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Glacier Kings pick up first win of season

Forward Willie Daigneault picked up a hat trick and Matt Henwood earned 46 saves
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A hat trick from forward Willie Daigneault and 46 saves from goaltender Matt Henwood helped the Comox Valley Glacier Kings earn their first win of the 2017–18 Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League season on Sept. 15.

After starting the VIJHL season with three consecutive losses, the Glacier Kings beat the visiting Westshore Wolves 4-1 last night at the Comox Valley Sports Centre. Team captain Jake McKenzie picked up the Kings’ other goal, (his first of the season) while the Wolves’ only goal was scored by 17-year old forward Calijah Phillip.

Read more: Glacier Kings start season with three losses.

Glacier Kings head coach Joey Ewing said his team’s performance was a continuation of the team’s previous game —a come-from-behind 4-3 loss to the Victoria Cougars that almost saw the Kings make a stunning comeback.

“We’d seen a lot of good things and I thought we controlled the game in that 4-3 loss. You’re going to start seeing a turn in these players. I just didn’t know it was going to happen this soon,” said Ewing.

Even though Daigneault managed three goals, it was Comox Valley’s goaltender Matt Henwood who picked up the game’s first star. Henwood made a season-high 46 saves on the night.

Despite the result, the Wolves outshot the Glacier Kings 47-28.

“He made four or five saves that probably should have been goals,” said Ewing. “Without Matt in net, we probably wouldn’t have won that game.”

The win against the Westshore Wolves puts the Glacier Kings in third place in the VIJHL north division with a 1-3 record, behind the Campbell River Storm and the Nanaimo Buccaneers.

The Comox Valley side continues its season tonight (Sept. 16) with an away game against the Oceanside Generals. The Parksville-based team also has a 1-3 record.

“They’re very confident. I think the biggest thing with us is channelling that but making sure they’re not overconfident,” said Ewing of his players.

“In our pregame speech today it was just, ‘let’s be focused, let’s be professional, let’s show up and get the job done.”

Puck drop is 7:00 p.m.