Light on numbers, the intermediate B Cowichan Valley Thunder called on four midget callups for their game against Juan de Fuca at the Q Centre last Saturday afternoon, but the presence of the younger players did nothing to slow the Thunder down.
Brody Black, Brayden Zunti, Olin Webb and Dawson Webb helped boost the Cowichan lineup, and all made big contributions to the Thunder’s decisive 18-4 victory. Black scored three goals and added two assists and Zunti had a pair of helpers, while Olin Webb potted his first intermediate goal in his first-ever game at that level.
"We try to keep the game ball because it’s their first senior goal," Cowichan coach Lorne Winship noted. "They all fit in well. I was pleased."
Cowichan held a slight 3-1 edge after the first period, then exploded in the second to make it 10-3 and continued to dominate play in the third.
"It kind of went the way I thought it would go," Winship said. "It felt like they were going to run out of gas. We were a little bit stronger than they were in terms of numbers and talent."
Mat Jung led the Cowichan attack with three goals and six assists, while James Taylor had four goals and one helper, and Colin Winship had five assists. Kyle Page scored a hat trick and added two assists, Clayton Vickers had two goals and set up another, Liam Clinging had a goal and three assists, and Jacob Taylor had one goal and one helper.
Blowout victories, while they’re good for the individual statistics, aren’t beneficial to the team in the long run, Winship noted.
"You don’t learn as much as you could when you win by that much," he said.
The Thunder can expect to see a lot of Juan de Fuca in the coming weeks. The teams meet again this Friday at the Island Savings Centre at 7:30 p.m. before the Thunder play their final regular season game on the road against Oceanside on Saturday. Saanich folded last weekend and Oceanside opted not to enter the playoffs, leaving just Cowichan and JDF to contend for the Island championship and a berth in the provincial championships in Langley on July 31-Aug. 3. "I’d be surprised if it’s not us," Winship said. "But Juan de Fuca does have some strong players if they all show up."
