The Kerry Park Islanders are getting set to take another shot at the Victoria Cougars.
The Isles haven't beaten the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League powerhouse since Mark Osmond bought the team in late 2013, but they remain focused on knocking them off.
With the team paying tribute to Nick Collins, the minor hockey goalie who died in November 2007, this Saturday is as good a time as any.
"Maybe we'll get the monkey off our back this time," Osmond said. "The guys will have to battle 60 minutes to beat Victoria."
The Isles snapped a four-game losing streak last Sunday with a 6-4 win over the Oceanside Generals.
Kerry Park led 2-1 after the first period on goals by Tanner Browne and Keenan Eddy. The Generals went on a three-goal tear in the second frame, but the Isles responded as Cross scored a powerplay marker late in the second before Matt Osmond had two and Abe Lamontagne had one in an all-Kerry Park third period. Goalie Leighton Williams earned the win by stopping 32 of 36 shots.
In the week leading up to that game, the Isles lost 5-2 to the Westshore Wolves on Nov. 11, 4-3 to the Peninsula Panthers on Nov. 14, and 4-0 to the Campbell River Storm on Nov. 15.
After scoring once in the first period, the Wolves added four more in the second, interrupted by Nick Kean's goal. Zack Smith potted a powerplay marker in the third, but that was as close as the Isles would get. Ty Rennie stopped 29 of 34 shots.
Braeden Cross scored the lone goal of the first period against Peninsula, and the Panthers had the only goal of the second. Ryan Paisley scored on the powerplay and Smith scored shorthanded as the teams traded a pair of goals in the third, but Peninsula ended it 34 seconds into the second overtime.
Williams had a stellar outing with 58 saves on 62 shots, a remarkable total even given the two overtime periods.
Back at home on Saturday, the Isles were shut down by the Storm, who scored two goals in the first and two in the second. Rennie made 39 saves on 43 shots.
The Isles lone game this weekend will be against the Cougars, at home at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.