The Comox Valley Glacier Kings won a pair of weekend games, both 4-3 in overtime, over the Peninsula Panthers, the second-place team in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League South Division.
Friday in Victoria, Glacier Kings sniper Nick Esposito opened the scoring just shy of five minutes into the first period. Tynan Klein-Beekman scored a short-handed goal in the opening minute of the second to give Comox Valley a 2-0 lead, but Peninsula responded with two goals to tie the game before the end of the period. Parker Jorginson restored Comox Valley’s lead 30 seconds into the third period but the home side again knotted the score a couple of minutes later. The game went to overtime, which didn’t last two minutes as Nolan Bowsher scored at 1:51 to give Comox Valley the win. Yetis goalie Steven Reganato made 48 saves and earned first-star honours for the Glacier Kings.
Reganato again backstopped his team to victory Saturday at the CV Sports Centre. The visitors opened the scoring in the first period but Max Gorzelnick tied it at 7:53. Peninsula added a second marker to take a 2-1 lead into the second. The Yetis went up 3-2 after two periods on goals by Jake Gusavitch and Matt Teasdale, but Peninsula again forced overtime by scoring at 3:46 of the third. But again, Comox Valley ended it early when Klein-Beekman scored at 1:26 of extra time.
Comox Valley is third in the VIJHL North Division with 35 points in 25 games played. Oceanside and Campbell River each have 37 points in 23 and 24 games, respectively.
Comox Valley hosts Port Alberni, 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Sports Centre. On Friday, the Glacier Kings host Oceanside. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.