Heading into the final stretch the first-place Panthers are prepared for a duel with the Cougars.
Ending up in first, however, is secondary to the team’s performance, said first year head coach Geoff Grimwood.
“First is nice to show that the guys are doing well, and with just 12 games left, that’s not a lot. Realistically, we’re going to be separated from Victoria by no more than one point to the end.”
While credit is due to D-men David Courtney, Josh Bloomenthal, Michael Scarborough and Josh Bryan, Peninsula goaltending is tops in the league. For the second year straight year the Panthers are sending both goalies to the All-Star game.
Starter Brady Berissoff and backup Lukas Simpson are one-two in goals against, averaging 1.96 and 2.13 per game, and second and third in save percentage, 92.75 and 92.51.
It’s a flattering statistic for the first-place team in the VIJHL. But defence was never the rookie coach’s worry.
“With the team I took over, we had to find a few goal scorers.” The Panthers lost last year’s top scorer, Dan Bell (78 points) to graduation and, the team’s second best scorer, Greg Simpson (64 points) to the Victoria Grizzlies. Enter Tyrell Turgeon (47 points, 30 games), Evan Campbell (47 points, 33 games), Gerry Fitzgerald (39 points, 20 games) and Brent Lucente (33 points, 20 games).
The top line of Fitzgerald, Campbell and Lucente often play together and, if healthy, Turgeon pairs with Max McCloy.
“Not a lot of 16-year-olds in the league are given the responsibilities that we put on Fitzgerald (or) defenceman Josh Bryan (for that matter),” Grimwood said. Bryan, like Fitzgerald, is headed to the prospects game on Jan. 24 for handling a large role as a rookie.
PROSPECTS GAME: G. Fitzgerald, J. Bloomenthal, Kurtis Rumenovich, Josh Bryan. ALL-STARS: E. Campbell, T. Turgeon, B. Lucente, Michael Scarborough, David Courtney, B. Berisoff, L. Simpson.
