What a difference a week makes.
Seven days ago the Generals were riding a season-high six-game win streak and looked to be back on solid footing, but then came last Saturday’s weak-looking loss on home ice to the North Division’s last place Storm, followed by Wednesday night’s 8-2 drubbing at the hands of the Glacier Kings in Comox.
Comox took a cross-checking penalty three seconds into that game, and James Sneddon made them pay with a power play marker at the 31 second mark for an early 1-0 Oceanside lead.
Comox struck for two goals in two minutes midway through the opening frame for a 2-1 lead which is how it stood at the first intermission, and they never looked back, scoring two unanswered goals in the second for a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes then torched the Generals for three more power play markers (five straight) to go up 7-1 at the midway point of the third.
Riel Gibson got one to go at 13:57 and Comox closed the lid with one more at 15:19.
The Generals were outshot 43-19 and was 1-for-9 on the power play; Comox 5-for-9.
How did such a promising start to a game unravel so quickly?
Comox took three penalties in the first period, Oceanside two.
In the second, the Generals took four penalties to the Kings two, and in the third Oceanside took seven penalties, Comox took eight.
After last week’s 4-3 loss to Campbell River, Gens’ head coach and GM made it clear then how he felt about players taking selfish penalties, but there they are on the game sheet: the Generals were given the gate twice for slashing that game, as well as hooking, roughing after the whistle, more roughing, a game misconduct, some elbowing.
ON THE UPSIDE, Generals rookie Michael Fretz, dubbed Fretzky by his teammates, was named the VIJHL’s Player of the Week this week.
Fretz, who had two goals and two helpers in the Generals two games last week, has amassed 13 points in his last seven games, which puts him at the top of the leader-board for scoring in the North Division with 22 goals in 29 games.
Shifty and fast with a nose for the net, the 5’9” 160 pound left shooting forward also scored his first BCHL goal (on his first BCHL shot) as an affiliate call-up with the Nanaimo Clippers Dec. 9 in a win over Surrey.
“I’ve never been more excited about a goal,” he said of the memorable marker.
From Snahomish, Washington, Fretz has been playing since he was four, and will be the belated birthday boy when he takes to the ice at Oceanside Place Saturday night as he turns 18 on Friday.
On the harder question, about the two recent losses, Fretz was candid in his assessment.
“We were not prepared at all to play those teams. We went in thinking we were just going to kill’em and they surprised us. They just outworked us.”
Asked how he would grade the team up to the Christmas break, Fretz paused, then replied “probably a B-minus.”
GAME ON: The 13-16-2 Generals are home at Oceanside Place Saturday night to take on the North Division leading Nanaimo Buccaneers (16-13-2).
