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Paisley paces Isles to two in a row

Ryan Paisley had a weekend to remember for the Kerry Park Islanders.
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Islanders alternate captain Kyle Green skates past Nick Collins’s No. 30 on the Kerry Park Arena glass last Saturday night after scoring his team’s fourth goal of the night.

Ryan Paisley had a weekend to remember for the Kerry Park Islanders.

The veteran forward scored five goals over two games last Friday and Saturday, including a double-overtime winner against the Oceanside Generals on Friday.

Paisley’s offensive outburst couldn’t have come at a better time as the Isles were playing without forwards Keenan Eddy, who was called up to from the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League to the junior A Cowichan Valley Capitals, and Corey Peterson, who had a family commitment

“Having two of our top scorers out made it a little tougher for us,” Islanders owner Mark Osmond said.

Paisley scored both goals on Friday as the Isles edged the Generals 2-1.

The game was slow to develop, and the Isles lost Ty Berger to an injury in the first period. Things were scoreless until the third period, when Paisley scored his first of the game on a powerplay less than two minutes into the frame. The Generals managed to tie it midway through the period, and the game went to overtime, then a second overtime, before Paisley was able to decide it.

The net came off just after Paisley potted the winner, but the Kerry Park coaches made sure their players got off the ice before the officials could question the validity of the goal. The team had, after all, had two goals called back earlier on. Chase Anderson earned the win in goal, stopping 24 of 25 shots.

Paisley added three more goals on Saturday as Kerry Park beat the Westshore Wolves 6-4 in the annual Nick Collins Memorial Game.

“The boys found a little extra,” Osmond said. “It was an exciting game. Both teams played well.”

The score was knotted at 2-2 after two periods, with Paisley scoring both goals for Kerry Park. The lead changed hands repeatedly in the third. Kyle Green gave the Isles a 4-3 lead with three and a half minutes left, but the Wolves managed to tie it with just under two minutes remaining. Finally, David Bittner scored the eventual game-winner with a minute and 20 seconds left, and Paisley completed his hat trick with an empty-netter.

Zack Smith had a goal and an assist for the Isles, while Lynden Eddy had two assists, as did Graham Winship, a new signing playing his first game for the Islanders suiting up for a pair as an affiliate in the 2012/13 season. Ty Rennie made 36 saves for the win.

The back-to-back victories came on the heels of yet another loss to the Victoria Cougars on Thursday. Thinking he might be jinxing the club, Osmond opted not to travel to Victoria, but the Isles still lost 7-0. The Cougars, who hadn’t played since an 8-0 win over the Isles seven days earlier, scored four of their seven goals on the powerplay.

“The coaches said our guys played not a bad game,” Osmond said. “But when you come up against that, its tough for us.”

Just past the halfway mark of the 48-game season, the Isles are just over .500 with a 12-12-1 record and sit in the middle of the South Division pack. This weekend, they will face the two teams below them in the division standings, with a chance to put some more distance between themselves and the Peninsula Panthers and Saanich Braves. The Isles visit Peninsula Friday, and are home against Saanich Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

 



Kevin Rothbauer

About the Author: Kevin Rothbauer

Kevin Rothbauer is the sports reporter for the Cowichan Valley Citizen
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