Defenseman Bekkam Willis scored the game-winner at 9:12 of the second overtime Sunday as the Oceanside Generals snapped a four-game losing streak and claimed their first win of 2017, 6-5 over the visiting Comox Valley Glacier Kings.
Tanner Douglas made 40 saves for the win in goal as the Generals (10-24-1-1) were outshot 45-28 while allowing Comox 10 power-play opportunities. Despite that difference, Oceanside carried a 5-3 lead into the final 10 minutes of regulation before the Glacier Kings (18-14-1-4) rallied to force overtime in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League matchup at Oceanside Place.
Willis and fellow blueliner Bobby Jo Love each scored two goals in the win, and newcomer Blake McCulloch had his second goal in as many games since coming over from the Delta Ice Hawks at the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
The win in the see-saw game came in the second of back-to-back games between the teams. On Saturday night in Comox, the Glacier Kings broke open a tie game with three goals over the final eight minutes for a 5-2 victory.
In Sunday’s rematch, the Generals spotted Comox an early power-play goal at 4:17 of the opening period, but quickly knotted the score when Love found the net for his first goal 25 seconds later. Less than a minute after that, Oceanside grabbed its first lead of the see-saw game when McCulloch tallied off assists from Brandon Roberge and Brent Koch to make it 2-1.
Comox tied the game later in the period on the second of its three power-play goals, but Damian Dio and Love added second-period goals as the Gens took a 4-3 lead into the second intermission.
Willis opened the third period with the Generals’ lone power-play score in four tries, putting the hosts up 5-3 at 3:35. The Glacier Kings got one goal back on another power play, at 11:02, then tied it 5-5 at 15:21 on a score by former General Matteo Giomo.
The Generals are back in action Saturday evening at Oceanside Place Arena for a
7:30 p.m. league game against the Victoria Cougars.
Glacier Kings 5, Generals 2
Saturday’s game at the Comox Sports Centre was tie 2-2 midway through the third period, after McCulloch scored the team’s second power-play goal off an assist by Willis at 3:44.
But Liam Nijhoff of Comox snapped the tie with a goal at 11:57 of the period, and the Glacier Kings made it 4-2 on a Derick Smith goal with 1:20 remaining.
A late penalty left the Generals skating 5-on-5 with goaltender Douglas Tanner pulled in the final minute, and Comox got the final score on an empty-net, power-play goal with 33 seconds to play.
After a scoreless first period in which Oceanside outshot the hosts 11-9, Comox jumped ahead with two quick scores in the first five minutes of the second. But Douglas and the Gens defence recovered, and Mitch Cook scored unassisted on a power play at 15:14 of the period to make it 2-1 into the second intermission.
— NEWS Staff
