FINAL PRESEASON GAME TO DETERMINE WHO STAYS, WHO GOES

By Peter Kung

(ISN) — The Victoria Cougars will conclude preseason play Thursday when they host the Westshore Stingers.

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

Victoria will be looking to build on its momentum having already won both preseason games.  Back on Aug. 19, Josh Wyatt assisted on all three Cougar goals in a 3-2 victory over the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.

Ten days later, a five-point night (two goals and three assists) from Brett Clarke helped propel Victoria past the Stingers 9-0.

Thursday’s game will mark the final time for both veterans and rookies to make a lasting impression on Cougars’ head coach Mark Van Helvoirt.

Admission is only $5 per person.  Children 10-years-old or younger will be admitted for free.

Victoria opens the regular season at home against the defending Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League champion Peninsula Panthers on Thursday, Sept. 9.

COUGARS ICE GLACIER KINGS 3-2

By Peter Kung

(ISN) — The Victoria Cougars survived a late third period scare and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Comox Valley Glacier Kings in pre-season action on Thursday night.

Comox Valley trailed 3-1 before Andrew Gaiga pulled the visitors to within a goal with just under nine minutes to play in regulation time.  Then with 1:48 to go, Victoria’s Trevor McNeil and Stewart Lee were involved in a shoving match.  After the dust settled, McNeil was the only player penalized.

After calling a timeout, Glacier Kings’ head coach Jim MacLean kept goaltender Adam Todd at the player’s bench in favour of an extra attacker.  With six skaters against four, Corey Allen had the best chance at tying the game but his shot was turned aside by Evan Roch.

Josh Wyatt, who assisted on all three Cougar goals, came up big on the penalty kill, tipping Kelin Hrycuik’s cross ice pass out of harm’s way.

After a scoreless first period, Mark Walton opened the scoring 38 seconds into the second period.  Outmuscling his defender in front of the Comox Valley net, Walton one timed a Wyatt pass from behind the net past starting goaltender Cam Large.

But at 10:26, 32 seconds after Victoria was called for too many men on the ice; Jason Austin took a Mitch Ball rebound off the end glass and beat Roch five hole.

Watching the proceedings high above the ice surface, Cougars’ head coach Mark Van Helvoirt liked what he saw when Wyatt, at 12:03, sent a tape to tape pass over to Walton who was streaking through the middle.  In behind the Glacier Kings defense, Walton got the hometown fans at the recently refurbished Archie Browning Sports Centre up and out of their seats with his second goal of the game.

Then at 14:24, Victoria took a 3-1 lead.

After taking a pair of blasts from the point earlier in his shift, it was “three times a charm” for Mark Meyer who gave the Cougars a two goal advantage heading into the second intermission.  60 feet away, Meyer found the back of the net with one of his patented howitzers.

A miscue by a Victoria defender at 11:09 of the third period allowed Gaiga to tee the puck up and rifle it past Roch.

But that was as close as the defending North Island Division champions would come.

Victoria went 0-for-4 on the power play while the Glacier Kings went 1-for-4.

THREE STAR SELECTIONS:

1st star, Mark Walton (Victoria)

2nd star, Josh Wyatt (Victoria)

3rd star, Mitch Ball (Comox Valley)

NOTES:  Associate coaches Suneil Karod and Thomas Kala worked behind the bench.  Goaltending coach Bill Morrison accompanied Van Helvoirt in the gondola.

COUGARS TO FACE GLACIER KINGS IN PRE-SEASON ACTION

By Peter Kung

(ISN) — The Victoria Cougars will open their 2010-11 pre-season slate on Thursday, August 19 when they host the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.

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

Thursday’s game marks the first of three pre-season games for the Cougars.

Prior to its home opener against the Peninsula Panthers on Thursday, September 9, Victoria will conclude the 2010-11 pre-season with a home and home series against the Westshore Stingers.  The Cougars will travel to Westshore on Monday, August 30 before entertaining the Stingers back at the A.B.S.C. on Thursday, September 2.

COUGARS KNOCKED OUT, PANTHERS TAKE ON COMOX

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars season came to an end Friday following a 3-1 loss to the Peninsula Panthers in Game 7 of their second round playoff series.

 

For goaltender Max Pelzner and forwards Tommy Kala, Anthony Hordyk, Jimmy Carter, and Wade Masch, it was their final game of junior eligibility.

 

Peninsula, which won the South Island Division title for the first time in six years, won the best-of-7 series 4-3 and will now face the Comox Valley Glacier Kings in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League final.

Craig Eisenhut, who split time between the Westside Warriors, Powell River Kings, and Williams Lake Timberwolves at the start of the season, gave the hometown Panthers a two goal lead a quarter of the way through the second period. Tanner Carter made it 3-0 five minutes later.

Not quitting, J. Carter would get one of those goals back in the final stanza but that would be as close Victoria would get.

The Cougars squandered a golden opportunity in the first period when Evan Campbell and Kurtis Rumenovich were penalized one minute and 17-seconds apart. With a two man advantage for 43 seconds, Victoria was held to without a shot on goal.

In the second period, Peninsula came out firing on all cylinders, outshooting the Cougars 19-6.

Directly off the faceoff, Eisenhut scored from Max McCloy at 2:03. Then at 5:06, on a power play, Eisenhut ripped a shot from the half wall that beat Pelzner upstairs. Assisting on Eisenhut’s fifth goal of the playoffs were David Courtney and Tyrell

 

Turgeon.

Watching the proceedings from the sin bin was J. Carter, who was off for hooking.

One second after Trevor McNeil stepped out of the penalty box, T. Carter backhanded the puck behind Pelzner at 10:21. McCloy, who played last season with Kerry Park, picked up his second helper of the game.

Courtney put Victoria on a four minute power play early in the third period when he was assessed a double minor for high-sticking. The Cougars got on the board at 3:08 when J. Carter sidestepped a couple of fallen Panther players before roofing a snap shot over Brady Berisoff for his sixth playoff goal.

Then on the second half of Courtney’s penalty, Victoria came oh so close only to have Berisoff slam the door.

Untimely penalties to J. Carter at 17:56, Scott Mellett at 18:56, and Justin Sotkowy at 19:10, dashed any hopes of a Cougar comeback and fourth straight South Island Division title.

Pelzner stopped 15 shots in the first period, 16 in the second, and nine in the third for a game total of 40 saves. Berisoff made a total of 25 saves which included stopping 11 shots in the first, six in the second, and eight in the third.

Victoria went 1-for-4 on the power play while going 7-for-8 on the penalty kill.

The Panthers won five of six games against Comox Valley during the regular season.

THREE STARS: Not announced

 

 

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.

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