The only team yet to win a Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League game so far is the Kerry Park Islanders.
The Islanders have started the 2025-26 regular season with six straight losses but head coach Jake Ebner said there are still positives.
"It's never easy to go six games without a win but we have to keep putting the work in, staying positive, and translating what we are working on into a full 60 minutes," said head coach Jake Ebner.
On Friday, Sept. 19 the Islanders visited the Port Alberni Bombers and lost 5-2. The Bombers took the lead early, and doubled it by the end of the first period. By the end of the second, the home team treated the 400-plus fans in attendance to five goals, though the Islanders captain Ben Stocks did score on the powerplay to bring the score to 5-1 after two periods.
Hudson Closson, a rookie from Duncan, scored the third period's lone goal in his second-ever VIJHL game, but it wasn't enough as the game ended 5-2 in favour of Port Alberni.
Kerry Park was outshot 55-34 in the loss.
The following night, the Islanders had just 19 shots on the Comox Valley Glacier Kings in a 5-1 loss at Kerry Park Arena.
First-year Polish import Thomas Ptaszek scored his first goal in five games played with Kerry Park.
"We have a lot of first-year players and it's going to take every player and myself to find ways to get where we want to be," Ebner said. "There are positives that we are focusing on and we need to start being more consistent in those areas."
Meanwhile, at the opposite end the standings, the Lake Cowichan Kraken lost their first game of the season Sept. 19, on the road against the Peninsula Panthers. The Kraken managed just 18 shots on goal compared to the Panthers' 57 shots and try as they might, they just couldn't find the scoring touch that got them 14 goals in their first three games of the season.
"Peninsula is a solid team," team captain Aleksander Leonelli said following the game. "We started a bit flat-footed. They took advantage of that and got up on us early. We took some selfish penalties towards the end which didn't help," he admitted.
"We shook it off and had a big comeback game against Saanich," Leonelli said.
The very next night at home, the Kraken played to a 7-5 win over the Saanich Predators.
Leonelli scored his team's first and last goals and added a third goal for his first-ever VIJHL hat trick.
"I'm always trying to set an example out there for my team and it felt good to capitalize on all my opportunities," he said. "My teammates made some really nice plays to set me up."
Iaroslav Morozov added a pair of goals and an assist for a three-point night. Other Kraken goals came from Toby Johnson and Landy Johnson.
Alfie Blakeley earned the win between the pipes stopping 36 of 41 shots.
The Kraken next play on Sept. 26 at home against the Bombers. The puck drops at the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena at 7:30 p.m. Following that game, on Sept. 27, they'll travel to Oceanside Place to meet the Oceanside Generals for a 7 p.m. start.
The Islanders hit the road to meet the Victoria Cougars on Sept. 26, then welcome the Saanich Predators on Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m.
