Home ice helped the Comox Valley Glacier Kings earn a split of their Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League games last week.
The Yetis lost 4-1 in Nanaimo to the Buccaneers on Oct. 27 and defeated the Peninsula Panthers 3-1 Oct. 27 in Courtenay.
At the Nanaimo Ice Centre last Thursday the Bucs broke open a 1-1 tie with three unanswered third-period goals, despite being outshot 14-9 over the final 20 minutes.
Finn Withey opened the scoring for the visitors at 5:59 of the first frame, with Clayton Pease pulling the Bucs even at 16:07. Comox Valley outshot Nanaimo 14-8 in the second period, but neither team could find the back of the net.
The Bucs took the lead at 3:39 of the third, then Trent Bell made it 3-1 on the power play at 5:35. Dawson Heathcote added an empty-netter at 17:15.
Marcus Gloss took the loss and John Hawthorne was the winner. Final shots on goal were 35-29 Glacier Kings. The game’s three stars were Danny Pion and Trent Bell of Nanaimo and Zachary Ahola of Comox Valley.
On Oct. 29 at the Comox Valley Sports Centre, the Yetis tallied one goal in each period to knock off the Panthers 3-1.
Ahola opened the scoring at 18:02 of the first period, and Withey made it 2-0 on the power play at 4:15 of the second. Kai Turner put Peninsula on the board at 12:07 of the second. Willie Daigneault’s unassisted goal sealed the deal for the home team with 50 seconds left on the clock.
Jake McKenzie and Withey were the game’s first two stars, respectively, while Liam Tutte as third star. The Icemen outshot the Panthers 38-29 with William Cawthorn the winning goalie and Tutte taking the loss.
The Glacier Kings (12-4-0-1) are second in the North Division, five points back of first place Campbell River Storm (15-3-0-0).
They have a busy week ahead of them, with three games in three days. They are on the road to Saanich Braves on Nov. 2 and Campbell River on Nov. 4, then return home to face the Buccaneers on Nov. 5 in a 7:30 p.m. start at Sports Centre #1.
ICE CHIPS The Glacier Kings have released the VIJHL’s top scorer, Derrick Smith, to play Jr. A with the Trail Smoke Eaters … Withey is fourth in league scoring with 24 points (12, 12a) …the Yetis will be at the CRA Lewis Centre on Halloween to assist with the annual community celebration …