A new addition to the Cowichan Valley Capitals may be just what the team needs to start winning some more games.
This week the Capitals announced they have acquired 18-year-old forward Anton Yatsyshin from Kiev, Ukraine. In 45 career WHL games, Yatsyshin has five goals and 10 points.
Cowichan’s record has dropped to 4-10 on the season following two straight home losses over the weekend. Their next chance for a win comes Nov. 9 against the Nanaimo Clippers at Frank Crane Arena.
On Friday night, Nov. 4, the Caps, who currently sit ninth in the BC Hockey League’s Coastal Division, fell 5-0 to the fourth place Victoria Grizzlies.
Goalie Lukas Renaud faced 45 shots on the night, stopping 41. Victoria also scored an empty net goal.
The following evening Cowichan played host to the Trail Smoke Eaters. That result was also a visiting team victory but Cowichan wasn’t shut out like the night before.
Already down by two, Cowichan’s Luke Strickland scored on the power play 2:37 into the second period to keep the Capitals in it. Trail scored again but shortly after Cowichan’s Jackson Morehouse brought Cowichan back to within one. The Smoke Eaters scored twice more before Strickland scored his second of the night with less than a minute to play in the period. In the third period, Kai Dunits got Cowichan’s fourth goal but Trail scored thrice more. The game ended 8-4 for Trail.
Starter McCoy Bidwell took the loss. Renaud started the third between the pipes for the Caps.
Cowichan’s last victory came Oct. 30 when William Elias potted the game-winner 26 seconds into overtime to lift the Cowichan Valley Capitals 4-3 over the visiting Coquitlam Express at The Stick.
“That was a relief to get it over with quick there,” said coach Brian Passmore. “That was nice to see.”
It was just what the team needed after losing seven of their previous eight games.
The teams traded goals in the first. Massimo Sarantos Lombardi scored for Cowichan on a pass from Luke Busby.
A chippy second period saw 18 penalty minutes served and three game misconducts handed out, one to Cowichan’s Brandon Clarke, who also got five for fighting, and the other two to Coquitlam players.
The second period also featured two Express goals and one from Cowichan thanks to Connor Elliott from Andrew Haxton.
The Caps began the third period down 3-2.
Haxton’s second of the year drew the Caps even with Coquitlam and it was the only goal of the third, forcing overtime.
It didn’t take long for Lombardi and Cole Melady set up Elias for the OT winner 26 second into the extra frame.
“We gutted out a win that was nice to see,” Passmore said.
Haxton was named Player of the Game while Elias and Lombardi were the game’s first and second stars respectively.
