The Save-On-Foods Oceanside Generals are looking to get back into the win column as they head to Nanaimo to square off with the Buccaneers for the second time ion less than a week.
The two teams met Saturday night and there was a lot of business left unsettled at the end of the game, thanks to a vicious hit on the Generals’ Cory Burnett, a hit that was missed by referee Jarrett Taylor and ended up sending Burnett to the hospital with a swollen neck and a concussion.
Generals defenceman Liam Peel, a 17-year-old out of Qualicum Beach, is anticipating a heated rematch between the two teams.
“We are looking forward to stepping out on the ice against them for obvious reasons. Of course we are looking to get the win, but there is definitely some unfinished business there, too,” said Peel.
Oceanside will get some help up front with Brodie Smith returning to the lineup this week after a call-up to the Junior A Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BCHL. Smith, a 16-year-old from Parksville, has seven goals to go along with 11 assists in 27 games with the Generals this season.
Smith said he had nothing but a positive experience in Cowichan and is looking forward to stepping back onto the ice with the club after his call up last weekend.
“It was nice, I felt like they welcomed me right in and it was a good group of guys to play with. Obviously, I like the group we’ve got here too and hopefully we can get a couple more wins and get it going here. I’m ready to get out there and go hard after playing up. It’s a faster pace (in the BCHL) so hopefully I can bring a bit of that this week,” Smith said.
Coach Dan Lemmon will be back at the helm Thursday night after being thrown out of Saturday’s game for having a few choice words towards referee Taylor, who never called a penalty on the hit that knocked out Burnett.
“Obviously emotions are going to be running high on Thursday. One thing I’m going to tell the boys is to keep an even keel. We don’t want to get too high or too low and let things slip away from us. Not getting too emotionally involved in a game is important, especially against Nanaimo on Thursday. We’re going to be looking to get those two points and we’ll be making sure we are finishing every check we can, too,” said Lemmon.
The Generals will be searching for their second win on the road this Thursday and they will be in tough against a Nanaimo team that sits tied for first place in the Vancouver Island Hockey League North Division.
Saturday night the Generals are back at home to face the team tied with Nanaimo for first place, the Campbell River Storm. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at Oceanside Place.
