Cam Nickerson scored two goals and Matteo Giomo netted the game-winner midway through the third period as the Quality Foods Oceanside Generals topped the Westshore Wolves 5-4 to notch their first win of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League season Wednesday in Langford.
The Generals return home for a pair of games this weekend, hosting Saanich Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and facing off with the Comox Valley Glacier Kings Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Both games will be played at Oceanside Place Arena.
Nickerson’s two first-period goals sent the Generals (1-2-0-1) on their way to an early 3-0 lead in Wednesday’s see-saw game. After Westshore (2-1-0-0) charged back to tie it 3-3 on a pair of power-play goals late in the second period, Mitch Cook gave the Gens the lead for good with an unassisted goal in the opening minute of the third period.
Giomo then converted off an assist from David Smith at 8:53 of the third to make it 5-3.
The Wolves narrowed the deficit on a power-play goal — their third man-advantage score of the game — at 12:28, but were unable to crack winning goalie Brody Greggain despite pulling their own goaltender for an extra attacker over the final minute and a half.
Greggain, a rookie, stopped 26 of 30 shots for his first junior hockey win in his first start for the Generals.
The win avenged a 5-3 loss to Westshore four days earlier, in Oceanside’s home opener, while handing the Wolves their first loss of the young season.
In the teams’ first meeting, Gens captain Logan Savard was lost to an upper-body injury for an unspecified period.
The Generals continued their early season struggles on the power play, netting one goal in seven chances. Bekkam Willis scored on the power play in the opening minute of the second period to push Oceanside’s lead to 3-0 before Westshore rallied with three unanswered goals to close out the period.
Noah Fatur, Ethan Sundstrom, Josh Harvey and Brodie Smith each collected an assist in the win.
— NEWS Staff
