It’s been a tough week for the Port Moody Panthers, who continue to pile up losses in their Pacific Junior Hockey League regular season campaign.
The latest defeat came at the hands of the Aldergrove Kodiaks, who declawed the Cats in an 8-5 drubbing in Aldergrove Wednesday night.
The teams were neck-and-neck for the first few minutes of play, with Aldergrove pulling out to a 1-0 lead on the power play and Port Moody quickly responding with a goal from Owen Reith.
But the Kodiaks proceeded to go on a three-goal run that left the Panthers reeling and the visitors were unable to get things back on track.
Ryan Spencer managed to make it 4-2 when he added a goal for Port Moody before the first intermission, but the team had dug a hole it would have difficulty climbing out of.
When the Cats allowed the Kodiaks to score three more unanswered tallies in the second period, the game was out of reach.
Two goals from Keito Lee in the third period came too late for the Panthers, who were down 8-5 when the final buzzer sounded.
Lee was named third star of the game for his effort.
Things did not go much better for the team when they hosted the Grandview Steelers at the Port Moody Arena Saturday night.
The visitors were the first to get on the board when Adam Rota, who played 42 games with the Panthers during the 2013-2014 season, potted his seventh marker of the season.
When Grandview ran into some penalty trouble early in the second period, the Cats were able to capitalize, with Daniel Obcena scoring followed by a goal from Jovin Kaila.
But the Steelers were able to even the score before the second intermission and some defensive breakdowns in the third allowed Grandview to score two unanswered goals to win the game 4-2. Obcena was named third star of the game while Port Moody goalie Jack Stradiotti stopped 35 of the 39 shots he faced.
The schedule will not be getting any easier for the Panthers.
Port Moody hosts the Tom Shaw Conference-leading North Vancouver Wolf Pack on Saturday night, before taking on the second-place Steelers again on Sunday on the road.
Saturday’s game at the Port Moody Arena will take place at 7:45 p.m. For more information, go to www.portmoodypanthers.com.
