max Pelzner (2.61 goals against average; .899 save percentage), Zach Wear (2.92 goals against average; .874 save percentage).  Oceanside – Braeden Johnson (2.39 goals against average; .920 save percentage), Braeden McGowen (4.48 goals against average; .860 save percentage)

LAST TEN GAMES:  Victoria, 7-2-1.  Oceanside, 6-4-0

SERIES:  Victoria leads series, 3-0-2

PAST AND FUTURE MEETINGS:
Victoria 2 @ Oceanside 1                                           September 12, 2009
Oceanside 1 @ Victoria 3                                           September 17, 2009
Victoria 3 @ Oceanside 1                                           November 7, 2009
Oceanside 2 @ Victoria 1 (SO)                                   November 26, 2009
Victoria 2 @ Oceanside 3 (SO)                                   November 28, 2009

HOME/ROAD RECORDS:  Victoria, 16-4-3 at home.  Oceanside, 9-11-2 on the road

 

BRAVES WIPE OUT COUGARS

 

 

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars suffered their worst loss in two years.

Jordan Game recorded a goal and an assist and Tanner McGaw made 47 saves as the Saanich Braves won 5-0 in one of three Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League games played Friday night.

It was the worst defeat for Victoria since Dec. 14, 2007 when they were thumped 8-2 by the Kerry Park Islanders. Behind the Kerry Park bench that night was Suniel Karod, who now serves as an assistant to Cougars’ head coach Mark Van Helvoirt.

With only one win in its last four games, Victoria (34-5-7) saw their lead over the Peninsula Panthers dwindle to a single point. Peninsula, who holds a game in hand on the Cougars, beat the defending league champion Oceanside Generals 5-2.

Elsewhere, the Comox Valley Glacier Kings won convincingly, 4-1, over the Campbell River Storm.

Blaine Carey, Wade Murphy, and Jamie Cartwright also scored for Saanich (27-16-2), who snapped a three game losing streak.

Opening the scoring was Carey, who notched his fifth goal of the season. From the slot, the Saanich Minor Hockey Association product beat goaltender Max Pelzner glove side at 3:47 for the only goal of the first period.

Victoria received a two-man advantage a couple of minutes later when Jimmy Carter drew Chad Roorda and Ryan Toporowski into penalties 70 seconds apart. However, the Cougars were unable to capitalize.

Game gave the home side a 2-0 lead at 2:58 when his shot from the blue line found the back of the net. Then on a delayed penalty to Victoria, Murphy tipped home a Ty Jones point shot at 11:01.

The Braves went ahead 4-0 when Toporowski was left alone at the side of the net. Assisting on Toporowski’s goal, which was scored at 12:13, was Trevor Yee and Game.

McGaw, who was torched for seven goals in his last game, made his two best saves in the final two minutes of the second period.

With one minute and 50-seconds remaining, McGaw denied Carter on a breakaway. And then with 8.4 seconds left, he robbed Eric Guthrie of a sure goal by flashing the leather.

Cartwright, playing in only his fourth game, rounded out the scoring at 15:18 of the third period.

The last time the Cougars were shut out was back on Dec. 20, 2006. That night, Victoria was blanked 2-0 by the Islanders.

Both teams went a combined 0-for-17 on the powerplay. The Cougars went 0-for-8 while Saanich went 0-for-9.

As the buzzer sounded to end the game, Pelzner, who allowed five goals on 30 shots, looked dejected as he backed into the net crouched over.

THREE STARS: 1st star, Tanner McGaw (Saanich). 2nd star, Jordan Game (Saanich). 3rd star, Blaine Carey (Saanich)

NEXT HOME GAME: Oceanside Generals at Victoria Cougars on Thursday, February 18. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

NEXT AWAY GAME: Victoria Cougars at Peninsula Panthers on Friday, February 19. Game time at the Panorama Recreation Centre, located at 1885 Forest Park Drive, is 7:30 p.m.

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