The Port Moody Panthers are battling the Mission City Outlaws for the fourth place spot in the upcoming playoffs, so they came to Aldergrove Arena hungry, Wednesday, Jan. 22 and came away with the 3-2 overtime win they badly needed. The win puts the Panthers one point ahead of the Outlaws with 22 points just ahead of the game the two teams face Saturday night in Port Moody Arena.
Aldergrove came away with one point and still leads the Harold Brittain conference with 60 points (28-6-2-2), 14 head of the second place Abbotsford Pilots. The Kodiaks are also ahead of the Tom Shaw conference leading Richmond Sockeyes by three points, although the Sockeyes have three games in hand. The Kodiaks also host the Sockeyes in their next home game, Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Aldergrove Arena, puck drop at 7:15 p.m.
The Kodiaks were leading in the first period after Adam Callegari scored the period’s only goal at 12:29, assisted by Spencer Unger and Kodi Schwarz.
The Panthers were up 2-1 in the second with a power play goal by Wolfgang Schoenefuhs and another by James Jerczynski before Kodiak Stephen Ryan scored the tying goal at 17:46, assisted by Jeremy Lagler.
It was Ryan’s 36th goal of the season, which along with 37 assists in 38 games has Ryan well on top of the league’s scoring leader status with 73 points
A scoreless third period brought about the overtime, much of which Port Moody was on the power play, and Cole Wirch-Methorst potted the winner at 4:37.
The teams were even on shots on goal with 31 apiece. Kodiak keeper Tate Sproxton was the first star of the night for stopping 28 of those shots, while Ryan and Unger were second and third stars, respectively.
