If it were the playoffs, the Port Moody Black Panthers would be done.
The Cats suffered their league-high fourth overtime loss in a mere nine Pacific International Jr. B hockey league games Wednesday via a 6-5 defeat to the host Aldergrove Kodiaks.
In the post-season, those would result in heart-breaking losses. In the regular season, they garner one point each in the standings, meaning the 4-1-4 Cats now lead the five-team Harold Brittain Conference race with a total of 12, two more than the second-place Abbotsford Pilots.
Despite the Cats rather lofty status, general manager Ron Luniw is hardly satisfied with his squad's recent woes in extra time..
"We gave another [win] away," Luniw groused. "We got one point out of it but one's not enough when you can get two."
The OT loss was the second in three games for the Cats, who fell 5-4 last Thursday to the lowly Icebreakers in Mission before bouncing back to trim Aldergrove 3-2 Saturday in Port Moody.
"Against Mission, I don't think our guys were 100 per cent prepared and when you're not prepared you're not going to win," Luniw said.
"I believe we do have a good hockey team that can compete with anybody. We really should be 8-1 but we have to learn to hold the lead."
Which is precisely what the Cats failed to do Wednesday, letting a 3-0 second-period margin escape when the Kodiaks pumped in four straight goals.
The Cats rebounded with back-to-back markers by Martin Campbell and Trevor Kang to take a 5-4 advantage, only to lose it on a senseless icing call that resulted in the Kodiaks' Alex Feighan scoring on the ensuing faceoff with 12 seconds left in regulation time.
Robert Jang the netted the winner 2:47 into OT.
Shots in the game were dead even at 47 apiece.
Rino Minni, Sheldon Vanerus and Richard Moul also tallied for the Cats, who host Abby tomorrow (Saturday) at PoMo Rec Complex, 7:45 p.m.
