It’s not exactly a coincidence the Cowichan Valley Capitals are on a three-game B.C. Hockey League winning streak since the arrival of goaltender Pat Conacher.
Conacher is now 10-1 this season, including time spent with Yorkton of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, after backstopping the Caps to a 5-3 victory over the Victoria Salsa Friday and a 7-1 thrashing of the Powell River Kings Sunday in a weekend doubleheader at Cowichan Arena.
The wins followed a 7-1 triumph by the Caps over the Salsa in Conacher’s debut game. He’s brought instant stability to the position that’s generally been regarded as the Caps’ weakest link since the start of the season.
Conacher felt he let the team down somewhat in the two Salsa wins by allowing a couple of soft goals. But there were absolutely no shaky parts to his game Sunday, as he stymied Powell River with a brilliant 39-save performance.
The shutout narrowly eluded his grasp when Ted Vickers scored the lone Powell River goal six minutes into the third period.
“I was choked,” said Conacher. “I stopped it and it went right to the guy at the side of the net.”
Conacher made some huge saves early when the game was still on the line. He remembers one in particular.
“I think that 2-on-0 save was a big one,” he said. “I was smiling after that.”
“He made a big one when it was 0-0,” added Caps’ assistant coach Steve Bodden.
“Pat has done really well to help us get on a roll. Everybody has made strides.”
“I think each game he’s gotten better,” observed Caps’ head coach Scott Robinson. “Certainly tonight (Sunday), he was the best he’s been as far as looking sure of himself and making those saves to give us a better lead.”
Conacher said it’s just a case of buckling down and maintaining his focus to become accustomed to his new surroundings and teammates.
“I’m getting there,” he said. “I’m getting more comfortable in the net. I knew I’d make up for Friday’s performance. I knew this was a better team. It’s a team we’re contending with a playoff spot for.”
Conacher didn’t seem to mind the extra work, either. He said it helps keep him sharp.
“I feel better the more action I get,” he said. “It’s easy to stay in it.”
There were brilliant performances in just about every other aspect of the Caps’ game on the weekend in addition to goaltending.
The defence stepped up, with Geoff Kinrade scoring twice and Philip Magistrale another Sunday. Kinrade’s first goal was a thing of beauty as he completed a rush from one end of the ice to the other, something seldom seen since the Bobby Orr days.
Alexandre Gagne chipped in with five assists Sunday and continues to click well on a line with Jeff Anderson and Joey Hughes.
Hughes has recently emerged as one of the Caps’ main go-to guys and was named the first star of both weekend games. He scored three times and added two assists during the weekend.
Hughes said some friendly competition among the forward lines has contributed to the team’s sudden offensive prowess.
“You don’t want to be the line that’s coming off and not doing so good,” he said.
Hughes is taking his own personal success in stride.
“It’s my linemates helping me, like talking to me on the ice,” he reasoned.
“I just take it shift-by-shift. There’s no point in looking into the future. You’ve just got to make do with what you’ve got and give 100 per cent.”
Bodden feels there’s been a sudden maturation process among several of the Caps’ holdovers from last season.
“I think the same group of guys are not the same team they were four weeks ago,” he indicated.
Unlike Nanaimo, he added, that had a ready-made team bursting out of training camp, “we took some time, but we didn’t take a whole lot of time.
“I think we had veterans at the start of the year who were a bit uncomfortable at being the leaders this year. They’ve done that now.”
If ever there was a time the Caps needed to turn the corner, Robinson felt this was it.
“We looked at the schedule and it was a time we wanted to make a little hay,” he said.
Robinson was most impressed with the Caps’ energy. The players are working hard every shift and, other than a lacklustre first period against the Salsa, are starting to see the benefits of their efforts.
“There’s still lots to do,” he conceded. “We’ll let you know when we play the perfect game.”
The Caps still have plenty of ground to make up.
Their revival has only brought them to within a game of the .500 mark at 9-10-2, but the team has definitely taken huge strides in the right direction.
To show just how well things went for the Caps on the weekend, Victoria Cougars Junior B call-up Craig Parkinson scored while lying on the ice Sunday.
Defenceman Chris Frank’s point shot went right off Parkinson’s stick and into the top corner.
Kris Boyce had the other goal against Powell River and also got into a scrap with the Kings’ leading scorer Brandon Wong, a former Caps’ farmhand with the Cougars.
Caps’ captain Cam MacIntyre made short work of Powell River’s Derek Pess in the heavyweight tussle of the afternoon, sending him to the ice in a hurry.
The Caps were stymied by Victoria until the midway mark of the second period when the floodgates opened.
“They made a couple of trades and I think they came out with intensity,” said Hughes.
Victoria held a 2-0 lead until Irwin scored a shorthanded marker at 9:59 of the second period. Aaron Spotts scored on a great wrist shot just 15 seconds later and Hughes gave the Caps the lead for good another 38 seconds after that.
Matt Dyck converted a wraparound to complete a streak of four Caps’ goals in 4:14 to finally burst goalie Ryan Riddle’s bubble.
Michael Simpson handcuffed Conacher on a shorthanded shot to the top corner to make it close early in the third period. But Gagne removed any doubt about the outcome by scoring the final goal of the game with 2:57 left.
The Caps are in Victoria Friday and host the Trail Smoke Eaters for the one and only time this season Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Cowichan Arena.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DON BODGER AND ANDREW LEUNG
