Kevin Underhill
The Victoria Cougars continued their dominance of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League last weekend with a 7-3 victory over the Kerry Park Islanders, extending their winning streak to 16 games.
Since their Oct. 24 loss to the Comox Valley Glacier Kings, the Cougars have been perfect. They have outscored their opponents 100 to 21 during their streak and lead the league with 53 points—an accomplishment head coach Mark Van Helvoirt said the team appreciates but doesn’t dwell on.
“We try not to judge ourselves on wins and losses,” he said. “We are critical of ourselves and even in the games we’ve won, we have been inconsistent at times.”
Nathan Looysen, Cody Hodges and Dom Kolbeins lead the team in scoring, averaging over two points per game during the 2015 campaign. But Van Helvoirt said the reason the team has found success is because of contributions from their whole lineup.
“Everyone has been very committed to the team and understanding their role,” he said. It hasn’t been just the guys putting the puck in the net, it’s about defense, goaltending and special teams too.”
The Victoria Cougars will host the Cyclone Taylor Cup in the spring. The Cougars, with Van Helvoirt at the helm, won the Cyclone Taylor Cup in 2007 and he is looking forward to the chance of winning on home ice.
“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but as hosts, we know where we’ll be in April and we want to compete for a championship,” he said. “We aren’t wasting any days, we are keeping the focus on constantly improving.”
The Cougars play Friday night on the road against the Campbell River Storm. No matter the result, they will enter the holiday break on a high note and take the ice again on Jan. 3.
