A pair of losses by the Port Moody Panthers eliminated them from any chance of achieving a spot in the Pacific Junior Hockey League playoffs. A 3-2 loss Sunday to the Grandview Steelers and a 5-3 setback to North Vancouver on Saturday extended the team’s losing streak to seven.
The last time the Panthers won was Jan. 11, when they defeated Surrey.
Sunday at the Burnaby Winter Club, the Panthers spotted the Steelers a 1-0 lead on a power play goal, but managed to get back on even terms before the first intermission.
The Panthers scored early in the second to take the lead, but Grandview answered right back.
The Steelers scored the only goal of the third period.
Against the Wolf Pack on Saturday, the Panthers fired 45 shots at North Vancouver goalie Alex Forster but they weren’t able to connect on any of their seven power play opportunities.
Konstantinos Rados gave Port Moody a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game at the Harry Jerome Rec Centre, but Caleb Holonko tied it just over two minutes later on a power play goal from Kyle Hoover and Nathan Haaksma. Joshua Peakman then gave the home team before the first period was half over.
Both teams fired 12 shots.
Port Moody tied the game 5:27 into the second period on a goal by Alexander McGovern from Mark Cherkasov and Brayden Szabados. But the Wolf Pack followed that with two more of their own to take a 4-2 lead into the final period despite being outshot by the Panthers in the frame, 20-7.
Ryleigh Anderson got Port Moody back to within a goal four minutes into the third period, but they weren’t able to score the equalizer even as they again held the shot advantage, 13-10.
Alexander Brewster locked down the win for the home team when he scored with less than three minutes left on the clock.
The Panthers will finish out their season with four games, beginning Saturday when they host Delta at the Port Moody Arena.
• Three players from the Panthers, forwards Jack Hamilton and William Hazell-Penaluna along with defenceman Brady Morrison, pla on the Tom Shaw conference team at Monday’s PJHL prospects game at the MSA Arena in Abbotsford.
