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Oceanside Generals cruise to 4-1 VIJHL win over Peninsula Panthers

Johnson scores first to trigger teddy bear toss

The Save-On-Foods Oceanside Generals vividly remembered the shootout loss they suffered at the hands of the Peninsula Panthers in September.

When they clashed again on Saturday night at Oceanside Place, it was payback time. The Generals scored first and never relinquished their lead to beat the Panthers 4-1. It was the Generals’ third consecutive Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League win.

Generals top scorer and the VIJHL’s leading point-getter, Carter Johnson, set the tone when he scored at 1:19 of the first period. He intercepted a pass near the blueline and got the puck past Panthers goalie Mason Kelly. The goal started the annual teddy bear toss, with all the stuffed animals hurled onto the ice going to a local charity and seniors home.

Evan Dyce made it 2-0 for the Generals just past the midway mark.

READ MORE: Oceanside U18 squad captures Cloverdale hockey tournament title

The Panthers were able to cut the lead in half in the second but down the stretch the Generals relentless forechecking was the difference as they scored two more goals by Braeden Leary and Brayden Ross (into an empty net) to seal the win.

Goalie Matthew Hutchison notched his ninth win between the pipes, turning away 18 of 19 shots he faced. He leads the VIJHL rankings with a 0.939 save percentage and a 1.81 goals against average.

Prior to Saturday’s game, the Generals travelled to Nanaimo and toppled the Buccaneers 6-1, with goals coming from Leary, Tyler Gyori, Brendan Carlson, Jacob Thomas, Brady Van Herk and Johnson.

Goalie Ashton Sadauskas stopped 23 shots to earn his 14th win of the season.

ICE CHIPS: The Generals will play at home on Dec. 14 when they host the Lake Cowichan Kraken at Oceanside Place at 7:15 p.m. It’s Ugly Sweater Night and the Generals encourage fans to get into the Christmas spirit by sporting their ugly Christmas sweater.

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Michael Briones

About the Author: Michael Briones

I rejoined the PQB News team in April 2017 from the Comox Valley Echo, having previously covered sports for The NEWS in 1997.
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