The playoff-bound Kerry Park Islanders continued the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League season last week with a win and a loss against South Island rivals.
Last Wednesday, the day after the Isles clinched a postseason berth by beating the Lake Cowichan Kraken 3-2 at Kerry Park Arena, they travelled south to the Q Centre, where they lost 4-3 to the Westshore Wolves.
The Wolves scored the lone goal of the first period, then went up 2-0 in the second before Logan Walker’s shorthanded goal got the Isles on the board.
A powerplay goal in the last second of the period restored the Wolves’ two-goal edge, which they increased to three goals with another powerplay goal early in the third.
Matt Baird and Brady Estabrook scored to make it close again for Kerry Park, but they couldn’t close the gap.
Dryden DeMelo made 39 saves as the Isles were outshot 43-35.
Back at home last Saturday, the Isles topped the league’s best offensive squad, the Peninsula Panthers, 6-4 in their last regular-season game at Kerry Park.
Walker led the way with two goals and one assist, and Baird and Jackson Egan each had one goal and a helper.
Reid Fitzpatrick and Carson Strom had the other goals, while Mateo Sjoberg and Matt Kerr each had two assists, Kerr matching his total offensive output from the first 38 games he played this season.
Eric Young made 29 saves as both teams registered 33 shots.
The Isles will wrap up the regular season this Friday with a rematch against Peninsula at Panorama.
Kerry Park will open the playoffs against the South Division champion Victoria Cougars.