The Quality Foods Oceanside Generals needed to be focused and sharp to beat two cellar-dwellers in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.
The Generals beat the improving Comox Valley Glacier Kings 3-1 at Oceanside Place on Friday night, Sept. 27, then the next night sank Kerry Park Islanders 6-1 on the road.
Their 2-0 week put the Generals alone on top of the North Division standings with seven wins and two losses. Head coach Dan Lemmon said while he’s happy to earn the points, he still wants the Generals to be at their best regardless of who they play.
“We’ve got to work on a few things,” said Lemmon. “We are trying to get better in every game and we’re making small strides right now. We’re finding ways to win games and how we can put it together to play a complete game, which I feel we haven’t done yet.”
Against the Glacier Kings, the Generals learned a lesson about being complacent. While on a power play, the Generals miscued on a routine pass that Glacier Kings capitalized on short-handed to grab a 1-0 lead.
READ MORE: Generals earn split in VIJHL action
The Generals bounced back strong a minute later with Landon Dziadyk scoring the equalizer at 18:45 to end the frame tied 1-1. The Generals took the lead in the second on Try Boylan’s marker but did not score again until early in the third period, netted by Greyson Weme.
“We outshot them early in the game but they’re a team that hangs around,” said Lemmon. They’re not the pushovers they once were. The Glacier Kings are a much improved team than last season and they close the time and space a lot better and they play physical.”
On Saturday night, the Generals faced the hungry Islanders, who, like the Glacier Kings have yet to win a game this season.
The host team put up a fight in the first period but it was the Generals that found the back of the net first, scored by Brady Kay.
The Generals shifted to another gear in the second and scored four unanswered goals with Dziadyk leading the onslaught with a double and Cage Newans and Garett Gilbertson each netting a goal. In the third, the Generals added another point by Caymon Froude late in the frame but lost goalie James Brendeland’s shutout bid when the Islanders scored seconds later.
ICE CHIPS: This week, the Generals travel to Nanaimo Ice Centre to face the Buccaneers tonight at 7:15 p.m. On Saturday night, the Generals take on the top team in the South Division, the Peninsula Panthers at Oceanside Place at 7 p.m.