Tyson Taylor
sports@pqbnews.com
It’s back to business this week for the Save-on-Foods Oceanside Generals. After a two week holiday break the Generals are back in action Friday against the Peninsula Panthers.
The Panthers sit in second place in the south division while the Gens are looking to gain some ground on the Saanich Braves for the final spot into the VIJHL playoffs.
Saanich holds a 12-point lead on the Generals heading into this weekend but the Gens are hoping they can make up some ground in the New Year.
“Yeah, the first half of the season was tough on everybody so it’s been good to recharge over the break here,” said Brodie Smith, 16 of Parksville.
“It would be good if we could have a fresh start, sort of like a mini season and try to have a winning record here would be nice,” he said.
With 15 games left in the season, it’s going to be a playoff atmosphere from here on out for the Generals, who will need some help to go along with winning some games if they’re to make up the ground they need to in order to reach the playoffs this year.
“We definitely have to have that mentality,” said Smith, who is second in scoring for the Generals this season. “We need to string some wins together here and get the ball rolling in order to make the playoffs. Every game is a big game and every one of them counts.”
Of the remaining 15 games, 11 of them will take place in January. It’s going to be a busy month but the team will be ready for the challenge.
“We don’t need to worry about the number of games we’ve got left. All we need to focus on is just working hard as a team and doing anything we can to win some games,” said Captain Travis Flug, 19 years old from Parksville.
“I think the more games we are playing (in a week) the better because it gives us more of a chance come together as a team and to build momentum.”
Momentum will be key for the Generals if they want to string together some wins. The Generals have eight games remaining at home, which sits well for them as they’ve struggled to find wins on the road this season. Coming out of the break, Flug hopes the Generals can keep making strides in the right direction.
“If we can continue to improve on our fore-checking, first and foremost, that’s when we’re going to have our best chances to be the most effective. Of course burying our scoring chances goes without saying but we need to make sure we can get that going too,” said Flug.
Catch the Friday game live on 88.5 The Beach with Dominic Abassi and Saturday night marks the return home for the Generals as they take on the Kerry Park Islanders. Puck drop is at 7:30 at Oceanside Place.
