It’s fan appreciation day for the Peninsula Panthers Junior B hockey team this Sunday afternoon and the North Saanich team will honour a former player who died earlier this year.
The team will reveal its special edition third jersey during the game at Panorama Recreation Centre’s Arena B. This year, it’s in what team General Manager Pete Zubersky calls “Team Canada Red” with black trim.
The game is the team’s annual fan and Peninsula Minor Hockey Association appreciation game. The team will wear they new jersey and gift it to local minor hockey players and selected fans at the end of the game. Twenty-three lucky PMHA players and five fans present at the game will get the special edition jerseys when they are draw at the end of the game. And the only way to be in the running for one, is to be at the arena.
Minor hockey players (in their jerseys), coaches, managers and referees will be admitted to the game at no charge and Panthers players will be signing autographs during the first intermission.
The Panthers (13-16-0) will be hosting the Campbell River Storm (22-5-2), a team the local squad has yet to solve this season.
There are plans for a pre-game ceremony, in memory of former Panthers’ player Derek Turnbull, who died June 2 after a battle with cancer. He had played all his minor hockey on the Saanich Peninsula and spent five seasons with the Panthers. Skating with the team during the warm up will be Turnbull’s six-year-old son Noah.
The area will be getting ready for game at 2:30 p.m. with the pre-game ceremony and the two teams hit the ice at around 2:50 p.m. Arrive early, as the seats are expected to be filled for this special occasion.