Cougars And Predators Battle For The Fourth Time

 

The Saanich Predators took the short drive into Esquimalt on a rainy Thursday to take on the South Division leading Cougars. The Predators are a different team to the one the Cougars last played. With Cody Carlson as the new Head Coach and GM plus a number of player changes the Predators were hoping for a different outcome.

The scoring started at 5:33 of the first when Nick Dumonceaux playing in his second game took a point shot that was saved but the rebound went right to Kieran Strange who deposited the puck in the back of the net behind Saanich starter Andrew Palm. Nathan Bouveur had the second assist. At 17:48 on a similar play Chase Barlow took a point shot that Palm took off the chest and the rebound went to Aidan Turner who scored his second goal of the season with second assist to Trey Anderson.

In the second Jackson Estey was able to take the puck along the boards in the Predators zone and stick handled into position in the left faceoff dot and ripped a wrist shot that beat Palm for his league leading 21st goal of the season. The goal was scored at 9:32 with assists to Ben Brant and Strange. At 17:37 Connor DeLay fed the puck to Dylan Franklin on the left boards at the Predators blueline. Franklin charged down and did a hard cut to his left across the top of the crease, waited for Palm to commit and fired the puck in. Second assist was to Turner. 28 seconds later Strange took a point shot that was high and wide and hit a Saanich defender on the hand, dropped down in front of the crease and Jacob Pang swung his stick and chipped the puck into the back of the net. Second assist was to Mark Castilla. Palm was replaced by Andrew Brabender after that goal.

The final goal of the game came on a Cougar PP when Johnathon Esposito took a shot from the top of the left circle, Brabender made the save but Pang parked as the side of the net had 2 tries and buried the puck. The goal was scored at 9:03 with the second assist to Barlow.

Player of the game were Kyle Brown for Predators and Jacob Pang for the Cougars.

Cougars have a week off before taking on the Wolves at home next Thursday.