Glacier Kings Host Oceanside for First Meeting Since Playoff Sweep

The Comox Valley Glacier Kings host the Oceanside Generals tonight at 6:30 PM at the Comox Valley Sports Centre, coming off last night’s 4-2 win at Lake Cowichan. It’s the first time these two teams have played each other since last spring, when the Kings swept the Generals in a four-game North Division semifinal.

Both teams have played the same number of games, and the race is tight. Oceanside is 3-2-0-0 with 6 points, fourth overall in the league and second in the North Division. Comox Valley is 2-3-0-0 with 4 points, ninth overall and last in the North, but the two teams’ scoring numbers are nearly identical, 16 goals for and 14 against for the Kings, 16 for and 15 against for the Generals. A Kings win tonight would pull them level with Oceanside in the standings.

One number stands out on the Kings’ side: 115 penalty minutes through five games, an average of 23 a night, second-most in the entire league behind only Kerry Park. Oceanside sits at 79, third-most in the North Division. If this game follows the pattern either team has set so far, expect whistles.

Special teams could decide it. Comox Valley has the league’s best power play at 33.3 percent overall, and it’s been especially sharp on home ice, scoring on 30.0 percent of its chances at the Sports Centre. Oceanside’s power play has struggled on the road, converting just 20.0 percent away from home, but its penalty kill has been excellent on the road at 100 percent (albeit in a small sample, seven times shorthanded). At home, the Kings have killed 83.3 percent of penalties.

Comox Valley enters with some momentum after snapping a two-game skid with Friday’s win at Lake Cowichan. Oceanside, meanwhile, has won three of its first five.

Then and Now: Faces From the Sweep

Several players who beat the Generals in that series are still in Kings colours. Leon Mikhalchuk leads the team in scoring this season with 8 points (2G, 6A) in 5 games, and scored in three of the four playoff games against Oceanside last spring. Westin Churchill has 3 points in 4 games so far this year, and was arguably the story of that series on offense, he scored in all four games.

In net, Ander Reyes was the Kings’ primary goaltender in the sweep too, starting three of the four games and winning all three, including a 51-save performance in the clincher. This season he’s 2-1-0 with a .949 save percentage, fourth-best in the league.

Oceanside has its own holdovers. Jacob Bate and Jacob Leamy are tied for second on the Generals this season with 4 points each, and both factored into that series, Bate scored twice across the four games, Leamy once. Ryder Bradford has 3 assists this year and had a strong series last spring too, a goal and two assists across the four games.

Goaltending

Reyes carries a .949 save percentage into tonight, fourth in the league. Oceanside’s likely starter, Donato Padula, has been excellent too, 3-1-0 with a .933 save percentage and a shutout, both top-ten marks in the league. No starter has been officially announced for either side. If either backup goes instead, Comox Valley’s Marek Fisher and Anthony Ganoung are both 0-1 this season, and Oceanside’s Kye Johnson is 0-1 as well.

Looking Ahead

These two teams play again soon. Comox Valley visits Oceanside Place on Wednesday, then the two meet three more times this season, November 22 in Oceanside, January 16 in Courtenay, and February 27 in Oceanside.