Their hold-out goalie wants a trade. Other teams are craving the rights to their star defenceman who has yet to even play a Pacific International Jr. 'B' hockey league game this season. And the Port Moody Black Panthers are mucking amid a four-game losing slide.
So when his squad fell 7-2 Saturday to the loop's top team, the Sockeyes, in Richmond, Cats general manager Ron Luniw considered it somewhat of a moral victory.
"It was definitely a positive the way we played against them," said Luniw, whose team coughed up three powerplay goals and a shorthanded tally in the defeat to the 18-1-0-0 Sockeyes. "They got a good hockey club, no question, but [the powerplay] is where they get their strength from."
Luniw questioned some of the penalties against his squad, who trailed 3-0 early in the second period before Trevor Kang zipped in back-to-back goals 16 ticks apart to narrow the gap to one. Richmond responded by netting the game's final four goals, including three in the third period, to turn a close contest into a blowout.
"The score wasn't indicative of the game," said Luniw, who used affiliate player Bryce Phenix in goal while looking to move disgruntled starter Nick Taylor before the Dec. 1 deadline of 25 cards and/or players. "We're working on a couple situations here to strengthen our side. Three teams are interested in [Taylor] now but I'm certainly going to [trade him] on my terms and not simply give him away."
As for the d-man Panichelli, he continues to be part of the BCHL's Nanaimo Clippers despite being used sparingly by the Jr. 'A' squad, with his Jr. 'B' rights also being bandied about in trade talk.
The 5-9-4-1 Cats visit the Abbotsford Pilots on Friday before returning home to play the 7-7-3-0 North Delta Flyers on Saturday at PoMo Rec Complex, 7:45 p.m.
