Pop Warner once said “You play the way you practice”. For the Whalers, this came through over the weekend when two games were scheduled once again against two of the top teams in the upper island. Friday night action took place at McNabb arena against a much younger and faster Nanaimo team. Within seconds of the puck being dropped, our little Whalers knew the game was going to be fast and physical. There were a few worried looks on the bench but much to everyone’s surprise the adjustment was almost instant.
Coaches Jordan, Keenan and Cody have focussed on skating in the last few practices and sure enough the pace of the game confirmed how important skating is.
Regular goalie Jaime Banham took to the net with a smile on her face knowing she would have a very busy night. And a busy night it was. Banham saw a lot of action around her net and her performance for the night was compared by many to a jaguar pouncing around defending her cubs. She jumped, she sprang, she leaped, she dove, she lunged, she attacked and she pounced on everything coming her way.
There were chances exchanged on both ends. Sky Zimmerman (Brian McLean) had many battles along the board not allowing many to go by her while Kelly Roloff’s passing was excellent.
At the end of the second period, the score was 3-1 in favor of the home team. Whalers’ goal came from spare Emily Murray who moved up to centre from defence and had an instant impact on offence.
Despite Banham’s outstanding performance, the third period was a bit of a challenge for the Whalers as they ran out of steam. The Whalers were able to bury two more with efforts from Jody Fink (Vancouver Island InsuranceCentre) and defender Lacey Mortensen. Veteran defender Allison Abraham commented ” When you start chasing around, fatigue sets in. Nanaimo took advantage of that fact and sealed the game”.
Nanaimo was able to tuck four more behind the Whalers goalie in the third period for a final score of 7-3.
Sunday night game in Port Alberni saw the full-time roster complete for the first time this season.
Still on a high from the Friday game against Nanaimo, the Whalers arrived in Port Alberni ready to face another high-caliber team. Port Alberni was first to get on the score sheet in the first period but the Whalers didn’t back down. The game went back and forth in the second period and ended with a 3-2 lead for the home team. Goal scorers were Lee McGeorge and Jody Fink. Jaime Banham and her defensive line in Shirley Carver, Abraham, Mortensen and newly returned mama Sky Niskasari (Whale’s Tale Toys) played tough and disciplined defense, blocking as many shots as possible. The third period took Alberni by surprise. The Whalers continued battling all over the ice. Chanace VanderHeide and Jan Dafoe kept the goalie on her toes with many shots and finally, the Whalers were able to put two past the opposition’s goalie. Josée Bureau and Emily Murray made the final score 5-3 in favor of the Whalers. This is the first time the Whalers have been able to beat Port Alberni. Captain Tera Kasubuchi summed it up “the reason we were succesful tonight is simply because we played as a team. No one is trying to do it all alone. “.
The Whalers are off to the Port Hardy tournament on November 18th. They would like to thank their main sponsor Ecofish Research as well as the Whistle Stop for their continued support.
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