The Port Moody Black Panthers will have to wait until next week to notch their first win of the month.
The junior B hockey club dropped a 5-3 decision to the Richmond Sockeyes at home on Saturday, bringing the squad to 20-16-6 on the season. The record is good enough for second place in the Harold Brittain Conference behind the Abbotsford Pilots.
Saturday's matchup saw the Cats fall behind early, as Richmond forwards Rudi Thorsteinson opened the scoring followed by a powerplay goal from teamate Jeremy Hamaguchi.
But Port Moody responded in the second frame, getting on the scoreboard after Ryan Hankin buried a feed from Maximilian Fiedler. A short time later Cats' winger Jackson Hewitt potted his seventh goal of the season, a powerplay marker assisted by Joel Hamilton that made it 2-2. But the Sockeyes were not rattled. Eli Wiebe responded in the dying minutes of the second frame giving Richmond the lead going into the third.Port Moody's Julian Klaric was able to tie the game with a short-handed goal midway through the third but two quick goals in the final minute of the game, including an empty netter from the Sockeyes' Patrick Hunter, cinched the loss for the home squad.
The Cats' were one-for-four with the man advantage and goalie Nicholas Taylor stopped 36 of 40 shots he faced.
The Cats will take on the Ridge Meadows Flames next Saturday at the Port Moody Arena.
