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.

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.

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.

 

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

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.

COUGARS MAUL BRAVES

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars padded their lead in the South Island Division with a 6-3 victory over the Saanich Braves on Thursday night.

Tommy Kala scored once and added three assists as Victoria (34-4-7) moved three points ahead of the idle Peninsula Panthers.

The Cougars have three games remaining in the regular season while Peninsula has four left to play.

For the third time in its last four games, Victoria allowed its opposition to score first. But unlike the previous two times which resulted in losses, the Cougars used a four goal second period to bury their prey.

Trailing 1-0, Sam Rice pulled Victoria even at 1:19. Standing in front of the net, the six-foot-one, 175-pound rookie netted his 18th goal of the season after he banged home a Kala rebound behind goaltender Ben Kantor.

The Cougars took the lead at 2:46 when Trevor McNeil converted a Chris Savage rebound into a goal.

Penalties to Justin Sotkowy and Braves’ Sam Waterfield and Ryan Smith left the two teams playing four-on-four.

With a lot more space to maneuver and to work his magic, Kala became the second player this year to hit the 30 goal mark. Kala, who scored at 14:14, now leads Karl Hagg of the Campbell River Storm by five points.

Hagg, who sits second in league scoring, has 33 goals and 36 assists for 69 points.

Still playing four aside, Brandan Smith redirected a Kala pass at 15:04 to give the Cougars a commanding three goal lead after two periods.

So it seemed.

Trying to duplicate what the Campbell River Storm did to them in their last game; Saanich (26-16-2) orchestrated a valiant comeback only to fall short. Last Sunday, the Storm scored four unanswered third period goals en route to a 7-6 victory.

It took only 38 seconds into the final frame for Trevor Yee to cut the lead in half. After taking an outlet pass from Ryan Komori, Ryan Toporowski sped up ice, fed a cross ice pass over to the Braves’ leading scorer who twinkled the twine for the 16th time this season.

R. Smith, who interfered with Jesse Grieve at 5:24, gave the Cougars a much needed powerplay. But for the second time in three games, Victoria allowed a shorthanded goal. Komori, from his off wing, centered the puck over to Jordan Game who knew exactly what to do with it.

Having cut the deficit to 4-3, Saanich ran into penalty trouble when R. Smith was assessed a slashing penalty at 10:36. Then at 11:24, Travis Stephens tripped Jimmy Carter to put the Braves down two men for one minute and 12-seconds.

14 seconds later, Wyatt restored the Cougars two goal advantage at 11:39. And with Kantor pulled for an extra attacker late in the game, Wyatt would score into the empty net with 28.5 seconds remaining.

Wade Murphy opened the scoring off a Victoria turnover with the only goal of the first period. After stopping Stephens, goaltender Max Pelzner could not stop Murphy from scoring his 15th goal of the season.

The Cougars outshot Saanich 8-2 in the opening period, 14-7 in the second, and 9-8 in the third for a game total of 31-17.

The powerplay was virtually non-existent for both teams. Victoria went 1-for-8 while the Braves went 0-for-3.

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

NEXT AWAY GAME: Victoria Cougars at Saanich Braves on Friday, February 12. Game time at the Pearkes Recreation Centre, located at 3100 Tillicum Road, is 6:30 p.m.

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.

 

 

DESJARDINS TO ICE A LOONIE

By Peter Kung

Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins will bury a loonie at centre ice prior to the opening face-off at Thursday night’s game between the Victoria Cougars and Saanich Braves, in support of the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Olympic

 

hockey teams

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

With only four games remaining before the start of the post-season, Victoria looks to widen its narrow lead over the Peninsula Panthers.

The Cougars (33-4-7) currently cling to a one point lead over Peninsula for top spot in the South Island Division.  The team which finishes in second place will meet the Braves in the opening round of the playoffs.

Following Thursday’s game against Saanich, Victoria will complete its home-and-home series with the Braves on Friday.  Then the following week, the Cougars will host the Oceanside Generals before concluding the regular season in Peninsula.

After back-to-back losses to the Kerry Park Islanders and Panthers, Victoria bounced back with a 4-1 victory over the Comox Valley Glacier Kings last Saturday.

Chris Savage, Sam Rice, Josh Wyatt, and Tommy Kala, with his team leading 29th goal and 70th point, scored for the Cougars.  Goaltender Zach Wear, who improved to 10-0-2, made 17 saves.

After averaging just over 16 wins in its previous three seasons, Saanich (26-15-2) is on pace to break its record of 29 wins set back in 2005/06.  Mark Stinson, a 16-years-old rookie at the time, remembers that season well as he was part of that team which upset Victoria in the first round of the playoffs.

Four years later, the former Victoria Grizzlies, Nanaimo Clippers, and Cougars forward sits fourth in Braves scoring with 18 goals and 17 assists.  Stinson also leads the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League with 195 penalty minutes.

Saanich hit a snag this last weekend, dropping both games of a home-and-home series to the Campbell River Storm.  Following a 2-1 loss at home last Friday, the Braves went into Campbell River on Sunday and were defeated 7-6 on two late shorthanded goals by the Storm.

With three games in three nights next week, Saanich will travel to Peninsula on Thursday, return home to face the Westshore Stingers on Friday, and then finish up the regular season in Kerry Park on Saturday.

STANDINGS:  Victoria – 1st place, 73 points, South Island Division.  Saanich – 3rd place, 54 points, South Island Division

TEAM LEADERS: Victoria – Tommy Kala, 29 goals; Tommy Kala, 41 assists; Tommy Kala, 70 points; Brandan Smith, 108 penalty minutes.  Saanich – Ty Jones, 24 goals; Trevor Yee, 35 assists; Trevor Yee, 50 points; Mark Stinson, 195 penalty minutes

SPECIAL TEAMS: Victoria – Power play: 26.5 percent (71-for-267), 2nd in VIJHL. Penalty kill: 84.0 percent (185-for-220), 2nd in VIJHL.  Saanich – Power play: 21.3 percent (48-for-225), 4th in VIJHL. Penalty kill: 83.7 percent (190-for-227), 3rd in VIJHL

GOALTENDERS: Victoria – Max Pelzner (2.52 goals against average; .902 save percentage), Zach Wear (2.92 goals against average; .874 save percentage).  Saanich – Tanner McGaw (3.03 goals against average; .918 save percentage), Ben Kantor (3.15 goals against average; .908 save percentage)

LAST TEN GAMES:  Victoria, 8-1-1.  Saanich, 6-4-0

SERIES:  Victoria leads, 5-0-1

PAST AND FUTURE MEETINGS:
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
Victoria @ Saanich                                         February 12, 2010

HOME/ROAD RECORDS:  Victoria, 15-4-3 at home.  Saanich, 13-7-1 on the road

 

GLACIER KINGS END COUGAR SLIDE

By Peter Kung

The Victoria Cougars ended a two game skid thanks to their powerplay.

Victoria scored three powerplay goals en route to a 4-1 victory over the Comox Valley Glacier Kings on Saturday night.

Tommy Kala scored at 6:10 for the only goal of the first period. Assisting on Kala’s 29th goal and league leading 70th point were Eric Guthrie and Chris Savage.

After a scoreless middle frame, Savage scored his 12th of the season, tying a career high, with an even strength goal at 1:10 of the third period. Guthrie and Trevor McNeil were credited with the helpers.

Sam Rice, with the lone assist going to McNeil, gave the visiting Cougars a 3-0 lead at 10:10.

Then at 12:18, Josh Wyatt beat goaltender Cam Large with his third goal in as many games. McNeil and Adam Steenbergen, who leads the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League amongst all defensemen in scoring with 43 points – assisted.

Zach Wear, brilliant in net for Victoria, lost his shutout bid with 1:47 remaining when Jack Kennelly lit the lamp. Assisting on Kennelly’s 20th goal of the season were Troy Rata and Chris Boyko.

The Cougars went 3-for-6 on the powerplay; meanwhile, Comox Valley went 0-for-4.

Wear, who improved to 10-0-2, turned aside 17-of-18 shots.

200 feet away, Large made 23-of-27 saves in his first start of the season.

With the win, Victoria (33-4-7) moved one point ahead of the Peninsula Panthers for top spot in the South Island Division. Both Victoria and Panthers have four games left to play which includes a Feb. 19 tilt in Peninsula.

The Glacier Kings (15-25-3), who lost for the seventh time in eight games, remained four points ahead of the last place Campbell River Storm in the North Island Division. Comox Valley and Storm hook up for an all important home-and-home series next weekend.

THREE STARS: Unavailable

NEXT HOME GAME: Saanich Braves at Victoria Cougars on Thursday, February 11. Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

NEXT AWAY GAME: Victoria Cougars at Saanich Braves on Friday, February 12. Game time at the Pearkes Recreation Centre, located at 3100 Tillicum Road, is 6:30 p.m.

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