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Lake Cowichan Kraken end road swing with offensive explosion

Next home game Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m. against Saanich
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The Lake Cowichan Kraken’s Kyler Smith pushes the puck up the ice. Smith had a goal and two assists in the Kraken’s last three games. (Todd Blumel photo)

The Lake Cowichan Kraken took to the road for a three-game set last week, first visiting the Westshore Wolves at the Q Centre Wednesday, Jan. 25.

Westshore won the contest 4-1. Kraken captain Sukhraj Narwal got the lone goal for the team at 12:27 of the second with assists to Brayden Ganter and Kyler Smith. Brendon Wilson faced 40 shots on the night in the loss.

Panorama Recreation Centre was the next stop, Jan. 27, as Lake Cowichan played the Peninsula Panthers. Rylan Hildebrand scored at 2:36 of the opening frame to give the Kraken the one goal advantage but Peninsula replied about five minutes later to end the period knotted at one apiece.

Peninsula scored 88 seconds into the second period to take the lead but Nick Moore, who had assisted on the Kraken’s first goal, took a Richard Bergman pass and tied the game up just 11 seconds after that. There were no other goals in the period and the teams went into the third period tied at two.

It took just 78 seconds after the puck dropped to begin the third period for the final, and game-winning goal to be scored. It was a short-handed marker off the stick of a Panther however, giving Peninsula the 3-2 victory. Sean Walia took the loss in net for the Kraken, despite stopping 38 of 41 shots faced.

Losers of their last six games, the Kraken looked to rally against the Comox Valley Glacier Kings on a Saturday, Jan. 28, evening game at the Comox Valley Sports Centre.

Comox had the edge, winning three of their four previous matchups this season, but the Kraken were looking to rally for a win.

It took a Comox hooking penalty to open the scoring late in the first. With just 16 seconds remaining on the man-advantage Smith converted an Evan Vasarhely and Anthony Wilson play to put the Kraken on the board first.

Comox responded with less than a minute to play in the period and the teams went into the intermission with a 1-1 score.

The scoring floodgates opened for the Kraken 38 seconds into the second period and didn’t close for the rest of the game.

First, Hildebrand and Ayden Baldo fed Moore for his second of the year. Nine minutes later Anthony Wilson scored from Smith on the power play. A couple minutes after that it was Aiden Eddy’s turn, scoring his 15th off a Narwal-Billings play.

Narwal ended the scoring drive with his 22nd of the season. Eddy picked up the helper on the goal. The four-goal explosion put Lake Cowichan up 5-1 after two.

Eddy scored from Narwal at 2:12 of the final frame, followed by Billings from Narwal at 10:19 to wrap up the game with a convincing 7-1 victory and throwing the monkey off the back of the hard-working Kraken.

Walia played all 60 minutes between the pipes for Lake Cowichan, stopping 39 of 40 shots for his third win of the season.

It was a great way to end January. The first of seven February games will be played against the Storm on Feb. 3 at Rod Brind’Amour Arena in Campbell River. The Kraken return home Feb. 5 to face the Saanich Predators. The puck drops at 5:30 p.m.



Sarah Simpson

About the Author: Sarah Simpson

I started my time with Black Press Media as an intern, before joining the Citizen in the summer of 2004.
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