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Generals bounce back with win over Islanders

The Save-On-Foods Generals served up a win Sunday, scoring two unanswered goals in the third period to beat the Kerry Park Islanders.

Oceanside’s Save-On-Foods Generals served up a win on home ice Sunday, scoring two unanswered goals in the third period to beat the Kerry Park Islanders 6-3 in VIJHL action.

It was a good bounce-back game for the locals, who were in tough in Victoria last Thursday getting out shot 43-16 and losing 5-2 to the first place Cougars.

At home for Sunday afternoon, Oceanside led 2-1 after 20 minutes and 4-3 after 40, and nailed it down in the 3rd thanks in no small part to their conditioning, which one fan has taken to calling their G-Force (G for Genesis Boxing & Fitness where the team trains, and Force for the way their able to take it to teams late in the game).

“We ran into some penalty trouble in the second — we had them down by two goals a couple times and we shoulda buried them, we let them hang around too long (but) we got the job done and earned the two points,” Generals’ head coach and GM Brent Demerais said after, and confirmed “our training at Genesis and our skating sessions early in the week gives us a little extra oomph on the third.”

Taylor Gray and Chandler Bruyckere paced the Generals with two goals apiece, and Keenan McConnell and Cole Schneider chipped in with singles.

Oceanside swept the three Game Star selections with Michael Fretz picking up 1st Star honors, Bruyckere 2nd, and Gray 3rd. Oceanside outshot KP 13-3 in the 3rd and 38-26 on the night — Alex Mastrodonato made 23 saves to pick up the win in net.

The win lists the Generals to 17-20-2 and clinches Oceanside third in the North Division and a berth in the post season, “but we’re still chasing Comox for second in the North and home ice advantage in the opening round.”

IN VICTORIA The Cougs struck for two goals in just under two minutes for a 2-0 lead 5:43 into the game and Marino Somerville cut it to 2-1 at 17:21 which is how it stood after 20 minutes.

Fretz scored on the power play 7:05 into the second to knot it 2-2 but that would be as close as they’d get as the Cougars would generate three unanswered goals that period and the two teams battled to a scoreless third.

GAME ON: The Generals are home at Howie Meeker Arean for a two game set this weekend. They host Kerry Park again on Saturday (7:30 p.m. start) and are back at it Sunday against the Comox Valley Glacier Kings (2:30 p.m. start), who at 18-18-2 are currently two points up on Oceanside for second in the North.