After falling apart in the third period on Saturday, the Kerry Park Islanders responded well the next afternoon as they split a pair of home games last weekend.
The Isles lost 4-1 to the Comox Valley Glacier Kings on Saturday, then defeated the Oceanside Generals 6-3 on Sunday behind rookie Brandon Wilson’s first Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League hat trick.
“It was close for a period and a half, and then we pulled away,” Islanders owner Mark Osmond said of Sunday’s game. “The boys played 60 minutes. That made a difference.”
Wilson opened the scoring at 9:15 of the first. The Generals replied just over seven minutes later and the teams went to their dressing rooms knotted at 1-1. Wilson restored the Islanders’ lead at 3:43 of the second, but the Generals responded with two more to take the lead.
After Wilson completed the hat trick just after the 15-minute mark to even the score, Tanner Brown staked the Isles to the lead with two minutes left in the frame. The third period was all Kerry Park as Jarret Malloch scored a powerplay goal and Kayden Peck added an empty-netter.
Browne, Malloch and Peck all finished with a goal and an assist, while Caleb Franklin and Tanner Tiel each had two helpers. Goalie Rett Rook made 40 saves for the win.
A 19-year-old rookie who played his minor hockey at Juan de Fuca and has also played high-level inline hockey, Wilson had two goals prior to Sunday’s outburst, but has also compiled 11 assists so far and sits third in team scoring.
“He’s got a good offensive touch, and he proved that Sunday,” Osmond said. “He was in the right place at the right time. He’s been a good addition, a quiet leader.”
Scott Smith opened the scoring on Saturday with a shorthanded goal at 4:55 of the opening period, and the Isles’ held a 1-0 lead after two frames. The Glacier Kings scored four unanswered goals in the third, including a shorthanded effort of their own and two powerplay markers. Chase Anderson made 31 saves in the loss.
“I think we controlled the game for two periods,” Osmond said. “The big difference was special teams, for both teams. We couldn’t capitalize on the powerplay. That’s a team we should be beating.”
Kerry Park will face the top teams in both the North and South divisions this weekend. The Isles visit the Campbell River Storm on Friday, then host the Victoria Cougars on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.