It’s playoff time, and generally speaking, the pressure’s on.
It’s not so much that Oceanside’s boys of Junior B hockey closed out their regular season over the weekend with back-to-back losses, it’s how they looked doing it that’s a concern to their coach heading into the second season.
Down Island against the second place Panthers on Friday, Oceanside outshot Peninsula 44-39 but lost 4-0.
At home the following night in what amounted to a mean nothing game against last place Saanich, the Braves came to play and carved out a 5-4 win.
Saturday saw one of the biggest crowds of the season on hand. Saanich came out hard against their hosts and levelled the first four shots on net but Cam McCarrick (Travis Flug, Dylan Moore) staked the Gens to a 1-0 lead at 8:49. At 10:34 one of the Braves ran Oceanside goalie Kolding Larson behind the net. There was no call, but D-man Josef Chase was given the gate for roughing after barely touching the Brave in retaliation. Saanich tied it up then took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission off back-to-back power play goals.
The Gens’ Curtis Toneff snapped at 10:45 of the 1st after taking a check to the head and given a 10 minute misconduct.
“It’s frustrating but it’s the reality,” Oceanside Save-on-Foods Generals’ head coach and GM Dave Johnston said when asked about the calls. “We just really try not to get caught up in it and stay focused on the task at hand.”
Saanich scored the only goal of the second to go up 3-1 after 40 minutes, and added another early in the third to make it 4-1. Taylor Gray (Moore) cut it to 4-2 shortly after, and Saanich looked to have iced the win when they scored to go up 5-2 at 17:35, but Moore, who was the best General on the ice Saturday, and Keenan McConnell made it interesting when they both scored shorthanded in the final two minutes.
Moore and Flug were named the game’s second and third stars. Oceanside outshot Saanich 44-25 overall. Larson, who got the start both nights in net for Oceanside, was replaced by Stephen Wolff midway through the second.
“It’s behind us and we have to focus on going forward — that’s all we can do is look to tomorrow and hope that we get a more complete effort from our team come Tuesday night,” a disappointed sounding Johnston said Sunday.
“Nope, not at all,” he answered when asked if he was surprised at the intensity level of the Braves’ players Saturday night. “There’s no off nights in our league. They came out hard and we didn’t match their commitment, and that’s disappointing. The only thing I’ll say is that we need every single guy on our team playing at the highest level they’re capable of in order for us to have success.”
The Generals finish the 44-game VIJHL regular season sitting at 19-21-0-4 and tied for fourth in the standings with their first round opponent Kerry Park Islanders. The Gens’ hold the edge in head to head games against KP this year, but the ‘Isles earned home ice advantage because they finished with one more win overall — they were 20-22-0-2.
If the past is any indication, then this first round matchup has the makings of an entertaining series.
“It’s really simple,” Johnston said. “They hold their destiny in their own hands, and they have to be able to do what it takes to win. It’s not easy — the playoffs is a very difficult road, and the biggest question mark surrounding our team is are all our guys committed to walking that road.”
GAME ON
The Generals open the playoffs tonight (Tues., Feb. 22) in Mill Bay, and return home for game two of their best of five against the Islanders Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s game four (if necessary) is back at Oceanside Place ( 3 p.m. start).