Big Storm too much to handle for Panthers

The bad news is the Campbell River Storm dispatched of the Peninsula Panthers by a 6-2 count on Friday night in VIJHL action in the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre.  The good news is the Panthers do not have to wait long to avenge the loss as they travel to Campbell River on Sunday afternoon for the back end of the home-and-home weekend series. 

It was a windy, nasty afternoon yesterday as the Panthers jumped on a bus and headed to the Hub City to play the Nanaimo Buccaneers last night.  The trip was a bit longer than usual with trees down, power out along the highway making traffic come to a standstill at times however, the Club managed to get to the rink on time and played in a spirited affair.  Once the game ended the post-game rituals were completed and as the players boarded the bus, the smell of piping-hot pizza was to follow.  The winds had died down and the highway was back to normal and for all intents and purposes, the weather that they had witnessed on the way up was long in the rear view mirror.

Fast forward 24 hours and although it was still quite calm outside, there was a Storm that was brewing inside the Recreation Centre.  But this one was in the form of the Campbell River Storm.  If one turned back the clock only three weeks, it was the same Storm hockey Club that was the opponent when the puck was dropped at centre ice shortly after 7:30 pm.  And at the end of the night, a gritty and spirited effort by the Peninsula Panthers resulted in the home Club walking away with a hard-fought 3-2 win.

But this Friday would not have the same result and it was evident from the opening faceoff that the Storm had blown into town intent on coming out on top.  The Storm had several scoring chances on Panthers' netminder Alex Olson but it was an elbowing penalty to the hard-working Koby Hale at the 9:14 mark that gave the Storm their first real opportunity of the evening.  And it took only 36 seconds after Hale was sent to the sin bin for the Storm to make him and his teammates pay dearly.  Nathan Browne and Dane Feeney set up Gage Colpron at the 9:50 mark to break the scoreless tie and put the visitors up.  But at the 13:35 mark and at the end of the shift, Kai Turner dumped the puck deep into the Campbell River end to get a change.  Cody Allison hustled in after the disk and he somehow managed to find it before depositing it past the startled Joey Karrer between the pipes for the Storm.  Less than two minutes later the Storm would regain the lead.  After a faceoff win the puck drifted back to Trevor Bottomley at the point for the Storm.  He took the puck off the wall at the left point, dragged it to the middle and let a lazer go that beat a screened Olson cleanly.  There would be no more scoring in the period.

It was all Storm in the 2nd frame as they scored the only two markers to give them a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes were in the books.  Grady McInnes on the powerplay at the 5:34 mark and Michael Olson four minutes later gave the visitors a commanding lead and one that the Panthers would not be able to erase.

It was the Storms speedy Zack Sanderson on the powerplay once agin at the 12:57 mark of the 3rd stanza who would give the Storm a 5-1 lead and three minutes later Tyler Welsh added another.  Nathan Looysen on helpers from Braeden Pearce and Brett Sjerven scored late in the game to give the home squad something to cheer about late however, by that point it was simply too little, too late.

"I actually thought we were going to play a great game," explained Pete Zubersky.  " Most of the kids had a great warmup and seemed to be jumping out there.  But when the puck was dropped we were not ready, and the Campbell River Storm were.  I give them full marks for the win.  They outworked us and we went to the box too many times.  We have talked about that aspect of the game a lot as of late and we have fixed this issue but tonight it slipped and they scored three powerplay goals.  Can't do it."

The Panthers do not have to wait long as they will be in Campbell River on Sunday for a 4:00 pm start.  The Club will be back at home on Friday night when they play host to the Kerry Park Islanders for a 7:30 pm start.