Story and Photos by Christian J. Stewart
February 17, 2026
North Saanich, BC – The math is pretty simple. One more win, or two more points of any fashion in their remaining four games, and the Peninsula Panthers will clinch the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) South Division regular season title.
The Panthers currently sit at 76 points, seven ahead of the second place Victoria Cougars, with 69. Both teams have four games remaining, which means the Cougars could, at the most, hit the 77 point mark by winning all four remaining games, one of which is against the Panthers on Monday, February 23rd at Panorama.
The Panthers are hoping by then, however, that game means nothing, as they play Nanaimo this Friday and Port Alberni Saturday, looking for a clinching win in one of those two games.
The Panthers have put themselves in a position to control their own fate thanks to an impressive six-game win streak that included three wins this past weekend, a 5-2 win in Campbell River Friday, followed by two dominating wins over Lake Cowichan (9-1) and Kerry Park (10-1) on Sunday and Monday respectively.
In the win over Kerry Park on Family Day, the Panthers were firing on all cylinders, firing 80 shots on goal, yes you read that correctly, in the big win over the overmatched Islanders. With a 63-shot performance last week in Oceanside and a 47-shot performance against Lake Cowichan, the Panthers seem to be back in their pre-Christmas form heading into the playoffs.
The Panthers have been getting things done with depth and contributions from all lines. In Campbell River last Friday, five different players scored the Panther goals, while eight different players scored in the games against Lake Cowichan and Kerry Park respectively. Brendan Williams (29G, 33A) continues to have an MVP-like season, with four goals and six assists in the last four games, while Carson Harris, Alex Sajan, Oskar Aitken-Salmons and Jacob Caron all sit with Williams in the top 10 in league scoring.
Winning the Division title could be crucial to the Panther’s playoff success, because they would have a more favourable first-round match-up against the fourth place Saanich Predators (8-32-3-0), while the Cougars would then battle the third-place Westshore Wolves in a series that would see one of the top three teams in the league eliminated in round one of the playoffs.
Friday’s game against the Nanaimo Buccaneers and Monday’s game against Victoria, the two final home games of the regular season, are both 7:30pm starts at Panorama Recreation Centre. Regular adult admission is $12, $9 for youth (ages 13-18), and $2 for kids 12 and under. Also, for every kid’s ticket sold, the Murphy Family Foundation will donate $1.00US to the Peninsula Minor Hockey Association.
The Panthers 2026 playoff schedule will be announced soon.
Photo Caption: Wearing special Family Day jerseys, Panthers forward Alex Sajan and his teammates celebrate one of his two goals scored in the 10-1 win over the Kerry Park Islanders on Monday. Following the game, jerseys were given off the player’s backs to members of the Peninsula Minor Hockey Association in a draw (Photo: Christian J. Stewart).
