The Quality Foods Oceanside Generals had a rough weekend.
They played against two of the top teams in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League — Campbell River Storm and Nanaimo Buccaneers — and despite putting on a gallant effort, it still wasn’t enough.
On Friday night in Campbell River, the Generals (5-9-1-1) went down 5-2; then, the next day they lost at home to the league-leading Buccaneers, 5-1.
Against the Storm (12-4-1-0), the Generals clawed their way back after giving up three goals in the first period. They scored a goal late in the second by Ryan Rae-Arthur and held the Storm scoreless. The Generals netted a quick goal 46 seconds into the third, scored by Greyson Weme to trail by just a goal but the Storm, with their unrelenting offense, ended the rally, adding two more scores, including a power-play marker.
The Generals were outshot 32-22 and were 0-for-4 on the power play.
On Saturday night, the Generals were able to limit the Nanaimo Buccaneers to one goal in the first period. Oceanside had a lot of scoring opportunities but was unable to land the back of the net. In the second period, the Generals made some crucial lapses in defence that allowed the Buccaneers (14-1-0-0) to snare three unanswered goals.
In the third period, the Generals finally lit up the scoreboard as they took advantage of a 5-on-3 situation. Just 10 seconds into the final frame, Erik Hanus was able to get one past Buccaneers goalie Blake Wood.
However, the Generals lost momentum when they gave up a power-play goal at 7:39 that sealed their fate.
“I don’t think we played bad,” said Generals head coach, Jesse Hammill after the game. “We made some errors. We made some mistakes they capitalized on. The shots were pretty even. The last time in their rink they beat us 8-2. We have to cut out those simple errors that you make and manage the puck a little better. It’s pretty tough to be excited about two games you lose by 5-2 and 5-1. It is frustrating.”
The Generals were 1-for-9 on the man advantage against the Bucs and were narrowly outshot, 39-38.
This week the Generals will face another tough nemesis, the South Division-leading Westshore Wolves, on Wednesday at the Q Centre in Victoria at 7 p.m. Then on Friday, they host the Comox Valley Glacier Kings at 7 p.m. and on Saturday host the Saanich Braves at Oceanside Place at 7 p.m.
For story tips: michael.briones@pqbnews.com