The Save-On Foods Oceanside Generals picked up three straight Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League wins last week, thanks to their consistent play.
It’s the first time since September the Generals were able to notch three consecutive victories, having secured two of them on the road — 4-2 against Westshore Wolves (Nov. 22) and 5-2 against the Lake Cowichan Kraken. (Nov. 24). They capped off the week with a convincing 6-3 win over the Saanich Predators in front of delighted home fans at Oceanside Place on Saturday night, Nov. 25.
The defending VIJHL champions have been tweaking their roster lately, adding new players who are now starting to acclimate to the Generals style of playing. The three wins lifted the Generals back up to second place in the North Division standings, with 15 wins, five losses and four overtime losses.
Against the Wolves, the offence was sparked by one of the new additions to the roster, Aidan Wuerfel, who scored a goal and had two helpers. He earned the top star of the game. Brayden Ross also had two goals with Kane Law scoring one.
The next day, the Generals headed to Lake Cowichan and it was also their annual Mom’s Trip. With their mothers watching the game, the Generals came out inspired, scoring two consecutive goals, netted by Walty Pedersen and Tyler Gyori. Although the Kraken rallied back to tie it up in the second, the Generals replied with three unanswered goals to earn the win.
The other scorers for the Generals were Jasper Fellbaum, Gyori with his second goal of the night, and Jacob Thomas who had a goal and an assist. Ross also had a strong game offensively, assisting in three of the Generals’ goals.
On Saturday night, the Generals were back in their home barn to host the Predators. Before the match started, the Generals players honoured their mothers in a brief ceremony on the ice.
The Generals didn’t have a strong start and were kept on the defensive by the Predators’ aggressive forechecking. After a scoreless first period, the Predators scored on a man-advantage to take the lead.
The Generals evened it up on Thomas’s goal. Things got chippy as the match progressed and the Predators regained the lead on a power play close to the midway mark. Newly recruited forward Nathan Hughes scored his first goal for the Generals to square things at 2-2 and later in the period Ross made it 3-2.
In the final frame, the Generals dominated, scoring three consecutive goals to make it 6-2. The Predators got a goal back but the Generals tightened their defence to get the win. Other scorers for the Generals were Pedersen, Wuerfel and Brady Van Herk.
ICE CHIPS: The Oceanside Generals will be back at home on Wednesday night (Nov. 29) to take on arch-rivals Comox Valley Glacier Kings at Oceanside Place at 7 p.m. … The Generals hit the road to Saanich on Friday (Dec. 1) to take on the Predators at 6:30 p.m. … The Generals return home on Saturday night (Dec. 2) to host the Peninsula Panthers at Oceanside Place at 7 p.m. … the Generals have kicked off their Food Drive for the Mount Arrowsmith Salvation Army. At each home game until Dec. 9, bring a non-perishable food item and receive one entry, per person, for a chance to win a $50 gift card to Save-On Foods, Happy Jacks, Ricky’s Restaurant or Boston Pizza.