After a tough loss on Friday night against the Comox Valley Glacier Kings, the Save–On–Foods Oceanside Generals snapped their winless streak, beating the previously unbeaten Westshore Wolves 4–3 on Saturday night.
The Generals dropped their Friday night tilt in Comox 6–1. Goaltender Austin Caktas got his first start in that game, a few days after turning 17. Caktas and the Generals were under fire all night and, had it not been for Caktas’ play, it could have been a lot worse.
Jarrett Weme, from Parksville, scored his first of the season, the only goal for the Gens on Friday.
“Austin had a great game for us on Friday, he stood on his head and faced a lot of rubber,” head coach Jason Johns said. “The chemistry is coming. We’ve had two games now with our roster and stumbling out of the gates like we did, we’re starting to show what we can do with the full roster.”
Saturday was a different story. The Gens came out strong from the opening faceoff, with Wyatt Meiers, assists to Jonah Pearson and Mathieu Jallabert, getting the ball rolling for the offense, scoring his first VIJHL goal for the Generals on the power play in the first period. The Gens had a lot of time on the power play in the first, managing to capitalize once on six tries.
The second period saw a reversal, as the Generals found themselves down a man on the penalty kill often. Westshore managed to tie it up just before the halfway point in the second. With the game tied at 1–1, Pearson sent PJ Heger in on a partial breakaway, as Heger skated hard to track down the pass, drove to the net and shoveled it past the Wolves goaltender, shorthanded, to give the Gens a 2–1 lead going to the third.
“It felt good to get the first one, real good,” Heger said. “I didn’t think I’d get to the pass but when I got the puck and took it to the net, I knew I had a chance. I didn’t see it go in at first but you’ll take it anyway you can get it.”
Building off that late goal in the second, the Gens would add two more to kick off the third as Logan Savard, from Jacob Longmore and Bruyckere (second assist of the night) put one home three and a half minutes in. Local player Weme would add another goal just two minutes later, his second of the season, as he found the loose puck and put it home for what turned out to be the game winner.
“It was a lucky one, for sure,” Weme said. “The puck came right to me and I was able to put it home, so it’s good. Feels good, getting one for the boys, no matter what, it always feels good.”
The Gens are back in action this weekend in Campbell River to face the Storm on Friday, then host the Buccaneers on Saturday and face the Kerry Park Islanders in Mill Bay Sunday.
