A transportation issue last Friday may have been the only thing that stood between the Kerry Park Islanders and a perfect weekend.
The Islanders’ bus broke down on their way to Campbell River, and the team got to Rod Brind’Amour Arena just 20 minutes before warmup. That resulted in a rough opening period for the Isles, which led to a 5-4 loss at the hands of the Storm.
“We had a slow start and took a couple of bad penalties, but we found a way to stay in the game,” head coach Aaron Spotts said. “We could have packed it in when they were up 4-2.”
Refusing to give up, the Isles came back to tie it 4-4 on a goal by Graham Winship with three and a half minutes left to play. Unfortunately, they gave up the winning goal with 29 seconds remaining in regulation.
Special teams made a huge difference in the game as the Storm, who won the Western Canadian junior B championship last year and currently sit second in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League standings, scored four of their five goals on the powerplay, while the Islanders scored just once with the man advantage.
“They’re obviously a very good team,” Spotts said. “It shows our guys that we can compete with the best in the league. We showed ourselves we can compete with the team that won the Keystone Cup last year. Overall, we’ve been playing some pretty good hockey lately.”
Winship and Tait Aptakin both finished the game with a goal and an assist, and Caleb Franklin and Keenan Eddy also scored, while goalie Chase Anderson made 33 saves on 38 shots.
Back at Kerry Park Arena the next night, the Isles doubled up the Oceanside Generals 6-3, although Spotts didn’t feel his team put forth its best effort.
“We came back, and I think the guys were still tired from the bus trip,” the coach said. “I don’t think we played our strongest game of the last month, but we found a way to win, so I guess that’s a positive sign, too.”
Franklin had his first two-goal game in junior B, and Ty Berger scored his first career goal. Winship and Kyle Green each had a goal and an assist, while Corey Peterson also scored, and Aptakin had two helpers. Between the pipes, Ty Rennie stopped 39 of 42 Oceanside shots.
With nine games left in the regular season, the Isles sit second in the South Division standings, right where they hoped to end up. Both the Islanders and Peninsula Panthers have 41 points, but the Isles have accumulated theirs in 39 games, while the Panthers have played 41 contests.
The Isles play a pair of road games this weekend, visiting the Saanich Braves Friday and Comox Valley Glacier Kings Saturday.