Since coming back from a short Christmas break, the Kerry Park Islanders have held two 3-0 leads over the Peninsula Panthers.
In one case, they were even able to make the lead stand up.
In the Isles’ first Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League game back after the break, and their last game of 2015 on Dec. 30, they scored three times in the first 14 minutes and eight seconds, then allowed six unanswered goals en route to a 6-3 defeat. Against the same team on Jan. 2, the Isles again potted the first three goals — two in the first period and one in the second — but they were able to avoid a collapse the second time around.
“In the third period, I was getting worried,” Islanders owner Mark Osmond admitted about the second game of the home-and-home series. “They were coming on pretty strong. But we held on, and it turned out pretty good.”
In the Dec. 30 game, the Isles’ lead began to fall apart thanks to a powerplay goal by the Panthers late in the first period and another with the man advantage early in the middle frame.
“After that, the momentum was theirs,” Osmond said. “Our guys rested too much on a three-goal lead.”
The Isles thought they had regained some of that momentum when they appeared to tie the score at 4-4 in the third period, but the goal was called back due to an apparent high stick.
Ryan Paisley and Keenan Eddy each had a goal and an assist in the loss on Dec. 30, and Tait Aptakin was responsible for the other Kerry Park goal. Aptakin also scored in the win, as did Graham Winship, Kyle Green and Tanner Tiel, while Tanner Browne and Zack Smith each had two helpers.
Ty Rennie got the start in goal on Dec. 30 and allowed five goals on 29 shots in the loss. Chase Anderson started on Jan. 2 and stopped 31 of 32 shots for the win.
In their last game before Christmas, the Isles played to a 6-3 win over the Westshore Wolves on Dec. 23. David Bittner led the attack with two goals, and rookie Parker Ellis had a goal and two assists. Winship, Caleb Franklin and Keenan Eddy each registered a goal and an assist, and Lynden Eddy and Ryan Paisley had two helpers apiece. Rennie earned the win with 19 saves on 22 shots.
Kerry Park is now in a three-way tie for second place in the South Division along with Westshore and Peninsula. The Isles have 13 games remaining, while the Wolves have 15 to go, and the Panthers have 12.
The VIJHL trade deadline is set for this Saturday, and Osmond hopes his team can add some grit without giving up anyone off the roster.
“We’d like to pick up a couple of players to round out our squad,” he said. “We’re not looking to move anybody. We’re happy with what we have, but we’d like to add to it if we can.”
The roster has also been announced for the VIJHL all-star game at Bear Mountain Arena on Jan. 17. The Isles will be represented there by forwards Paisley and Smith and defenceman Lynden Eddy, all 20-year-olds in their final year of junior eligibility. Paisley is having his best year offensively with 14 goals and a team-high 27 points through 35 games, and Smith is tied with Paisley for the team lead in goals. Eddy is the team’s top-scoring blueliner with 24 points, and is a steady leader on the back end.
Both Kerry Park goalies will appear in the game as well, as netminders were determined based on the save-percentage rankings as of Dec. 1, and both Anderson and Rennie were among the South Division’s best three goalies in that stat at the time.
The Isles have a couple of key divisional matchups this weekend as they visit the Saanich Braves on Friday, then play host to Westshore at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
