Johnston scores first NHL goal
The UPEI Panthers men’s basketball team will have to follow its defensive game plan this weekend as it searches for win No. 1.
The Panthers host the Cape Breton (CBU) Capers today at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
“We just cannot give up uncontested shots,” Panthers head coach Darrell Glenn said Thursday night, noting the Capers shoot the ball really well. “We’re going to have to do a much better job of containing dribble penetration, which has been a big issue for us.”
While the Panthers (0-12) are winless this season, the Capers (2-10) only two wins came against UPEI in November. CBU blew out the Panthers 107-54 in a game Glenn said the Capers shot well and the Panthers struggled after making the long trip to Sydney, N.S., and then playing. Cape Breton won the second game 90-78.
“The second game was, I think, a better example of where we’re at,” Glenn said. “I like the matchups. . .
“When I go through their roster, one through 12, I think it’s one of the more talented teams in the league, it’s just they don’t have the experience.”
The Panthers are mostly healthy while some guys may not be 100 per cent, but still able to play.
Glenn is looking for point guard Amin Suleman to run the offence and provide some scoring while taking good shots and sees opportunities for rookie Bryce Corless to get some good looks this weekend.
The team is also leaning on fifth-year guard Samy Mohamed. Glenn said he hasn’t had the typical shooting games they know he can, but they know it’s only a matter of time before the shots start dropping.
“Nobody works harder on their game,” the bench boss said. “Nobody is in the gym UPEI Panthers veteran guard Samy Mohamed takes a shot over teammate Logan MacDonald during Thursday’s practice.
more than he is, so we’re anxious to see (the shots go down) because we know it’s going to happen, and we’re hoping that it happens this weekend.”
Women
The Panthers women’s squad is looking to continue its winning ways after road victories at Dalhousie and Acadia, which at the time was the U Sports topranked squad, last weekend.
UPEI (6-6) host the Capers
(7-5) for a game today at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The only team the Panthers have played that they have not beaten is the Capers.
Hannah Brown (18.1) and Alison Keough (16.6) are second and fourth in conference scoring, behind fifth-year Panther forward Kiera Rigby (18.4).
Keough (11) and Brown (10) are second and third, respectively, in the conference in rebounding, trailing only
second-year Panthers centre Carolina Del Santo (11.3).
“They’ve got two outstanding bigs in Keough and Brown,” Panthers head coach Greg Gould said. “And it’s not that they don’t have good players around them, that’s what makes them so good . . . they do have very good shooters in (MacKenzie) Ryan, (Toni) Bianchini, (Valentina) Primossi and (Madison) Munro. It makes it hard to double down on post players.”
Rebounding has been an issue during the season, but since Christmas the Panthers have gone from being outrebounded by 12 to five. While they are still getting fewer than the competition, they have cut the margin in half.
Gould said his teams are always going to be challenged to get more rebounds, as his philosophy is not to crash the offensive glass in order to defend in transition.
Gould is expecting to have a full lineup available to him tonight, but he noted it’s a tough time of year with travel and with the team having surpassed 80 practices.
He said the team has had some shortened, but crisp, pratices this week.
“It’s a very easy time of the year to get both mentally and physically tired, so we’re trying to keep everybody as fresh as we can.” Suffolk native Ross Johnston scored his first career NHL goal on Thursday night.
The former Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals and Charlottetown Islanders forward lit the lamp for the New York Islanders in a 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, who are coached by Summerside native Gerard (Turk) Gallant. Johnston’s second-period goal opened the game’s scoring. Johnston was recalled by the Islanders from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League on Jan. 19.
He had an assist and a fight Jan. 20 at Chicago.
In 37 games this season with the Sound Tigers, Johnston has three goals, eight assists, 11 points and 113 penalty minutes.