COUGARS LIVE TO PLAY ONE MORE

 

 

By Peter Kung

Once again, the Victoria Cougars avoided elimination.

Victoria forced a seventh and deciding game following its 3-2 win over the Peninsula Panthers Thursday night.

The hometown crowd at the Archie Browning Sports Centre erupted in jubilation when Adam Steenbergen broke a 2-2 tie with 3:49 remaining in the third period. Just to the left of Brady Berisoff, Steenbergen, from the faceoff dot, rifled a wrist shot over the left shoulder of the Panther goaltender for his first point of the series.

It looked as though overtime was on the horizon when Joe Densmore tied the game only 68 seconds earlier.

The Panthers, who had held series leads of 2-0 and 3-1, struck early on a shorthanded goal by Max McCloy. With Carson Baillie in the penalty box for elbowing, McCloy skated in on a breakaway and with a wrist shot, beat netminder Max Pelzner low glove side. McCloy’s goal, which was scored at the 37 second mark, was assisted by Tanner Carter.

 

Trevor McNeil tied the game at 17:42 after he poked checked the puck off McCloy in the high slot. Skating in on net and avoiding a check from Kurtis Rumenovich, McNeil roofed the puck over Berisoff’s glove. Picking up the assists were Eric Guthrie and Jesse Grieve.

Victoria took the lead at 6:23 of the second period when Chris Savage banged home a Justin Sotkowy rebound. McNeil, who by far played his best game of the series, also assisted.

Earlier in the period, Cougars’ Wade Masch, the hero in Games 3 and 5, was stopped on a breakaway.

With time winding down, Densmore tied the game on an individual effort. Skating around the perimeter of the Victoria defense, the six-foot-two, 170-pound forward scored top shelf with 4:57 remaining in regulation.

17 seconds after Densmore’s goal, Craig Eisenhut was penalized for holding the stick.

On their ninth and final power play, Jimmy Carter and McNeil set up Steenbergen for the game winning goal at 16:11.

Peninsula pulled Berisoff for an extra attacker with 1:26 remaining. But the Panthers could not solve Pelzner, who robbed Evan Campbell with 46.2 seconds left on the clock. Then with 33.2 ticks to go, Brent Lucente started to celebrate but referee Trent Knorr ruled that the puck never crossed the goal line.

With one last ditch effort, Campbell sent the puck high and wide from a sharp angle.

Thanks to a pair of wins by Tommy Kala and one by Masch, Victoria won all three faceoff draws in the final minute.

After the game, Knorr gave Campbell a ten minute misconduct and Panthers’ head coach Geoff Grimwood a game misconduct.

Shots on goal were 30 apiece.

The Cougars went 1-for-9 on the power play while Peninsula went 0-for-4.

Mark Meyer, Victoria’s six-foot-four defenseman, had a good game defensively.

Game 7 goes Friday night in Peninsula.

In the North Island Division final, the Comox Valley Glacier Kings have a 3-2 series lead over the Kerry Park Islanders. Game 6 goes Friday night in Comox Valley.

 

 

THREE STARS: 1st star, Trevor McNeil (Victoria). 2nd star, Adam Steenbergen (Victoria). 3rd star, Joe Densmore (Peninsula)

GAME 7: Victoria Cougars at Peninsula Panthers on Friday, March 19. Game time at the Panorama Recreation Centre, located at 1885 Forest Park Drive, is 7:30 p.m. — More images from this game may be found at
http://christianjstewart.zenfolio.com/vijhl/mar18

COUGARS FACE MUST-WIN SITUATION

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars return home to face the Peninsula Panthers in Game 6 of the South Island Division final this Thursday.

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

Victoria avoided elimination last game after its thrilling 3-2 overtime win.

For the second time in the series, the Cougars and Panthers have battled to extra time.  And in both cases, the game winning goals were scored by Wade Masch.

Still, Peninsula leads the best-of-7 series 3-2.

Goaltender Max Pelzner was sensational last game, making 31 saves which included stopping all 16 shots in the second period.  Pelzner, who seemed to play better as the game wore on, will need a repeat performance if Victoria has any chance of forcing a seventh and deciding game on Friday.

Not to be overshadowed, Panthers’ Brady Berisoff has allowed only ten goals through five games.  Berisoff won the Ray’s Sports Centre Trophy, awarded to the league’s top goaltender during the regular season.

Jimmy Carter leads all Cougar scorers with five goals and ten assists in 12 games.  Mike Colantone is the top scorer for Peninsula, scoring five goals and adding eight assists in nine games.

In the series, Victoria is 6-for-29 (20.7%) on the power play while Panthers are 3-for-26 (11.5%).

Also, Peninsula has outshot the Cougars by a narrow margin of 135-127.

Home ice has not been kind to either team these playoffs.  At the Archie Browning Sports Centre, Victoria is 3-3 and 0-2 against the Panthers.  Peninsula is 3-2 at the Panorama Recreation Centre and 1-2 against the Cougars.

In the North Island Division final, the Kerry Park Islanders defeated the Comox Valley Glacier Kings 8-2 Tuesday night.  Kerry Park now trails the series 3-2.  Game 6 goes Friday 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 – Tommy Kala, 6 goals; Jimmy Carter, 10 assists; Jimmy Carter, 15 points; Justin Sotkowy, 24 penalty minutes.  Peninsula – Mike Colantone, Evan Campbell, Joe Densmore, Gerry Fitzgerald, 5 goals; Mike Colantone, 8 assists; Mike Colantone, 13 points; Brent Lucente, 36 penalty minutes

SPECIAL TEAMS:  Victoria – Power play: 22.7 percent (17-for-75). Penalty kill: 92.3 percent (48-for-52).  Peninsula – Power play: 18.2 percent (8-for-44). Penalty kill: 82.1 percent (46-for-56)

GOALTENDERS:  Victoria – Max Pelzner (2.36 goals against average; .908 save percentage), Zach Wear (no appearances).  Peninsula – Brady Berisoff (1.98 goals against average; .917 save percentage), Lukas Simpson (1.00 goals against average; .969 save percentage)

SERIES:  Peninsula leads, 3-2

PAST AND FUTURE MEETINGS:
Victoria 2 @ Peninsula 4                                            March 8, 2010
Peninsula 3 @ Victoria 1                                            March 11, 2010
Victoria 3 @Peninsula 2 (OT)                                     March 12, 2010
Peninsula 4 @ Victoria 1                                            March 14, 2010
Victoria 3 @ Peninsula 2 (OT)                                    March 15, 2010
Victoria @ Peninsula (if necessary)                            March 19, 2010

HOME/ROAD RECORDS:  Victoria, 3-3 at home.  Peninsula, 4-0 on the road

COUGARS CLAW BACK INTO CONTENTION

By Peter Kung

The Panorama Recreation Centre was the scene of some déjà vu.

Wade Masch scored a power play goal 1:43 into overtime to give the visiting Victoria Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Peninsula Panthers in Game 5 of the South Island Division final Monday night.

Masch’s goal helped stave off elimination for the Cougars who now trail 3-2 in their best-of-7 series. Game 6 goes Thursday night in Victoria.

With one second left in David Courtney’s tripping penalty, Masch deflected a Jimmy Carter point shot past goaltender Brady Berisoff for the game winning goal.

Sound all too familiar?

It should.

72 hours ago in Game 3, Courtney was assessed a penalty for high-sticking

 

Trevor McNeil. Coincidently, McNeil was again on the receiving end of a stick infraction.

With six seconds remaining in the penalty to Courtney, Masch tipped home a Carter point shot in overtime for the victory.

 

The Cougars won 3-2 – just like on Monday.

Eerie!

Peninsula forced overtime with two quick third period goals in a span of one minute and 11-seconds.

Tommy Kala opened the scoring with his first of two goals at 9:11 of the second period. Stationed at the top of the blue paint, Kala took a rebound off the end boards and buried the puck behind Berisoff.

Victoria went ahead 2-0 at 11:32 on Kala’s team leading sixth postseason goal. After taking a pass from Brody Coulter from just inside the blue line, Kala beat Berisoff with a backhander while having to shrug off defenseman Jake Bryan.

After the goal, Peninsula’s head coach Geoff Grimwood called a timeout.

The score remained 2-0 in favour of the Cougars until the 9:24 mark of the third period. Playing four aside, Joe Densmore twinkled the twine for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

Evan Campbell forced extra time with a power play goal at 10:35.

With 15.4 seconds remaining in regulation, Courtney was penalized after tripping McNeil behind the Panther net.

Then came Masch’s heroics.

Referee Adam Griffiths had an easy night, calling four minor penalties to both sides.

Cougars’ goaltender Max Pelzner was stellar, stopping ten shots in the first period, 16 in the second, four in the third, and one in overtime for a game total of 31 saves.

Berisoff faced 26 shots.

In the North Island Division final, the Comox Valley Glacier Kings took a 3-1 series lead after defeating the Kerry Park Islanders 5-2 Monday. Game 5 goes Tuesday night in Kerry Park.

THREE STARS: Not announced

GAME 6: Peninsula Panthers at Victoria Cougars on Thursday, March 18. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

GAME 7 (if necessary): Victoria Cougars at Peninsula Panthers on Friday, March 19. Game time at the Panorama Recreation Centre, located at 1885 Forest Park Drive, is 7:30 p.m.

PANTHERS FEND OFF COUGARS, TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD

 

 

By Peter Kung

Once again the Victoria Cougars are making life difficult for themselves.

Tanner Carter scored a goal and added an assist as the Peninsula Panthers beat Victoria 3-1 Thursday night to take a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3 of the South Island Division final goes Friday night in Peninsula.

Also twinkling the twine for the visiting Panthers were Mike Colantone and Evan Campbell.

It was a defensive struggle as each team managed only 17 shots on goal. One of those shots came off the stick of Eric Guthrie, who made things interesting down the stretch.

On a power play, Guthrie scored his first goal of the playoffs with five minutes

and 32-seconds remaining in the game. Standing to the left of goaltender Brady Berisoff, Guthrie tipped home a Trevor McNeil pass to pull the Cougars to within one.

 

But with 46.3 seconds to go, Campbell gave Peninsula insurance with an empty net goal. It was the second game in a row that Campbell has driven a stake through the hearts of Victoria fans. In Game 1, the former Creston Valley Thunder Cat recorded three points which included scoring the insurance goal in a 4-2 win.

Cougars’ netminder Max Pelzner got the hometown crowd at the Archie Browning Sports Centre buzzing early. Three minutes in, Pelzner slid post to post to rob Carson Baillie. And then two minutes later, Brent Lucenete sprung Baillie loose on a breakaway only to have Pelzner come up big once again.

However, all good things would come to an end. At 11:14, Pelzner made the original save off a slap shot from Brian Cross. But the rebound came out front to Carter who backhanded the puck into the net for his third goal of the playoffs.

Jesse Grieve gave Victoria its best chance of the period when his slap shot came close to finding its way through Berisoff’s legs.

The Panthers went ahead 2-0 at 2:17 of the second period on a power play goal by Colantone. With referee Steve Bratt’s arm raised to signal another Cougar penalty which would have put them down two men, Colantone banged home a Joe Densmore rebound for his second goal of the series.

Playing shorthanded, Wade Masch broke in all alone with two and a half minutes remaining in the period but his backhander was turned aside by Berisoff. Then with 30 seconds left before the second intermission, Berisoff kicked out his right pad at the last possible moment to preserve a two goal lead.

Early in the third period, Cougars’ defenseman Justin Sotkowy rang the puck off the goal post with a slap shot.

Victoria went 1-for-8 on the power play while the Panthers went 1-for-4.

The game ended with Jake Bryan taking a slashing penalty with five seconds left.

Several key players were out of the lineup for both teams. Not playing were Cougars’ forward Josh Wyatt (injury) and Peninsula forwards Tyrell Turgeon (suspension) and Cole Thomson (injury).

Victoria, which eventually won 4-3, dropped the first two games in its opening round series against the Saanich Braves.

In the North Island Division final, the Comox Valley Glacier Kings defeated the Kerry Park Islanders 6-1 Thursday to take a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 goes Saturday night in Kerry Park.

 

THREE STARS: 1st star, Joe Densmore (Peninsula). 2nd star, Scott Mellett (Victoria). 3rd star, Tanner Carter (Peninsula)

 

NEXT AWAY GAME (GAME 3): Victoria Cougars at Peninsula Panthers on Friday, March 12. Game time at the Panorama Recreation Centre, located at 1885 Forest Park Drive, is 7:30 p.m.

NEXT HOME GAME (GAME 4): Peninsula Panthers at Victoria Cougars on Sunday, March 14. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

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.

DO OR DIE TODAY IN EPIC COUGARS-BRAVES SERIES

By Peter Kung

It’s do or die time for both the Victoria Cougars and Saanich Braves when Game 7 of their South Island Division Semi-Final goes tonight in Victoria.

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

The Cougars avoided elimination for the second time with a 4-3 victory Friday night.  Tommy Kala scored a pair of goals while Justin Sotkowy and Jimmy Carter each chipped in with singles.  Goaltender Max Pelzner, who was making his sixth straight postseason start, stopped 27-of-30 shots for the win.

In Game 5 and trailing 3-1 in the series, Victoria won 4-1.  That game, Carter and Trevor Yee exchanged first period goals before Josh Wyatt, who scored twice, and Chris Savage gave the Cougars a three goal lead after 40 minutes.  Pelzner made 26 saves which included stopping all 13 shots in the second period and all six shots in the third.

The series has been close with four games having been decided by a goal.  Two of those games were decided in overtime.

Through six games, which include triple overtime in Game 4, Victoria has outshot the Braves 271 to 162.

Both teams will again be without their superstars.  Still out with injuries are Cougars’ forward Trevor McNeil and Saanich’s forward Wade Murphy.  Both players have not played since the regular season.

Carter leads all Victoria scorers with four goals and five assists.

With two goals and three assists, Ryan Komori leads the way for the Braves.

Sunday’s winner will advance to play the Peninsula Panthers in the South Island Division Final.

The North Island Division Final has the Kerry Park Islanders taking on the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.  Game 1 of that series goes Tuesday night in Kerry Park.

This year’s Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament will be held in Parksville, British Columbia from April 1-4.

TEAM LEADERS:  Victoria – Josh Wyatt, 5 goals; Jimmy Carter, Sam Rice, 5 assists; Jimmy Carter, 9 points; Blair Murphy, Tommy Kala, Justin Sotkowy, 10 penalty minutes.  Saanich – Trevor Yee, 3 goals; Ryan Komori, Mark Stinson, 3 assists; Ryan Komori, 5 points; Ryan Toporowski, Matt Maycock, 16 penalty minutes

SPECIAL TEAMS:  Victoria – Power play: 23.1 percent (9-for-39). Penalty kill: 95.5 percent (21-for-22).  Saanich – Power play: 4.5 percent (1-for-22). Penalty kill: 76.9 percent (30-for-39)

GOALTENDERS:  Victoria – Max Pelzner (2.26 goals against average; .907 save percentage), Zach Wear (no appearances).  Saanich – Ben Kantor (2.35 goals against average; .940 save percentage), Tanner McGaw (4.26 goals against average; .902 save percentage)

SERIES:  Series tied, 3-3

PAST AND FUTURE MEETINGS:
Saanich 4 @ Victoria 3                                   February 25, 2010
Victoria 3 @ Saanich 4 (OT)                           February 26, 2010
Saanich 1 @ Victoria 6                                   February 28, 2010
Victoria 1 @ Saanich 2 (3OT)                         March 2, 2010
Saanich 1 @ Victoria 4                                   March 4, 2010
Victoria 4 @ Saanich 3                                   March 5, 2010

HOME/ROAD RECORDS:  Victoria, 2-1 at home; 1-2 on the road.  Saanich, 1-2 on the road; 2-1 at home

BRAVES TAME COUGARS TO TAKE 3-1 SERIES LEAD

By Peter Kung

Ryan Toporowski scored 1:34 into the third overtime period to give the Saanich Braves a 2-1 victory and a 3-1 series lead over the Victoria Cougars Tuesday night.

The hometown crowd at the Pearkes Recreation Centre erupted when Toporowski, whose goal came unassisted, beat goaltender Max Pelzner.

Tuesday’s loss forces the Cougars to win their next three games in order to stay alive in a playoff which has already claimed the Campbell River Storm.

Game 5 goes Thursday in Victoria.

Toporowski opened the scoring at 17:56 of the first period. Assisting on Toporowski’s first goal of the playoffs were Ryan Komori and Trevor Yee.

But an unassisted goal from Sam Rice at 11:37 of the middle frame set the table for what would become a very long night.

Getting the start in goal for the Braves was Ben Kantor, who had relieved Tanner McGaw in Game 3. Scooped up from the Kerry Park Islanders in early November, Kantor made 67 saves overall which included stopping nine shots in the first overtime period, 15 in the second, and one in the third before Toporowski ended the three hour and 22-minute long marathon with his second marker.

Pelzner, who stopped 22 shots in extra time, finished the game with 45 saves.

Referee Ryan Benbow handed out a total of 17 power plays, all of which occurred in regulation. The Cougars went 0-for-10 while Saanich went 0-for-7.

In other playoff action around the VIJHL:
Kerry Park Islanders 5, Campbell River Storm 2 (Islanders win series 4-1)
Peninsula Panthers 9, Westshore Stingers 0 (Panthers lead series 3-0)

THREE STARS: Unavailable

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.

GAME 6 (if necessary): Victoria Cougars at Saanich Braves on Friday, March 5. Game time at the Pearkes Recreation Centre, located at 3100 Tillicum Road, is 6:30 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.

SAANICH BRAVES TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD

 

 

By Peter Kung

For the second straight game, Mark Stinson and Tanner McGaw came through in the clutch for the Saanich Braves.

Stinson scored with 1:55 remaining in overtime and McGaw made 50 saves to lift Saanich to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Victoria Cougars at the Pearkes Recreation Centre on Friday night.

The win gives the Braves a two-game, first-round series lead.

Skating down the left side, Ryan Komori fed a cross ice pass over to a wide open Stinson who then one timed the puck past goaltender Max Pelzner.

Saanich nearly won the game four minutes earlier when Komori got behind the Cougars defense but was stopped by Pelzner after trying to make a deke.

Brandon Nicholson, named the game’s third star, tied the contest at 3-3 at 1:09 with the only goal of the third period. Nicholson, left wide open on the left side, twinkled the twine after taking a tape-to-tape feed from Travis Stephens.

Victoria, which controlled the majority of the play, was swarming late in regulation. With just over 90 seconds to play, Jimmy Carter was stopped twice by McGaw. Chris Savage had a chance to send the Cougars back home with a “W” but his shot sailed wide left.

For the first time in the series, Victoria took the lead when Carter opened the scoring at 7:29 of the first period. The goal, which was assisted by Savage, was Carter’s first in five games.

 

Alex Wong tied the game 36 seconds later after a defensive miscue by the Cougars defense. From behind the net, Brad Dick centered the puck out to Wong, who from the high slot beat Pelzner.

 

Victoria took the lead at 9:53 when Jesse Grieve worked himself out from behind the Braves net, stopped at the faceoff dot to the left of McGaw, and wired the puck off the crossbar and in. Assisting on Grieve’s first goal of the playoffs was Eric Guthrie.

Again it did not take long for Saainch to respond, 42 seconds to be exact. After another defensive miscue, Komori scored unassisted with a well placed wrist shot.

The large contingent of Cougar fans in attendance roared at the 10:30 mark of the second period after they thought the puck had crossed the plane of the goal line. But with a clear view of the net, referee Byron Ellingson signaled no goal.

There was no dispute over Victoria’s third goal which was scored two minutes

later. While falling down on the play, Wade Masch took a swipe at the puck which sailed over the right shoulder of McGaw. Getting credit with the assist was Guthrie.

 

The Cougars, 27-2-3 when leading after two periods during the regular season, let Game 2 slip away.

Victoria outshot the Braves 17-8 in the first period, 14-5 in the second, 13-6 in the third, and 9-3 in overtime for a game total of 53-22.

Ellingson doled out three penalties, two minors to Saanich and one minor to the Cougars. Neither team would score with the man advantage.

In Game 1, Stinson had three assists while McGaw stopped 36-of-39 shots. The Braves went on to win 4-3.

Game 3 goes Sunday in Victoria.

In other playoff action around the VIJHL:

Kerry Park Islanders 7, Campbell River Storm 6 (Islanders lead series 2-1)
Peninsula Panthers 6, Westshore Stingers 2 (Panthers lead series 1-0)

THREE STARS: 1st star, Tanner McGaw (Saanich). 2nd star, Mark Stinson (Saanich). 3rd star, Brandon Nicholson (Saanich)

GAME 3: Saanich Braves at Victoria Cougars on Sunday. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

GAME 4: Victoria Cougars at Saanich Braves. Date and game time at the Pearkes Recreation Centre, located at 3100 Tillicum Road, is still to be determined.

 

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