Talking Up the Storm

playoffs

2011-02-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Just determined last night the Kamloops Storm will face the Sicamous Eagles in round 1 of the best 7 series.Game 1 goes Monday Feb.14th and Game 2 goes Tuesday Feb.15th both at 7pm at Mac Island Sports Center.Come on out and watch exciting KIJHL playoff action.Fans are reminded to bring their noise makers.

Kamloops Storm dec.3rd

2010-12-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

Last night Dec.3rd the Kamloops Storm took on the Golden Rockets in Golden.The Storm would come out on top in a 5-1 win to start a 3 games in 3 nights road trip.At 13:36 of the opening period Kevin Leschuk would score to make it 1-0 Kamloops with the assist going to Dylan Richardson.Than with 8:42 remaining in the 1st period Logan Hawgood would score to put the Storm ahead 2-0 assisted by Kevin Leschuk and Dylan Richardson.After 1 period it was Kamloops 2 and Golden 0.With 19:43 left in the 2nd period Brody Moen would score on the power play assisted by Mike Mccance and Tyler Jackson.Golden would reply with a power play goal of their own.After 2 periods it was Kamloops 3 and Golden 1.with 5:04 left to play in the 3rd period Mitch Johnstone would score assisted by Payton Schaefer than with 1:20 remaining in regulation time Payton Schaefer would score assisted by Cody Koskimaki.The 3 stars as chosen by the Golden media were from the Storm #1 Lynden Stanwood #2 Kevin Leschuk and #3 Payton Schaefer.Stanwood was voted hardest working play by his teamates turning aside 32 shots in the win.The team than traveled to Cranbrook to the Sandman Inn our home for the weekend.The trip normally a 2 hour drive took about 2:45 minutes as we saw tons of elk and deer at the side of the highway including a massive bull elk that was standing in the middle of the highway.This morning we awoke to a beautiful Kooteney morning with the sun shining.The team now plays tonight in Kimberly about a 30-45 minute bus ride down the road and than tomorrow 1 hour and 45 minutes in down the road in Creston.Catch all the action on kijhl.ca.

Nov.20th-Nov.28th

2010-11-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

Saturday night Nov.20th the Storm faced the Nelson Leafs in Nelson and came out on the losing end falling 5-1 to the Leafs.The trip home from Nelson was very interesting as about 55 elk and 30 deer and 4 moose would come out of the bush and run across the highway in front of our bus on the Blue Berry Palson summit.Scoring for Kamloops was Mike Mccance assisted by Brody Moen.Friday night Nov.26th the Kamloops Storm took the dead last team overall in the KIJHL the Grand Forks Border Bruins way to lightly at the Mcarthur Island Sports Center as the Border Bruins would hand the Storm a 3-2 defeat.Scoring for the storm were Brett Dallen on the power play assisted by Kurt Torbalm and newly aquired Dylan Richardson with his first point as a Kamloops Storm.Dylan Richardson would score in the 3rd period to make it a 1 goal game assisted by Brett Dallen and Kevin Leschuk.Dylan Richardson was named 3rd star in the hockey game.Yesterday morning the Kamloops Storm traveled to Armstrong to face the North Okanogan Knights.The Storm came out on top 2-0 for the teams second shutout of the season with Lynden Stanwood getting credit for both of them.Scoring for the Storm were Kevin Leschuk assisted by Kurt Torbalm and Logan Hawgood and Dylan Richardson assisted by Ryan Skinner and Brett Dallen.Kevin Leschuk was named 1st star in the hockey game and Logan Hawgood was named 2nd star.The game got chippy in the 2nd period as Zack Tjadar of the Storm and Erik Chore of the Knights would dance and than Mike Mccance of the Storm would dance with Shawn Holliday of the Knights and while that fight was on Chase Mcleod of the Storm danced with Thomas Swales of the Knights resulting in Mcleod being suspended for the next game for the Storm.Also it left the team with only 3 defencemen for the 3rd period.Next action for the Kamloops Storm sees the team get on the team bus and travel to Golden Friday Dec.3rd to face the Golden Rockets than its on to Cranbrook to the Sandman Hotel where the team will call home for Friday night and Saturday night.Saturday night Dec.4th the Storm visit the Kimberly Dynamiters and than Sunday Dec.5th the Storm visit the Creston Valley Thunder Cats before returning home in the wee hours of Monday Dec.6th.You can catch all the action of the games on kijhl.ca.I will update the blog Saturday morning from the hotel and again Sunday morning from the hotel.

Nov.19th at Castlegar

2010-11-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

Last night the Kamloops Storm faced the Castlegar Rebels in Castlegar.With 12:02 left in the first period Kevin Leschuk would score on the powerplay assisted by Brody Moen and Chase Edwards.Castlegar would reply with a power play goal of their own to tie the score 1-1 after 1 period.Castlegar would score with 15:59 left in the 2nd period before Kurt Torbohm would score on the power play with 11:33 left in the period assisted by Duncan Schultz and Kevin Leschuk,than with 11:05 remaining in the period Kamloops would score another power play goal off the stick of Kevin Leschuk assisted by Josh Rasmussen and Ryan Skinner,Kamloops would score again with 8:25 remaining in the 2nd period on a goal by Josh Rasmussen assisted by Ryan Skinner and Chase Mcleod.After 2 periods the score was the Storm 4 and the Rebels 2.Castlegar would score 2 goals in the 3rd period period to tie the score at 4-4 before Duncan Schultz would score at 13:44 of the 3rd period assisted by Bevin Ollek and Logan Hawgood.Final score Kamloops 5 and Castlegar 4.Duncan Schultz was named player of the game by his teammates for his game winning goal.The Storm aquired Dylan Richardson from the Castlegar Rebels on Thursday.Richardson makes his Kamloops Storm debute tonight in Nelson.Upcoming games for the Kamloops Storm sees the team in Nelson tonight,home to Grand Forks Friday night Nov.26th and in North Okanogan on Grey Cup Sunday Nov.28th.Catch all the action on KIJHL.ca.

nov.12-14th updates and upcoming games

2010-11-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

Friday night Nov.12th the Kamloops Storm traveled to Sicamous to face the Eagles and came away with a 7-1 victory over the Eagles.Scoring for the Storm were Bevin Ollek assisted by Mike Mccance and Tyler Jackson,Mike Mccance assisted by Tyler Jackson and Bevin Ollek,Chase Edwards assisted by Duncan Schultz and Brody Moen,Duncan Schultz from Shane Paulson and Payton Schaefer,Josh Rasmussen assisted by Tyler Jackson and Kevin Leschuk,Chase Edwards with his 2nd of the game assisted by Brody Moen and Duncan Schultz,and finally Logan Hawgood assisted by Mike Mccance and Tyler Jackson.Sat.Nov.13th the Storm hosted those same Sicamous Eagles and came out on top 5-2.Scorng for the Storm were Tyler Jackson with the hat trick and 1 assist.Duncan Schultz with a goal and 1 assist,Bevin Ollek with 4 assists,Kevin Leschuk with a goal and other points going to Logan Hawgood,Brett Dallen,and Josh Rasmussen.Sun.Nov.14th the Storm hosted the North Okanogan Knights and came out on top by a score of 2-o for the teams first shutout victory of the season.Leading the way for the Storm were Tyler Jackson with 2 points,Bevin Ollek with 2 points and other points going to Josh rasmussen and Duncan Schultz.The Storm left a cold Kamloops at 6:45 this morning and traveled to beautiful Castlegar BC where the team will face the Rebels tonight and than its off to Nelson tomorrow afternoon to face the Leafs tomorrow night before returning home early Sunday morning.

Nov.6th,7th,10th results and 12-14th games

2010-11-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday night Nov.6th the Kamloops Storm played host to the Penticton Lakers and came away with a 3-1 win over the Lakers.Scoring for the Storm were Josh Rasmussen from Chase Edwards, and Logan Hawgood,Bevin Ollek assisted by Brody Moen and Payton Schaefer,and Kurt Torbohm rounded out the scoring assisted by Jordan Groenheyde and Duncan Schultz.Sunday afternoon Nov.7th the Storm took on the Revelstoke Grizzlies in a game in which half the proceeds from the game went to the Crohns and Colitis fund.The Storm hammered the Grizzlies 5-1.Scoring for the Storm were Brody Moen assisted by Payton Schaefer and Mike Mccance,Brody Moen with his 2nd of the game assisted by Tyler Jackson and Kurt Torbohm,Bevin Ollek assisted by Logan Hawgood and Mike Mccance,Kurt Torbohm assisted Kieran Spice and Duncan Schultz,and rounding out the scoring for the Storm was Payton Schaefer assisted by Brody Moen and Logan Hawgood.All the Storm goals came on the power play.Nov.10th the Kamloops Storm traveled to Penticton to face the Lakers in a rare mid week game for the Storm.Kamloops came out on top defeating the Lakers 2-1.Scoring for the Storm were Tyler Jackson assisted by Duncan schultz and Bevin Ollek and Tyler Jackson assisted by Chase edwards and Mike Mccance.Witht he win the Storm move to 500 on the season.Upcoming action for the Kamloops Storm sees the team travel to Sicamous to face the Eagles fri.Nov.12th and than Sicamous visits the Macarthur Island Sports Center Nov.13th and finally Nov.14th the North Okanogan Knights visit the Sports Center.

Kamloops Storm Oct.29th-Nov.10th

2010-11-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Friday night Oct.29th the Kamloops Storm played host to the Columbia Valley Rockies.The team took Columbia Valley way to lightly and it cost the team as the Rockies hammered the Storm 6-1.Scoring the Storms lone goal was Brett Dallen assisted by Kurt Torbohm and Josh Rasmussen.Saturday afternoon the Storm helped out at the Science Center over on the North Shore for some team bonding than traveled to Armstrong to take on the North Okanogan Knights.The team would get off to a quick start scoring with 2:26 left in the 1st period on a power play goal scored by Tyler Jackson assisted by Chase Edwards and Brody Moen.After 1 period of play the score was 1-0 in favor of the Storm.With 12:35 left in the 2nd period Sheldon Trees would score to make it 2-0 Kamloops with the assists going to Cody Koskimaki and Kieran Spice than with 7:29 left in the 2nd period Brody Moen would score on the power play assisted by Duncan Schultz and Tyler Jackson,than with 4:43 left in the 2nd period Josh Rasmussen would score assisted by Chase Edwards and Brody Moen.After 2 periods the score was Kamloops 4 and North Okanogan 0.With 10:52 left in the 3rd period Kurt torbohm would score on the power play assisted by Tyler Jackson and Duncan Schultz.North Okanogan would score with 3:04 left in regulation time to ruin Lynden Stanwoods shutout bid.Final Score Kamloops 5-and North Okanogan 1.Next action for the Kamloops Storm is a pair of weekend home games Saturday November 6th when the Penticton Lakers come to town and Sunday November 7th when the Revelstoke Grizzlies come to town.Sundays game is a charity game in support of Crones and Colitis.Wednesday November 10th the Storm travel to Penticton to take on the Penticton Lakers.Catch all the action on KIJHL.ca.

Storm updates from friday oct.22nd to Saturday Oct.30th

2010-10-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Friday night Oct.22nd the Kamloops Storm traveled to Osooyos to take on the undefeated Osooyos Coyotes.The Storm fell 4-1 to the Coyotes.The Storms lone goal came on the power play scored by Josh Rasmusson assisted by Kurt Torbalm and Duncan Schultz,for Torbalm that was his first point as a Kamloops Storm and than Saturday night Oct.23rd the Storm were home to the Beaver Valley Night Hawks.The Storm were down to the Night Hawks 3-0 9:45 to go in the second when Chase Edwards scored assisted by Mike Mccance,than a minute 15 later the Storm scored again this foal scored by Kurt Torbalm assisted by Duncan Schultz and Bevin Ollek.After 2 periods the sore was Beaver Valley 4 and Kamloops 2.With 13:20 left in the 3rd period Chase Edwards would score his second goal of the evening to make it 4-3 Beaver Valley assited by Josh Rasmusson and Duncan Schultz and than with 10:10 left in regulation time Tyler Jackson would score on the power play to tie the game 4-4 assisted by Mike Mccance and Chase Edwards.After regulation time the score was tied 4-4,there was no scoring in the 4 on 4 overtime period and than with 3:32 left in the 3 on 3 overtime period Mike Mccance would score the game winner assisted by tyler Jackson.Final score was 5-4 Kamloops.Sunday Oct.24th the Kamloops Storm played host to the Sicamous Eagles,the Storm would score 24 seconds into the hockey game on a goal scored by Bevin Ollek assisted by Duncan Schultz and Chase Mcleod than with 14 minutes left in the 1st period the Storm would score a goal scored by Chase Edwards assisted by Payton Schaefer and Brody Moen,Kamloops would score with 9:13 left in the 1st period on a goal by Kurt Torbalm assisted by Logan Hawgood.Kamloops would make it 4-0 with 8:36 left in the 1st period on a goal scored by Sheldon Trees assisted by Mike Mccance and Brett Dallen,Kamloops would make it 5-0 with 7:27 left in the 1st period on a goal scored by Brody Moen assisted by Chase Edwards and Payton Schaefer.Sicamous would answer with 2 of their own.After 1 period the score was Kamloops 5 and Sicamous 2.Bevin Ollek would score his 2nd of the game on the power play with 10:43 left in the 2nd period to make it 6-2 with assists to Duncan Schultz and Brett Dallen,Chase Edwards would score his 2nd of the game with 10:11 left in the 2nd period assited by Payton Schaefer.Sicamous would answer with 1 of their own.After 2 periods the score was 7-3 for Kamloops,Sicamous would score 2 goals in the 3rd period to make the Final score 7-5 in favor of the Storm.Next action for the Kamloops Storm is Friday night Oct.29th when the team plays host to the Columbia Valley Rockies,than on Saturday night Oct.30th the Kamloops Storm travel to Armstrong to take on the North Okanogan Knights.Happy Halloween everyone.

storm from fri 0ct.15th-Sunday Oct.24th

2010-10-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Friday night Oct.15th the Kamloops Storm traveled to Sicamous to face the Eagles in front of 40 fans of which 30 of them were Storm fans.The team was trailing 1-0 with a minute left in the first period when Tyler Jackson scored to tie the game at 1-1 and than the storm scored 4-straight goals in the second period and to start the 3rd period to make the score 5-1 for the Storm.Sicamous would add a goal late in regulation to make the final score 5-2 Kamloops.Friday Oct.22nd the Kamloops Storm travel to Osooyos to face the Osooyos Coyotes than Saturday the 23rd the team plays host to the Beaver Valley Night Hawks and than Sunday Oct.24th the team plays host to the Sicamous Eagles to conclude a 3 games in 3 nights weekend.I will have an update Oct.25th or Oct.26th at the latest.

thanksgiving weekend

2010-10-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Oct.9th and 10th the Kamloops Storm played 2 games Oct.9th the Storm traveled to Rutland to take on the Kelowna Chiefs the Storm led 2-1 after 2 periods but than gave the game away in the 3rd period letting Kelowna score 3 unanswered goals in a 4-2 win for the Chiefs.Sunday Oct.10th saw the Storm play host to the Sicamous Eagles and the 2 teams were tied 1-1 before Sicamous would score 3 unanswered goals to defeat the Storm 4-1.Next action for the Kamloops Storm is Oct.15th when the team travels to Sicamous to play the Eagles.Catch all the action on KIJHL.ca.I will post again next week.Happy Thanksgiving to all the fans and the billets,volunteers,staff,players and parents of the Kamloops Storm.

Oct.1st &2nd

2010-10-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

Friday night October 1st saw the Storm face the Penticton Lakers and the Lakers defeat teh Storm 4-1.Last night the Storm traveled to Armstrong to face the North Okanogan Knights and the Storm caught the Nights off guard handing them a 4-1 defeat.Scoring for the Storm were Ryan Skinner on the powerplay,Josh Rasmusson with his first of the season,Tyler Jackson on the powerplay and Duncan schultz with a howitzer on the power play.Next action for the Storm is Saturday night October 9th when teh team travels to Kelowna to face the Chiefs and than Sunday Oct.10th the tem plays host to the Sicamous Eagles.Catch all the action live on KIJHL.ca.Your comments are appreciated but keep them clean.

2010-09-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Last night Sept.29th the Kamloops Storm traveled to Sicamous to face the Eagles and came out flat in a disappointing 4-0 loss to the Eagles.Witht he win the Eagles move into a tie for last place in the confrence.

kamloops storm sept.24th-26th 2010/2011

2010-09-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Friday nigth in Princeton the Storm fell 5-2 to the Posse,Saturday night in Revelstoke the Storm fell 6-3 to the Grizzlies and Sunday afternoon the Storm lost a heartbreaker 5-4 in overtime to the Grizzlies at Mac Island arena.Penaltys cost the team all weekend as Revelstoke burned the team for 7 power play goals and Princeton scored 2 power play goals on the team.Perhaps the highlight from Saturday night in revelstoke from a Storm perspective has to be the fact that 17 year old Chase Mcleod danced with revelstoke heavy weight Dayton Martens in a spirited scrap.Next action for the Storm see the team travel to Sicamous tomorrow night and than the team is home tot he Penticton Lakers on Friday night and in Armstrong to face the North Okanogan Knights on Saturday night.Catch a ll the action on KIJHL.ca.

kamloops storm 2010/2011

2010-09-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

After 2 weeks of the regular season in which the Kamloops Storm has played the 5 home games the Storm have a record of 2 wins and 2 losses and a overtime loss.Through those games Fernie defeated the Storm in the home opener 6-1 on 4 power play goals,the following night the Storm skated to a 5-1 victory over the Princeton Posse and than on the Sunday the Storm lost 3-2 in double overtime.This past weekend on September 17th Spokane came to town and defeated the Storm 4-2 and than the following night September 18th the Storm put the boots to the Kelowna Chiefs 7-4.This coming weekend sees the Storm going on the road for the first time this year with games Friday night in Princeton,Saturday night in Revelstoke and than the team is home to Revelstoke in the back half of a home and home series.Sundays game on the 26th of September is in support of the British Columbia childrens hospital half the proceeds from the game go to support the BC childrens hospital.Storm players are out at all the Coopers locations and the Save On location in Kamloops.Catch all the action from this coming weekends games on KIJHL.ca.

Keystone Cup -Scoreboard

2010-04-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Catch up with the scores the Keystone Cup site.

http://www.keystonecup.ca/leagues/todays_scores.cfm?clientID=3233&leagueID=8511

2010 Keystone Cup - Kamloops, BC

2010-04-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Keystone Cup - Click Here

Hosted by the Kamloops Storm Hockey Team of the KIJHL.

Just click on the heading and it will take you to the Keystone Cup site. Everything you need to know.

WOLFPACK HOCKEY TO PLAY PAIR OF EXHIBITIONS VS KAMLOOPS STORM

2010-03-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

Both Teams Filling Time to Stay Sharp Before Next Series

For Release: March 4, 2010

Kamloops, BC--- The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack hockey team is gearing up for their first BC Intercollegiate Hockey League Playoffs. The Kamloops Storm are preparing to host the Keystone Cup Western Canadian Junior “B” Championship.

With some time on their hands, both teams have solved a problem of keeping in’game shape’.

The two squads will hold a pair of exhibition games against each other. The first will be Saturday March 13 th at Memorial Arena. The second will be Monday March 15 th at the McArthur Island Sports Center.

“ As the end of our regular season approached I was worried about the 2 and a half week break between our last regular season game and our first playoff game Mar 18 against UFV,” said WolfPack Head Coach Chris Hans. “ Our travel budget has been considerable this year and wanted to avoid travel for exhibition. When the Storm were eliminated from playoffs I posed the exhibition games to Barry Dewar (Storm owner/GM) whose team is facing a longer layoff than ours. "

The result was the arranging of the two games.

This is just the latest chapter in what is proving to be a growing and positive relationship between the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League team and the WolfPack.

“We support the WolfPack hockey team in many ways not the least is by attending their events whenever possible,” says Dewar.” David Gore, Jassi Sangha, Jose Reyes, Mick Ludvig, Joel Leonard and Cody Lockwood are a big part of the Wolfpack just like they were with the Storm . We are so proud of them, almost like they were my own kids. I see two or three of this years team playing for the Wolfpack next year, and perhaps another 6 or 7 when they are ready to attend college and their junior careers are over.”

“Barry has been supportive and helpful with the TRU Hockey program since its inception and I hope that these games help the Storm as much as they will help us.” Says Hans. “I also hope to get some recruiting in as we show the graduating Storm players the level of competition in the BCIHL. “

Dewar says he is a bit concerned with the age difference (the Storm have some 15 year old players). But Hans believes it won’t be a problem. “ We are using these games a tune up to playoffs and I will move a few players in and out of the lineup to get an idea who is ready for our playoffs. “

By all indications, both games will be exciting. Says Dewar: “I think the game will add some excitement for both teams in preparation for a championship run. The Wolfpack are highly skilled and motivated and the Storm will rise to the challenge. “

Hans adds: “Thanks should go out to the Storm because these games are coming at a very important time for us and hopefully will help us be as prepared as possible for BCIHL playoffs. “

Game times are 9:15 pm on March 13 th at Memorial and 7 pm Monday March 15 th at Mac Isle.

The Doyle Group is a Proud Sponsor of the Kamloops Storm

Chase Chiefs Take Series Over Kamloops Storm

2010-02-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

Kamloops Storm Now Has 6 Weeks to Regroup for Keystone Cup

After looking like they were going to make a series of it, the Kamloops Storm struggled to stop the Chase Chiefs offense in the second half of game 4 and were sent to the showers after falling 6-3 and losing the series 3 games to one.

The Storm started off well, particularly AP Morgan Zulinick, who showed some real chemistry with line-mates Rylee Orr and Alessio Tomassetti, had posted a hat-trick (and all of the Storms goals for the evening) in the first half of the game. But it was the Chase Chiefs who wouldn't quit in the long run. They kept fighting back, not allowing Kamloops to gain more than a one goal advantage at any time during the game.

Jordan Wood, the Chiefs hero from Game 3 (tied the score late in the game to force overtime) led his team with a 2 goal effort. The other hero from Game 3, Ian Grant (overtime winner) also scored along with Tyson Bentley, Jordie Cool and Scott Renner.

There were some interesting scratches on both teams. Riley Wall, the starting goaltender for for the previous game, sat after Jordan Bytelaar came in and carried the team to the overtime win in Game 3. Bytelaar played very well in game 4 and deserved the win. Also for Chase, veteran Colten DeFrias was a healthy scratch. Colten missed most of the season with a broken arm and it looked like he was struggling to catch up on the skills end of the game. In game 3 he asserted himself as a pest but (and I am just guessing) I would assume the Chase coaching staff didn't want to risk the extra penalty factor that hemay have brought to the game. I'm sure that he will see more ice time in the next series.

The Kamloops Storm made Gary Rai a healthy scratch in Game 4, which was a significant surprise. Rai, a talented forward who can score goals has shown a tendency to lose interest during a game and show little effort in working both ways. Some games he's been very good in both ends. Perhaps the coaching staff thought that they could get through without Rai's offensive upside... they are possibly rethinking that since it was only an AP (Zulinick) that seemed to be able twitch the red light.

As was evident for a long time, the Storm simply just didn't have the horses. The defense was young, lacking a real quarterback on the power play. Mike McCance, the only real veteran on the back end did the best that he could but he needed a little more mature and skilled help to give goaltender Anthony Manfredi the support that was required to succeed on a regular basis. The young d-men, DeFrias, Hawgood and Skinner all improved immensely during the season but it really wasn't enough. They will be stalwarts for their teams next year as they gain strength, speed and mental maturity. The forwards were just as impotent. There are guys that give you 100% every game, win or lose and some that don't... they know who they are. The bottom line was that the team really didn't have the top end skill combined with a consistent work ethic like they have had in earlier years. No one emerged as a go-to guy or unit to score a goal when you really needed one.

Chase starts their next series tonight in Revelstoke against the overwhelming favorite Grizzlies. Revelstoke finished 20 points ahead of the Chiefs during the regular season.

The Storm now have a 6 week break before the start of the Keystone Cup. If everyone hangs around, there is plenty of time to work on things and plenty of time to get healthy... the only thing missing will be competition. Let's hope that the coaching staff and the players can get on the same page by that time so that they can give a commendable effort in the tournament. I don't think anyone is expecting any miracles but a solid effort would be a nice way to repay the fans who have supported the team, not only this year but for past years too.

We will be using the blog to give periodic updates from the league and perhaps from the other leagues and provinces competing for the Keystone.

I apologize for the the delay in getting this last report out as I took advantage of an opportunity to be in Vancouver for the olympic showdown between Russian and Canada.

I would also thank most of the people who contributed their comments. For the first time in 4 years we have had to censor one idiot who couldn't take the hint that slamming everyone within arms length isn't a sport and eventually is not worthy of publication. Your opinions are important and controversy is expected. It's what makes it all interesting however when the only goal is to drag everyone else into the shit pit then we are proud to exercise our right to flush.

Stay tuned, the hockey season isn't finished yet.

DaveO

Chase Win 4-3 in OT

2010-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Storm Needs Big Win Tonight to Survive

It's a short series and the Chase Chiefs have gained back the momentum in the series with a gutsy 4-3 Double OT win at the Mac Island Sports and Events Centre in Kamloops last night.

With a handsome crowd in attendance, the two teams put on a hockey display that would make any mother proud. It was a reasonably clean game with a few cheap shots thrown out by individuals on both teams. Kamloops goaltender, Anthony Manfredi faced a barrage of shots (62 in total) and came up big all night. The Chase Chiefs on the other hand, seemed to struggle in goal. Starting goaltender, Riley Wall saved a lot of shots but had trouble holding on to the puck and/or giving up rebounds. After Kamloops' 3rd goal (to go ahead), coach Brad Faux had had enough, pulled Wall and but in Jordan Bytelaar who did an outstanding job in shutting the down the Storm for the rest of the 3rd period and in the overtime periods. Well enough to get the win and a 2-1 series lead.

Possibly the best player on the ice for the evening was Chiefs captain, Kyle Fraser who ended up with 3 assists on the night and on the ice for all 4 goals for. Other than Manfredi, the Storm got solid performances from Duncan Schultz, who has elevated his game, Jason Alessio, Rylee Orr and Bevin Ollek.

The overtime periods were the most exciting play that we have seen for a while. It was back and forth like a ping-pong game with neither goaltender giving anything up. About half way through the 2nd overtime period, it was becoming evident on how tired the teams were get and you knew that it was just a matter of time. Sure enough, with 3:37 left in the 2nd overtime period, unsung forward Ian Grant slipped the puck past a sprawling Manfredi to seal the win.

Game 4 is tonight, 7 pm at the Mac Island Sport Centre... If the Storm win, it's back to Chase's barn on Wednesday. If Chase wins they will be opening up the 2nd round in Revelstoke (either team will end up playing Revelstoke as Sicamous and the Princeton Posse are slated to meet in the next round as the Eagles disposed of the Penticton Lakers on 3 straight games.

Win or lose this series... the Storm will still be participating in the Keystone Cup in April at the Mac Island Sports Centre.

Kamloops Notes:

Cody Jules was a healthy scratch.

Mitch Lutz has decided to pack it in... apparently not happy with his ice time.

Brett DeFrias played a little forward the other night in Chase... there were just too many D-men dressed and he was given the opportunity to develop a few offensive skills. It doesn't sound like the team will need him there anymore with the departure of Lutz.

Keystone Cup tickets are available at the Storm office... $100 for the whole tournament... 250-376-0990.

Kamloops Storm Steals Game 2 in Chase

2010-02-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

Series Tied 1-1 Coming Back to Mac Island Sports Centre

Game 1 - Chase wins 2-1 in 3rd Period Comeback

The Storm played a solid game in Chase on Friday night but it was their lack of discipline that got them into penalty trouble in the 3rd period that eventually cost them the game. Jason Alessio, perhaps the Storms most consistent two-way forward all year, scored in the first period on the power play to put Kamloops up 1-0 and it held up until almost half way through the 3rd period when Devin Hobbs finally put the puck past an outstanding Anthony Manfredi.

A couple of minutes later it was Bevin Ollek taking a tripping penalty and sure enough, the Chiefs finally made good on their power play that went 1 for 10 on the PP for the evening. Although the penalty killing units + Manfredi operated at top efficiency, something had to give at some time.

Chase goaltender Riley Wall also had an outstanding game, stopping 41 of 42 shots and earning the first star of the evening. Devin Hobbs, who had 1 goal and 1 assist was the 2nd star. Manfredi
earned 3rd star accolades for his 35 saves.

The Storm's new co-coach Tyler Liebel was watching the game from the sidelines after being suspended for some verbal abuse he doled out in the 10-3 embarrassment in Revelstoke last weekend.

Boxscore

Game 2 - Kamloops Storm Win 7-4

It was the Storms power play, including 3 in the first period that put them in the drivers seat in game 2. It was a wide open 1st period with a total of 6 goals but it was Kamloops who led 4-2 going into the intermission. The Chiefs were guilty of giving up 5 power play opportunities to their arch rivals who really put it to them.

The teams both lost their discipline in the 2nd period when 10 minor penalties were called and each team capitalized once on the PP and once each at even strength. The score after two periods was 6-4 for the Storm.

Both teams came out playing hockey instead of hacky in the 3rd period and the goaltenders turned it up a notch stopping every shot taken. The only goal scored was by Duncan Schultz who scored an unassisted marker into an open net.

Alessio Tomassetti had the big game for the Storm, coming up with the opening goal and then following up with 3 assists. Tomassetti is another player that has laid it all out on the line for the Storm since he arrived late in the season and has been a visible leader in all aspects of the game.

3 Stars.... #1 Tomassetti (Kamloops- 1G 3A), #2 Rylee Orr (Kamloops - 2A), #3 Brandon Briere (Chase Chiefs)

Boxscore

Game 3 & 4 - Mac Island Sports Centre - Feb 22-23, 2010 - Tickets available at the Door... See you there or watch to the game on the KIJHL.ca Webcast.

Kamloops Storm Win Big At Home Finale

2010-02-13T22:57:00.000-08:00

The Power Play Comes up BIG!!!

It was the Revelstoke Grizzlies who struck first but the Kamloops Storm, with new bench boss, Tyler Liebel, scoring 5 consecutive goals including 4 power play goals to defeat the division leaders 5-1 at the Mac Island Centre on Saturday night in Kamloops.

It was a spirited 1st period with the Grizzlies scoring one power-play goal by Brad Friedrich to lead 1-0 after one. Revelstoke held the play advantage and outshot Kamloops 13-9. Veteran Storm forward, Taylor Stuart was tossed early in the period for a hit-from-behind. It was one of those mistakes that didn't have to happen.

The second period played out a little differently. Although out-shot 12-9, the Storm played one of it's strongest periods of the year when the broke out scoring 4 goals including 3 consecutive power play goals to lead 4-1 after two. It was an impressive effort that saw Ryan Skinner score an even strength goal, putting the puck past Revelstoke goaltender Cole Buckley.
Then the power-play took over. Gary Rai scored his first of 2 for the evening on a deflection in front of the net then Bevin Ollek scored a similar goal less than 3 minutes later. Cory Huppe finished off the flurry with a pretty feed from Alessio Tomassetti.

In the 3rd period the Grizzlies flirted with danger again taking the first 2 penalties of the 3rd period and the Storm took advantage of the second infractions with the 2nd goal of the evening for Gary Rai when he let a rising wrist shot go above the glove of the Grizzlies goaltender.

It was definitely the best home ice performance by the Storm since about early November. They showed discipline when needed, worked hard and although their shots on goal totaled only 29, the team seemed to be shooting more often, rather than waiting for the perfect shot. It was refreshing to see the 'jump' back.

New co-coach Tyler Liebel didn't take long to get into things as he had a few jawing sessions with both the referee and Revelstoke coach, Troy Mick.

It was a pretty good crowd and everyone home with a free pizza coupon from Domino's.

Kamloops will end up in 5th spot and will meet arch-rival Chase Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs. It will be a short 3 out of 5 series with the first 2 games are in Chase, starting Friday Feb 19 and 20. Game 3 will be back in Kamloops on Monday Feb 22 and if required, Feb 23. The 5th game of the series, if required, will be back in Chase on Wed, Feb 24.

Liebel Steps in as Bench Boss

2010-02-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

Hawgood Stays on as Co-Coach

After days of speculation, the coaching situation with the Kamloops Storm has ironed itself out for the moment. A string of poor efforts and points lost forced the hand of Barry Dewar to do what he didn't really want to do... bring on a new coach.

Coming on board to share duties with Greg Hawgood and Don Schultz is 27 year old Tyler Liebel from Osoyoos, BC. Tyler has played in the BCHL, NCAA as an amateur and professionally in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the Central Hockey League (CHL). He has spent the last bunch of summers running the training camps for the rep teams in Osoyoos.

Although he sports a limited coaching resume, Tyler will bring a level of enthusiasm that this team badly needs. If he coaches like he played he will demand a heart-and-soul type of play from the players. No nights off, no favorites, no excuses.

It was good to see Hawgy stay on board. He has a wealth of playing experience and possesses some of the best skating and shooting skills in the business to share with the players that are smart enough to learn from him.

Assistant coach, Brent Fritz will be leaving the team to fulfill a firefighting school obligation in Texas. Good Luck Brent... hope you get a chance to listen in on the rest of the games this season.

Storm Lose 2 on the Weekend

2010-02-08T21:29:00.000-08:00

Rumours of Coaching Change Circulate

It was a tough weekend for the Kamloops Storm. On Friday night they visited the last place North Okanagan Knights in Enderby and took it on the chin, losing 5-4 in regulation. With Saturday being a resting day you would think that the team would be re-charged for their Sunday matinee game at the Mac Park Centre against the dreaded Princeton Posse but such was not the case.

For the first couple of minutes of the game the Storm controlled the play but on 12 seconds into a Mitch Lutz penalty for holding, the Princeton Posse scored their first goal from Danny Hillman and the rout was on. Six minutes later, the Storm got their first power play and promptly coughed the puck up at the offensive blueline (which has been a bad habit lately) when Chase Salisbury poked the puck around Jordan Wilkins and made a nice feed to Dayton Shaw who buried his first goal of the game, a nice short-handed goal over the glove of Storm goaltender Anthony Manfredi.

Just 1:28 later, Storm forward Gary Rai got caught stickhandling as the last man back in his own zone. Ben Morgan picked his pocket and promptly put the puck over the same glove hand as the previous goal. Manfredi was livid (justifiably so) and was pulled in favour of newly signed goaltender, Alex Christiansen, who didn't fare much better. With 4:13 left in the period the Posse capitalized on another power play on a goal by Evan Stack and the score was now 4-0.

It was at this time that the Storm finally showed an ounce of pride and started to fight back. At 17:16 Gary Rai made up for his earlier blunder by finishing off a spectacular effort by Duncan Schultz to put the Storm's first goal on the board. Then, 47 seconds later on the same shift, Schultz potted one on a some good work by Bevin Ollek... the team had life and went into the intermission trailing only by 2 and on the power play to start the 2nd period.

Riding on the momentum from their flurry at the end of the 1st period, the Storm came out buzzing and managed to score their 3rd goal in a row. Brett DeFrias let a low slapper go after Tyler Jackson slid a smooth pass back to the point. The crowd was now back into the game but the euphoria wouldn't last long.

The Posse, refusing to break under the onslaught turned the period around by scoring 2 goals of their own before the end of the period and went into the 2nd intermission with a 6-3 lead.

It was Anthony Manfredi returning to the net for the 3rd period. I guess the coaching staff figured that it wasn't the goaltending costing them the game and if they were to going to make a run of it, Manfredi would be their guy.

Didn't work.

The Posse came out "storming" in the 3rd period and scored 2 goals in the first 5:o8 of the period and virtually cruised to an 8-3 shellacking of the Kamloops squad. There were a few scuffles in frustration before the game ended but the scoreboard spoke for itself. This was a humiliation and the boys knew it.

SCOREBOARD

The next and last regular season home game is next Saturday, Feb 13, against the Division leading Revelstoke Grizzlies.

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Coaching Rumours...

There were rumours flying around after the game that coach Greg Hawgood had been dismissed by team owner and GM Barry Dewar. I managed to contact Barry today (Monday) and he had a slightly different story.
Assistant coach Brent Fritz has to leave for a firefighter training course in Texas and Barry had managed to find someone competent enough to fill in and work with Hawgood. The new guy was going to be designated as a co-coach and apparently this didn't sit well with Hawgood and he felt that he was being fired. Dewar has denied that he had fired Hawgood but at the time we talked, he said that he did not know what the status of his coach would be by the end of the day.

We will keep you posted.

With the playoffs on the horizon and the Keystone Cup later in April, it's scary to think that this team, the way that they are playing now, will be anything more than pylons for the provincial champions of the 5 most western provinces who will be here to make their claim on the championship. We all hope that someone or something can change things for the better.

Fans Prefer "No Change" Icing Rule

2010-02-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

The poll is over and the fans have had their say.

Out of 45 votes, 30 (or 66%) or the fans feel that it would be beneficial for the KIJHL to institute the "no change" rule on icings.

Thank you to every one who voted.

Kamloops Storm Digs in Deep

2010-01-31T07:53:00.000-08:00

For Come-From-Behind Win Over the Lakers

Saturday night's tilt between the Kamloops Storm and the Penticton Lakers at the Mac Island Sport Centre took place in the smaller NHL ice venue and the Storm were able to do something they haven't done for a while... come from behind and take the much needed win.

The game started out looking like another head shaker in the first period. Although the Storm out-shot the visiting Lakers 16-11, defensive errors proved costly as the Lakers were able to split the defense twice to beat Anthony Manfredi for two goals. Brendan Persley scored his first of two as he split the Kamloops rear-guards and put one high up over Storm goaltender Anthony Manfredi while the Lakers 2nd goal, off the hands of Lars Hepso, was strikingly similar. To compound their woes, the Storm managed to hit the iron twice during the period with the puck choosing to favour the Lakers. The prognosis after the first period wasn't bright.

The Storm seemed to tighten up their defensive play in the 2nd period and continued to pressure the Lakers offensively, hemming them in their own zone and forcing the play to the net. Their tenaciousness paid off. Late in the period, the Storm connected on 2 goals to pull temporarily even on the scoreboard 2-2. Reliable Tyler Jackson started it off on a pretty 3-way-passing-play with Bevin Ollek and Taylor Stuart to beat Penticton netminder Kenny Quinn. Just over a minute later Rylee Orr deflected a low point shot from Brett DeFrias to tie the score... there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. However, that light was short live as a defensive error again caused a 2 on 1 break and Persley again buried one past Manfredi with 2:24 left in the period to take a 3-2 lead into the 2nd intermission.

It was now gut check time. After fighting back and then losing the lead in the previous period the Storm players were looking for some answers... would they reinforce their will to claw back to win the game or would they go through the 3rd period looking at the glass half empty. It didn't take long to distinguish which way they would choose.

The Storm came out flying in the 3rd period, exerting a lot of pressure in the Penticton zone and generally controlling the play. With only 1:35 gone in the period, the Lakers Nick Beisher took a tripping penalty on Gary Rai and the Storm connected on the the PP to draw even at 3-3. Beven Ollek completed a sweet passing play by Duncan Schultz to Jackson who shot through a crowd and left a juicy rebound for the 6' 5" forward who has proved all year that he can score in close to the net.

Just a minute and 43 seconds later, it was Riley Orr who buried his second goal of the evening beating Quinn on the open side, completing a crisp passing play with Alessio Tomassetti and Jason Alessio who did some marvelous work deep in the Penticton zone. It was the Storm's first lead of the game and that's the way the game ended. Penticton lost their "giddy-up" that put them ahead early in the game and Anthony Manfredi closed the door on any additional chances that came their way.

The fans went home happy with the coaches and players gave a sigh of relief with the result of their comeback effort.

McDonald's 3 Stars:

1) Rylee Orr - 2 goals, including GW
2) Allessio Tomassetti - 2 assists (8 points in 4 games since joining the Storm)
3) Brendan Persley - 2 goals, 1 asst (possibly the best player on the ice this evening)

Boxscore

Next home game... Sunday Feb 7 vs the Princeton Posse.

storm moves

2010-01-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Kamloops Storm signed 20 year old forward Alessio Tomassetti and 19 year old goaltender Alex Christianson.Christianson played half of last season with the storm and is looking forward to coming back helping the team succeed.Tomassetti reminds people that have seen him play of David Gore from last years team.

Fans of Medvescak Bears

2010-01-18T03:31:00.000-08:00

Croatian Fans Exhibit Rabid Team Loyalty

After seeing 2 games here in Zagreb, Croatia, it is quite apparent that the fans of the Medvescak Bears are a proud and loyal group. The 7000 seat arena, many clad in team paraphernalia was packed to the rafters for both games this past weekend as their Bears have now won 4 games in a row (the first time all season) and have climbed from 8th place to 6th place in the competitive Erte Bank Liga here in Eastern Europe.

The Erste Bank Liga is now an expanded Austrian League which includes 6 teams from Austria, 2 in Slovenia, 1 in Hungary and the Bears here in Medvescak. The league has many top players from the local countries but generally, the stars are imports from North America. Each team seems to be laced with ex-NHL'ers, AHL'ers and draft pics that found their niche over here. The league also attracts former NHL coaches like Salzberg's Pierre Paget and Medvescak's Ted Sator.

But it is the fans that make the experience unforgettable. They remind me somewhat of the Kamloops Blazer Fans back in the old Memorial Arena when they packed the barn to the rafters, smoking was allowed in the the bowels of the building, Crazy Stu worked people into a frenzy and the fans were allowed to show their loyalty with noise makers and seat stompers. Each game is a event, every goal is a celebration of song. It's quite refreshing. The fans seem to have a reasonable knowledge of the game and appreciation for some of the finer points of both offensive and defensive strategy.

The most inspiring display of team appreciation occurs at the end of each home game. Unlike North American fans who rush out with 3 minutes left in a game to avoid a traffic jam, these rabid fans don't leave until the team returns to the ice to acknowledge the crowd with an encore wave and a cruise around the glass for some high fives. The bar, located in the arena stays open long after the final whistle and is a focal point for fans, team personnel and players to meet after the game.

Over the next week, we (my wife and I ) will be following the team on the road. Today we take a 3hour drive to Hungary for a game tonight. The team will return back to Zagreb, Croatia after the game. Most teams in the league are within a reasonable driving distance so very few nights are spent in hotels. This week will be an exception as the team will later travel to Salzberg, Austria (of Sound of Music fame) and then a game in Slovenia two days later... it will be their only multiple night road trip of the season.

There is a 9 hr time difference between here and Kamloops. I did manage to catch part of each Storm game (thanks to the internet).

tidbit... I was talking to the coach (Sator) about Kamloops and he asked me about this kid who used to play for him in Boston... Greg Hawgood... I was happy to say that he was alive and well living in Kamloops and coaching the Storm... A big hello Greg, from Ted.

good luck to the Storm this upcoming week... we will posting again before we return to Kamloops for the home game on Jan 29...

here is a post goal celebration... my apologies for the clarity of the video... it was my first attempt with the camera that I have... notice the blue haze... just about everyone smokes... they can't smoke in the stands but the concourse areas are so full of cigarette smoke that it just seeps into the play area... the players notice it when they play... ugh!

split this weekend

2010-01-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

this past weekend the storm played the sicamous eagles in sicamous on friday night and came out with a 3-2 win in ot,however saturday at home in front of a noisy crowd the team lost 4-2 to the penticton lakers next action for the storm is friday night at home and saturday night at home i will have an update from practice on wednesday.

Trade Deadline Looms

2010-01-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

Dewar Looking Hard for Reinforcements for Keystone Cup Bound Storm

With only hours left until the junior hockey trade deadline, Kamloops Storm owner and GM, Barry Dewar has a half a dozen cards left to wheel and deal with. According to Barry last night at the Mac Island Sport Centre, he has 2 players on the line to sign today. He said during our 1st period intermission interview that he was looking for guys to fill spots in at forward, defense and a 3rd quality goaltender for the playoff run.

The deadline is for acquiring players that are carded elsewhere. There is an additional month available to sign players that are not carded (free agents) in any league that are sitting around waiting for a phone call.

Barry was pretty tight lipped about any potential signings so we will have to wait until Monday to find out any moves he makes.

I'll be taking a break from broadcasting and blogging the Storm games. Mike Potestio and Barry Dewar are expected to pick up the slack for the next 3 home games as I will be touring Eastern Europe watching my son play in the Austrian Professional League... stay tuned to this blog as I will submit some updates while we tour Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary (providing that I have decent internet access).

I expect that team asst trainer Jeremy Salamandyk will provide updates on Storm games while I'm away.

We will be back for the home game against the North Okanagan Knights on Jan 30.

the KamloopsStormWriter

Kamloops Storm Slide in New Year

2010-01-10T10:21:00.001-08:00

Charity Continues Through Holiday Season

The Kamloops Storm just can't seem to gain any momentum and as long as they keep handing out gifts like Santa at Christmas they are getting what they deserve.

It was a long night at the Mac Island Sports Centre where the 2nd place Sicamous Eagles made the first visit to Kamloops in the new year. And the Storm were perfect hosts.

After taking a 5-2 pounding in Chase on Friday, the Storm came out with some zing at home on Saturday night at home. The first and 2nd periods were close with Sicamous goaltender Tyler Steel and Storm tender, Anthony Manfredi both displaying their talents. The Eagles held a 1-0 first period lead on a power play goal by Quinn Rempel, his first of 2 for the evening.

In the 2nd period, Kamloops came out flying but could not bury the biscuit until they found themselves down 2-0, courtesy of a give-away beside the Kamloops net where Andrew Nunn jumped on a loose puck and stuffed it under Manfredi on the short side. Jason Alessio cut the lead to 2-1 when he buried the puck close in on Steel but it was Bob Turnbull of the Eagles who picked up his own rebound in the Kamloops zone and chipped it past a sprawling Manfredi to make it 3-1.
The last 3.5 minutes of the period were a little frantic. Bevin Ollek buried a rebound on the power-play to make the score 3-2. Then, Jordan Wilkens, who probably played the worst game of his life, took a holding penalty and Quinn Rempel scored his 2nd power play goal of the evening. Finally, with 1:10 left in the period, Alessio popped his 2nd goal of the game and 3rd point of the period to make the score 4-3 going into the 2nd intermission. The Storm ended up out shooting the Eagles in the period 19-13.

It was the 3rd period that proved to be the demise of the Storm. The Eagles came out flying while Storm goaltender Anthony stood on his ear trying to keep the team in the game. Enter the "Big Giveaway". While Kamloops were on the power play, Wilken's was the last man, carrying the puck in his own zone when he got stripped of the puck by Cain Franson who promptly put a move on Manfredi to notch the short-handed goal. Less than 3 minutes later, Wilkens, who didn't learn the first time, committed the same sin again and Daryl Devries of the Eagles slipped another puck by Manfredi to complete the scoring. In both cases, Manfredi was caught sitting in deep in his net trusting his d-man. With both giveaways occurring in the middle slot, Fredi had little time to react and got beaten on a couple of real skilled dekes.

Sitting solidly in 5th spot, if the playoffs were to start today, Kamloops would be playing Chase in the first round.

MacDonald's 3 Stars:

#1 - Cain Franson-Eagles (1G 3A)
#2 - Jason Alessio - Storm (2G 1A)
#3 - Quinn Rempl - Eagles ( 2G)

scoreboard

The Storm started the new year out pretty well. They lost an overtime thriller 4-3 in Princeton on Jan 2 to salvage 1 point and then on Jan 3 they laid a lick'n on the first place Grizzlies, in Revelstoke.
This past Friday night they took a 5-2 pounding at the hands of the Chase Chiefs (who now have Kamloops native Colten Defrias back in the lineup after a long injury recovery).

The All-Star Game is being held in Beaver Valley this coming Tues. Kamloops had 3 players selected to play in the game however only Bevin Ollek and Mike McCance will make the trip to represent the Storm. Centreman Tyler Jackson also had an invite but cannot make the trip for undisclosed reasons. Good luck guys, enjoy the experience.

Kamloops Storm Ends 2 Game Winning Streak

2009-12-20T07:14:00.000-08:00

Lose Ground to Opponents After Loss to the Sicamous Eagles

Things were looking brighter after Friday nights' win over the Chase Chiefs but the Sicamous Eagles made sure that a little piece of Grinch was left on the minds of the Storm players after they handed Kamloops a Merry Xmas loss on home ice last night.

The Storm started off well, capitalizing on their first power play in the 1st period. It was Rylee Orr who capitalized with a sharp angled shot while Eagles goaltender was down and scrambling. Assists went to Duncan Schultz and Gary Rai.

The Eagles, sporting a balanced line-up were not fazed by the early Kamloops goal as they slowly but surely took control of puck possession. On their 2nd power play attempt, late in the the period, it was Cain Franson who scored to tie the game. Shortly after, Kamloops clutch goaltender, Anthony Manfredi, got crossed up behind his own net and ended up giving up the puck to a dangerous Derek Huisman who got it back to the point where Julius Krolik fired a rocket. Manfredi, scrambling to get back into position, made the first save but the Eagles Daryl Devries was their to bury the rebound and take a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd period. Sicamous outshot Kamloops 21-7 in the first period.

The Storm, although a little deflated after the sloppy goal in the 1st period, came out buzzing to start the 2nd and took advantage of an early power play opportunity. It was Gary Rai setting up Taylor Stuart from the behind the net with Stuart finishing it off with a quick shot to beat Eagles goaltender, Tyler Steel. With the game tied at 2, the two teams played back and forth hockey, the kind that was indicative of the score. But it was late in the period when it looked like Kamloops had "hit the wall" so to speak, floundering around in their own end. With numerous chances to get the puck out of the zone the Storm players on the ice looked exhausted and couldn't clear the biscuit. Finally with a costly turnover in front of the net and some slick maneuvering by Daryl Devries and the slick Derek Huisman , Jordan Hynes scored with 10.5 seconds left on the clock to take a 3-2 lead into the 2nd intermission. This appeared to be the "TSN turning point" of the game.

The 3rd period produced only one goal, that from the stick of captain Aaron Buat on a 3-way precision passing play with linemates Scott Fellnermeyer and Jared Tenvaanholt. The Storm pressured occasionally but goaltender Tyler Steel held the fort and the Eagles got their Xmas cheer with a 4-2 road win at the Mac Island Sport Centre.

On the injury front... Duncan Schultz left after the first period with a lower body injury. He did not return the game.

The loss leaves the Storm 2 points behind Chase and Princeton (teams the defeated in the past week) and all alone in 5th spot in the division. Chase shut out Penticton 4-0 while Princeton man-handles the Grand Forks Border Bruins, 5-1.

The Christmas Break is now upon us and the Storm will be on the road to start the new year taking on Princeton, Revelstoke and Chase before returning home to face the Sicamous Eagles again on January 9th.

Have a Happy Holiday Season where ever you are and we will see you in the New Year.

Peter and Leanne wish all the fans of the Kamloops Storm

a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!

Rai Scores Two

2009-12-19T10:14:00.000-08:00

As Manfredi Holds the Fort!

Gary Rai extended his point scoring streak to 6 games as he popped 2 goals, including the winner in the second period, to lead the team to their 2nd victory this week as the Kamloops Storm beat arch-rival Chase Chiefs 4-1 in Friday night action. But it was goaltender Anthony Manfredi who stood on his ear and made save after miraculous save in the Kamloops net to help his team the victory and a first star selection.

It was a very good game with the ebb and flow going back and forth. The Chiefs sent a barrage of shots (46) at Manfredi but had a heck of a time trying to figure him out. It may have been the best home performance by Manfredi this year. At the other end, Chiefs goaltender Riley Wall had a pretty good game and made some great saves himself but it seemed like 'one of those nights' that had the pucks just squeeking by him. Wall made 25 saves on 29 shots.

Taylor Stuart was the dominant playmaker as he set up Rai for both his goals. Stuart made brilliant passes to set up Rai for the easy goals. This combo could be a real force down the road and into the playoffs as Rai is now starting to perform as the player he was expected to be. Stuart just keeps getting better all the time as his skating has improved tremendously and his hands have softened enough to be a huge contributor on the score sheet (competition beware... his hands haven't softened enough to not pummel even the toughest of physical challengers).

Ty Jackson opened the scoring late in the first period, a result of some good work by line-mates Bevin Ollek and Jason Allesio. Rai scored 2 goals in the 2nd period along with another marker by Riley Orr to complete the Kamloops scoring. Jordan Wood scored on the power-play in the 3rd period to put Chase on the board and spoil an otherwise perfect performance by Manfredi.

I liked that coach Greg Hawgood mixed the lines, especially separating Ollek and Rai. Both these guys like to do their work close in to the goaltender and they didn't seem to mesh in previous games as suspected. It also took away from the play of Jason Allesio who didn't seem to see the puck enough to work his magic. I personally liked the line of Allesio, Jackson and Ollek... I hope that we see it again.

Kolten Moen was back after a short absence (not sure what it was) and played a good game. The only regular starter out right now is Brett Defrias with an upper body injury and is not expected back until the new year.

The Sicamous Eagles are in town tonight for another important divisional match-up as the Storm attemptes to climb back up in the standings. After last nights' win, the Storm are tied with Chase and the Princeton Posse for 3rd in the division. All these teams are playing tonight and it appears that Kamloops has the toughest game. Chase hosts the 6th place Penticton Lakers while Princeton hosts the Grand Forks Border Bruins who have the worst record in the entire KIJHL with only 3 wins and 7 points so far for the season.

the boxscore

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McCance, Jackson and Ollek chosen to AllStar Line Up

2009-12-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Mike McCance, Tyler Jackson and Bevin Ollek as they have been selected to represent the Kamloops Storm and the Okanangan-Shuswap Conference in the upcoming 2010 KIJHL All-Star Game.

Here is the entire line-up for the Okanagan-Shuswap Division Team for the All-Star Game to be held in Beaver Valley, BC, January 11th and 12th, 2010.

Forwards:

1 Derek Huisman-Sicamous
2 Lucas Blinkhorn-Rev
3 Faiz Khan-Rev
4 Travis Herlein-Golden
5 Stefan Jensen-Golden
6 Dan Hillman-Prin
7 Brandan Persley-Pen
8 Trevor Fitzgerald-North Ok
9 Tyler Jackson-Kam
10 Bevin Ollek-Kam
11 Devon Hobbs-Chase
12 Jordan Wood-Chase

Defense:

1 Garrett Earley-Sic
2 Caleb Roy-Rev
3 Casey Rogers-Gold
4 Brenden Stephen-Princ
5 Mike McCance-Kam
6 Kyle Ceretzke-Rev

Goaltenders:

Andrew Parent-Rev
Spencer Wong-Golden
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To place your order for All-Star Game banquet and/or All-Star Game tickets please contact the Beaver Valley Nitehawks at:

Beaver Valley Nitehawks Junior Hockey Club

By phone: (250) 367-7183
or
By email: bvnitehawks@bvnitehawks.com

Posse Shoot Down the Storm

2009-12-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

After disposing the woeful Penticton Lakers on Friday night the Storm returned home seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. After their 5-3 loss to the Posse, they found out that the light was really a train.

It really was much a one sided game. Storm goaltender Anthony Manfredi, carrying the team on his back, so to speak, made 45 saves of a 50 shot barrage handed out by the Posse. Defensive turnovers and inability to get the puck to the net in the offensive end continue to haunt a team that is desperately searching for answers.

Newcomer, Jordan Wilkens, made an impact both evenings, scoring a PP goal Friday night and then another on Saturday night against the Posse. Unfortunately, he was also a goat a couple of times, including coughing up the puck near his own blue line allowing Ben Morgan to open the scoring. Wilkens is a big kid with some good junior experience (WHL, BCHL) and hopefully he can bring his defensive leadership to the rink sooner than later as this is where the Storm is hurting most.

It's not all the D in the defensive end. There seems to be a lack of support from the forwards who seem to have a challenge transitioning the puck out of the zone. Only handful of guys want to do the spade work and help out the D. We see too many stretch passes that go astray instead of the easy short pass combo to get the offense moving. Guys are not on the half-boards where they are expected to be in order to start an effective breakout. I can't tell you how many times that the pass to the guy who is supposed to be on the boards has the puck go behind them, off the boards and on to the stick of an awaiting point man just because they can't get it through their helmets that they need to close that gap. When your butt is against the boards, the puck can't go behind you... and if you miss it, at least your nose is facing forward and the puck can be pursued. It's almost comical how often some of our forwards are spinning like tops trying to track down the puck. It looks like a figure skating session with canes.

Last but not least is the lack of discipline. Stupid penalties at crucial times are killing any momentum the team may be gathering. I don't like to single individuals out but in this case I am. Bevin Ollek, a talented and large forward just can't seem to help himself from taking stupid penalties game after game. Bevin has been the target of a few referees, being penalized inappropriately at times but when you know that this situation exists, recognize it and adjust accordingly. If he took his body and plunked it in front of the net more often, he would end up drawing more penalties than taking them. From the start of the season Bevin has played a big role in the offense but he also leads the team in penalty minutes, heavily laced with cheap shots or misconducts for not keeping his lips sealed. It appears to this viewer that the Storm offense goes as Bevin goes and it doesn't go well if he's sitting in the penalty box.

There are 2 home games left before the Xmas break, both division rivals (Sicamous and Chase) that the Storm are now chasing in the standings. Let's hope that this weeks practice sessions and coaching instruction can straighten out some of these issues that are plaguing the progress of a team who can't afford to embarrass themselves into the Keystone Cup.

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Divisional Rivals To Test the Storm

2009-12-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

Can the Storm Stop the Downward Spiral?

Armed with 1 signed newcomer (Jordan Wilkins -D) and 1 new AP (Chris Davidson) plus a re-commitment to hard work and discipline, the Kamloops Storm face a critical test this weekend as they face divisional rivals, the Penticton Lakers and the Princeton Posse.

After last weekend's bantam effort in Columbia Valley (where they lost 6-5) both the coaching staff and management had some stern words for the team behind closed doors. The result was a good effort in Fernie but in the end, it was another loss. The feeling is though, the team has been through the worst of it.

Playing with a short lineup last weekend (10 forwards and only 5 defense) after a mass release of players, the Storm was immediately behind the 8 ball, but with a fortified line-up this weekend the team needs to be more than competitive... they need to win. Sicamous, Princeton and Chase have all bypassed the Storm in the standings but still remain within striking distance. A strong 60 day run to the end of the season would be appropriate to help their cause and keep the fans in the stands.

We will be broadcasting the game Saturday night from the Mac Park Centre at 7pm. Tonight's game will also be broadcasted from Penticton by the Lakers crew. Both games can be accessed live through the www.KIJHL.ca

storm at lakers

2009-12-09T22:30:00.000-08:00

Friday afternoon Dec.11th the Kamloops Storm get on the bus and travel to Penticton to face the Lakers.Probable line combos for the storm are Jason Alessio centering Rylee Orr and Taylor Stuart,Tyler Jackson centering Kolten Moen and Chase Edwards,Gary Rai centering Bevin Ollek and Duncan Schultz and Matt Pouncy and Cody Jules as the extra forwards.Proable d-pairing are Mike Mccance and Brett Defrias,Ryan Skinner and Logan Hawgood,Brady Fuller and newcomer Jordan Wilkins.My guess is is Anthony Manfreddi gets the call in goal friday night.The game can be seen live on kijhl.com witht he puck drop set for 7:00pm.Next home action for the Storm is Saturday Dec.12th when the team hosts the Princeton Posse.

storm in the east kooteneys for 2 games

2009-12-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

Last night the Kamloops Storm left a snowy North Kamloops and traveled to Cranbrook home for the next day and a half.We were greeted by the sunshine when we arrived in Cranbrook this morning.The team play in Invermere tonight against the Columbia Valley Rockies and tomorrow night against the Fernie Ghost Riders before heading home.Probable line combos for tonight are Jason Allesio centering Bevin Ollek and Gary Rai,Tyler Jackson centering Taylor Stuart and Riley Orr,Colten Moen centering Duncan Schultz and Cody Jules/Chase Edwards.Probable d-pairings are Mike Mccance and Logan Hawgood and Ryan Skinner and Brett Defrias/Brady Fuller.The game will be live on KIJHL.com at 7:30.

Storm upcoming 2 game road trip to the East Kooteneys

2009-12-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night Dec. 3rd the Kamloops Storm travel to Cranbrook to start a 2 game road trip where the team will face the Columbia Valley Rockies in Invermere on Friday and than Saturday night the team will face the Fernie Ghost Riders in Fernie.Both games are available over the internet.Probable lines for the Storm are Jason Alessio centering Bevin Ollek and Gary Rai,Tyler Jackson centering Taylor Stuart and Chase Edwards and Kolten Moen centering Duncan Schultz and Cody Jules.Probable d pairings are Mike Mccance and Logan Hawgood,Ryan Skinner and Brett Defrias and Brady Fuller as the 5th d-man.I will post an update on Saturday from beautiful Cranbrook.

2010 Keystone Cup

2009-12-02T08:11:00.000-08:00

Tournament Packages on Sale Now for the 2010 Keystone Cup

The Kamloops Storm, the host committee for the 2010 Keystone Cup announced today that tournament packages are now available for the 2010 Keystone Cup which is being held in Kamloops, BC from April 15-18, 2010.

The host committee is offering early-bird packages priced at $75 plus taxes and applicable fees until December 31, 2009. Tournament packages can be purchased by contacting the Storm office at 250-376-0990 or dewar@vip.net.

Tournament packages will be regularly prices at $100 beginning Jan. 1, 2010.

"It's a great opportunity for Kamloops to be hosting this prestigious event," said Kamloops Storm owner Barry Dewar. "Having competed in the event in 2005 I had an opportunity to watch this event. Our goal is to make this the best Keystone Cup in history. And we're hoping many people will find tickets under their trees this Christmas."

The Keystone Cup is a six (6) team tournament to crown the Western Canadian Junior B Champion. League champions from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Ontario and the host team will compete for the 2010 Championship.

For more information about the Kamloops Storm and the upcoming event visit kamloopsstormhockey.com or kijhl.ca.

For more information about BC Hockey, please visit the BC Hockey website at www.bchockey.net or email info@bchockey.net.

Losing Skid Prompts Roster Changes

2009-12-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

5 Players Released Immediately

The Kamloops Storm have released five players with the Dec. 1, carding deadline.

Keaton Miller, Spencer Donaldson, Jordan Suzuki and Sheldon McDonald.
Dominic Alec was also released due to health issues (upper body injury).

The Dec. 1 carding deadline gives KIJHL teams 25 new cards to use for the rest of the season.
With the team hosting the Keystone Cup the Storm are looking to improve their line up to be competitive during the tournament. Storm owner and general manager Barry Dewar wishes the players all the best for the future.
"It's always hard to make changes, but sometimes it needs to be done. We have a wonderful opportunity with the Keystone Cup being held in Kamloops and we need to put our best foot forward. We want to be competitive during the tournament and bring a championship to the River City," Dewar said.

The new-look Storm line up will be in action Friday night in Invermere against the Columbia Valley Rockies and Saturday in Fernie. Next home game will be Dec. 12 when the Storm host the Princeton Posse. Game time is 7 p.m. at McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre.

For more information on the released players contact Dewar at 250-574-7811 or 250-376-0990.

Nelson Leafs Blank the Storm 4-0

2009-11-29T09:20:00.000-08:00

Kamloops Free Falls from 2nd to 5th in Division

They may only be one point behind the next 3 teams in the standings but the Kamloops Storm seem to be on a free fall that must have team coaches, management and fans shaking their heads.

Kamloops took it on the chin last night when they renewed last year's KIJHL champions, the Nelson Leafs and came up empty handed in a 4-0 loss. It was the 2nd loss of the weekend for the Storm who lost a heart-breaker in OT to division leaders, the Revelstoke Grizzlies on Friday night.

The Leafs who were licking their wounds from a 7-1 b-slapping from the Chase Chiefs on Friday night, came prepared to shut down anything the Kamloops Storm could throw at them. And shut them down they did.

It was a great 1st period, scoreless but exciting. Good defensive play, no poor penalties, tight checking and decent goaltending. The only hint of struggling came when the Storm failed to score on 2 power play opportunities. Whatever shots the Leafs defense didn't block or deflect, goaltender Billy Faust came up big and stopped all 12 shots. Will Frolek got the start for the Storm and was equally effective at the other end of the ice stopping all 8 shots from the Leafs.

The Storm's woes started early in the 2nd period when Spencer Donaldson and Kolten Moen took back-to-back penalties, leaving Kamloops down 2 men. The Leafs, with their speedy forwards and mobile defense relentlessly peppered Frolek with shots from every angle and were able to score twice on the extended power play. It was like someone let the air out of the balloon for the rest of the period.

The Storm, needing to regroup in the 3rd period put themselves at a disadvantage again by taking 2 penalties in a row, creating another 2 man disadvantage. The Storm penalty killers did a good job in keeping the puck out of the net, shutting down the potent Leafs powerplay this time. Unfortunately, the Storm powerplay, which only had 1 more opportunity in the 3rd period could get the puck past Billy Faust who ended up posting the shutout. The final goal of the game was scored at the 12:03 mark of the 3rd period by Jeff Mobley.

Kamloops ended up out shooting the Leafs 29-28.

Lack of production has to be of some concern for the team. Lack of speed, enthusiasm and shooting accuracy has the fans mumbling in the stands. If you compared the 2 teams last night you can understand their frustration. The Leafs have a bunch of guys that can skate like Ty Jackson and put out the same effort. I can't tell you how many shot opportunities the Storm had that went high or wide or both, virtually giving the goaltender a free ride.

Newcomer/returnee Mike Hanes has brought some physicality to the team but he's not expected to be the guy that is the savior on the scoreboard.

What I am seeing out there is a lack of 3 basic elements.

Very mediocre team speed. If it's there, the team in general is not showing it. Personally, I don't think it's there. There are only a handful of guys on the team that seem to want to use their speed to their advantage.
Brutal hand skills. The forwards can't hit the net and the defense can't complete a pass to get the puck out of the zone. If you are going to win in this league you have to be able to get the puck out of your own end with possession (not just bang it out) and get the puck to the net at the other end. The transition game needs to improve. If you can't put the puck on the stick with a pass, there is no transition. At the other end, Kamloops must lead the league in having shots blocked from the point. Right now, most of the guys are shooting in sloooooow mmmmotion. Not only are shots being blocked but the opposition, many times, ends up with a breakaway, leaving the goaltenders out to dry.
Lack of confidence. When you lack #1 and #2, it's pretty hard to hold on to confidence. Like the ocean tides, it comes and it goes and over the last month, it's been mostly low tide.

I don't know what the answers are for the coaches. At this level there is very little effort put into skill development but it's pretty hard to get the systems to work if the skills are not there. Maybe we should put it out there to the fans for their opinion.

So, if any of you armchair coaches/gm's have an opinion on what you think the teams needs or needs to to do the get back on track... leave us a comment right here and we will post your thoughts. Please do not pick on the individuals, we are not attempting to crucify anyone.

The Storm are on the road for the next 3 games and return home for a showdown with the Princeton Posse on Dec 12. Let's hope that some of that confidence shown earlier in the year returns.

THE KAMLOOPS STORM WILL BE HOSTING THE 2010 KEYSTONE CUP FROM APRIL 15 TO 18, 2010. THIS IS THE WESTERN CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP AND WILL FEATURE THE PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONS FROM WESTERN ONTARIO, MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN, ALBERTA, BC AND THE HOST KAMLOOPS STORM.

THIS IS A MEMORIAL CUP TYPE TOURNAMENT. GREAT HOCKEY ACTION.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE FOR THE EARLY BIRD PRICE OF $75 FOR ALL 17 GAMES UNTIL DECEMBER 24, 2009. ONLY TOURNAMENT PACKAGES AVAILABLE.
Contact the Kamloops Storm at 250-396-0990 for more information.

Welcome Back Mike Hanes

2009-11-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

StormFan found this for us in the archives... Kamloops vs Revelstoke - 2006/7 Playoffs

Although we don't condone hammering on the goaltenders like this, it sure was a thing of beauty... n'est pas! Mike did receive a suspension for this... the Storm won the series.

thanks Stormfan

Storm Loses Ground with Weekend Split

2009-11-24T05:54:00.000-08:00

The Kamloops Storm and the Chase Chiefs split their home-home series this past weekend but they both ended up losing ground in the standings to the Sicamous Eagles.

After walking into the Chiefs barn and stealing a game Friday night (6-3), the Chiefs returned the favour on Saturday night at the Mac Island Sports and Events Centre with 5-3 triumph over the Kamloops Storm.

In Saturday's game, the Chiefs came out flying in the first period and put Storm goaltender Anthony Manfredi and the whole Storm defense on their heels. The Chiefs took advantage of 2 power play opportunities (Jordie Cool & David Harrison) early on and then the Storm replied with one of their own by Bevan Ollek. Then the Storm, with less than 2 minutes remaining in the period, had a tremendous... brain fart. In a matter of 36 seconds (somehow we gotta check to see if this is a league record) in the 2nd last minute of the period, the Storm imploded and gave up 3 goals to go from a 2-1 deficit in a close game, to a 5-1 laugher. It was incredible. Their defensive game literally fell apart with everyone scrambling on the ice, flopping around like seals and giving away the puck like it was a Christmas gift exchange. You could feel their embarrassment up in the stands as that ugly period came to an end. Chase ended up out shooting the Storm 23-12, just in the first period.

In the 2nd period the Storm replaced a shaken Anthony Manfredi with steady back-up tender, Will Frolek and unleashed a barrage of shots on Jordan Byteelar, out shooting the Chiefs, 25-6. All the Storm ended up with was a single short handed effort by Rylee Orr (who has definitely picked up his game of late).

The 3rd period was much the same with the Storm dominating the play but in-effective from the shooting gallery. Again the highlight for Kamloops was one short handed goal, this time by Chase Edwards.

This was a game that Kamloops should have won but that 2 minute collapse put them on a course that they couldn't come back from. The Chiefs stole their confidence early and rode it on the shoulders of their goaltender for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, coach Greg Hawgood was not on the bench (serving a one game suspension) to motivate his crew. Instead, he was up in the stands pulling his hair out, particularly during that 3 goal explosion by Chase in the first period and the 2-man-advantage the Storm had in the 2nd period where they mustered very little up in the way of offense.

This coming week sees the Storm stepping from the frying pan into the fire. On Friday night they visit the league and division leader, Revelstoke Grizzlies (who are also in a bit of a slump right now losing 4 in a row) and then they host last year's league and provincial champions, the Nelson Leafs. With the standings tightening up and Chase, Sicamous and Princeton all playing to their potential, the Storm could find themselves in 5th place after the weekend if they don't muster up any points against 2 of the toughest teams in the league.

note: it appears that Kamloops has signed former Storm player, Mike Hanes. Hanes played for the Storm 2 and 3 years ago and was a physical and agitating force on the ice. His controversial hit on the Revelstoke goaltender in the playoffs was a YouTube sensation. I can't seem to find it any more on the internet or else I would post the link. If anyone still has access to it please let us know.

Storm Hosts Fundraiser for Juvenile Diabetes Research

2009-11-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

The Kamloops Storm will be wearing blue uniforms this weekend in honor of Juvenile Diabetes Research. This fundraiser being done in conjunction with Mohawk and Husky Energy is the second annual event. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of this terrible disease and also to raise funds for research to find a cure.

The fundraiser is set up as a 2 night event, matching the home-home series between the Chase Chiefs and the Kamloops Storm. It started in Chase last night and follows up in Kamloops tonight.

See you there.

Storm Turns Into a Tornado

2009-11-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

Five Losses in 6 Games has Team in a Vortex

It's been a tough 3 weeks for the Storm as they continue to have difficulty putting the puck in the net. Yes, there have been a rash of injuries and illnesses however most of the other teams have had to put up with the same scenario. And yet, despite the obviously poor record over the last 3 weeks or so, Kamloops still remains in 2nd place in the Okanagan-Shuswap Division of the KIJHL.

The last game, against a solid Castlegar Rebels team, was a spirited effort but the results were the same. Lack of offense, sloppy defense. The power play had less moving parts than a rusted out Studebaker. The penalty killing was pretty good but the Rebels powerplay was even better, scoring 2 goals on 6 power plays. Kamloops went 1 for 3. Staying out of the penalty box might be a good idea.

The team +/- is a paltry +2, the worst in the league for a team with a winning record. The goaltending has been fair but overall, inconsistent. The defense is young, with 2 -16yr olds and 2-17 year olds , all rookies. They have been forced to play in pressure situations and have struggled (as expected). They are getting better though. Captain Mike McCance has been the one steadying force on the D and with the return of Sheldon McDonald, experience can be spread around to support the young guys.

The offense seems enemic. Guys like Jackson, Alessio, Moen and Stuart seem to bring their 'A' game most nights but the rest of the cast is hot and cold. No one seems to be the guy that everyone can look to for a goal when needed.

The trading deadline is less than 2 months away. The team still has room for 2 - 20 year olds. I would think that they will stick with their 16 year olds (minor hockey won't take them back) so that means that there are a few 18-19 year olds that should be looking over their shoulder for a bus ticket if they don't start picking up the pace and showing some much needed enthusiasm. Hard work can match skill in this league on most nights.

Tough Weekend for the Storm

2009-11-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

3 Straight Loses Have Fans Shaking Their Heads

The Kamloops Storm struck out this weekend as they failed to collect a single point this weekend as they failed to collect a single point during a three game in three nights weekend.
The Storm started the weekend off Friday in Sicamous where they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Eagles. On Saturday the Storm hosted the Eagles and lost 2-1. The loss put the Storm into a tie for second place with the Eagles.

On Sunday it looked like the Storm’s fortunes were going to change with Tyler Jackson scoring twice in the first 6:11 of the game, giving the Storm a 2-0 lead, over the Creston Valley Thunder Cats but it wasn’t meant to be.
The Cats scored once in the first, twice in the second and once in the third to take a 4-2 lead.
Jason Alessio would put the Storm within one but that was as close as they would come.

The Storm head to Penticton on Thursday, to take on the Lakers. Next home game is Nov. 14 when they host the Castlegar Rebels.
On Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, the Storm and the Chase Chiefs team up once against off the ice to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Harpreet Sidhu
Kamloops Storm Hockey
Public Relations and Communications coordinator

Eagles Master the Storm

2009-11-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

Sicamous Takes 2 From Kamloops in Home-Home Weekend Match Up

The Sicamous Eagles have taken a 3-1 season series lead on archrival Kamloops Storm posting victories in both locations this weekend.

On Friday night the Eagles out shot the Storm 43-27 and came away with a 5-2 win in Sicamous. I wasn't at the game but by all accounts, Storm goaltender Anthony Manfredi did all he could to keep the team respectively in the game. It was a solid night on the score sheet for The Eagles top line of Aaron Buat, Scott Feldermeyer and Jarryd Tenvaanholt as they accounted for 3 of the 5 goals. Other goals came from perennial Storm buster, Derek Huisman and a short-handed effort from Cain Franson.

Newcomer Rylee Orr and and Jason Alessio tallied for the Storm... Alessio's being a PP marker in the last 2 minutes of the game.

Saturday night at the McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre in Kamloops produced a much tighter affair with the Eagles again, swooping in to take a 4 point night away from the Storm. Again the Eagles dominated the Storm 39-29 in shots on goal and again, Manfredi was sharp all night although he would have liked to have the first period goal back as Aaron Buat froze Manfredi and fired a low shot to the far, bottom corner of the net.

The second goal for the Eagles was a power play marker half way through the 3rd period when Huisman picked up a rebound on a shot by Garrett Earley.

The Storm made it exciting with a late goal by Chase Edwards. Edwards was quick on the get after a faceoff to the left of Sicamous net and beat goaltender Joel Widen with a sharp angled wrister. Kamloops pulled Manfredi with just over a minute left to play but the Eagles did a good job in bottling up the Storm and keeping them on the conservative side of centre ice.

This was a big weekend for the Eagles who are now tied with the Storm for 2nd place in the Division with 2 games in hand.

Storm scoring leader, Taylor Stuart, is out with pneumonia, which obviously took away from the mediocre scoring punch that the Storm has displayed lately. They really have struggled in the scoring department. Stuart and Jason Alessio lead the team in points with 19, tied for 34th in league scoring. Balanced team scoring can be a good thing but the team seems to be lacking an offense that can really take charge. Bevin Ollek has been a goal producer when he is in close but lately that hasn't been happening enough either. Bevin had one great shift in the 2nd period last night in Kamloops and then all but disappeared for the rest of the night. In his defense, he took a shot on the ankle in the first period that chopped him down temporarily.

The Storm have another big challenge today as they face the Creston ThunderCats at the Mac Park Center. Creston sits 4th in their tough division but has squeaked out 2 wins already this weekend, defeating North Okanagan 5-3 on Friday night and Chase, 4-3 last night in Chase.

Cody Jules and Dominic Alec are also injured right now with concussions (that's what I heard).

It was good to see Spencer Donaldson back in the line-up after a 3 week sabbatical and also having ass't GM, Gary Donaldson back in the booth where he does a great job on colour commentary.

Thanks to Mike Potestio and Barry Dewar who filled in for Dave Ouellette on the play-by-play last weekend and Jeremy Salamandyk who contributes to the blog whenever he can.

storm over eagles

2009-10-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

Kamloops Youngsters Shine as Key Veterans Come Up Ill.

Last night in Sicamous, the Kamloops Storm skated to a 6-3 win.

With Anthony Manfredi and Mike McCance home sick, Will Frolek(G) and the boys played extremely well for 45 minutes of hockey and than sat back and watched Sicamous score 2 quick goals in the third period before Will Frolek had to make a couple huge saves to keep the 3 goal margin.

Scoring in the 1st period for the Storm were AP Josh Rasmussen assisted by Chase Edwards with 9:10 to go in the period. That goal was followed by a Jason Alessio marker, assisted by Ryan Skinner and Duncan Schultz with 1:51 left in the period. Then, with 42 seconds left in the period, Ryan Skinner scored his first ever KIJHL goal, assisted by Justin Fulton. After 1 period the score was Kamloops 3 and Sicamous 0.

Kamloops would score with 15:15 to play in the 2nd period on a goal by Bevin Ollek assisted by Duncan Schultz. With 13:00 minutes left in the period Jason Alessio would score his second of the game assisted by Bevin Ollek and Chase Edwards. At 7:28 remaining in the 2nd period Taylor Stuart would score for the Storm assisted by Cody Jules to go up 6-0. With 3:00 remaining in the period, Sicamous would get on the score board on a goal by Scott Fellnermayr assisted by Jean-Luc Fournier and Derek Huisman.
After 2 periods the score was Kamloops 6 and Sicamous 1.

In the 3rd period Sicamous would score with 15:55 remaining in regulation time on a goal by Jarryd Tenvaanholt assisted by Aaron Buat and rounding out the scoring was Jarryd Tenvaanholt with his second of the game assisted by Andy Milne and Jordan Hynes with 8:36 remaining.

Final score was Kamloops 6 and Sicamous 3.

The 3 stars

1. Jason Alessio

2. Jarryd Tenvaanholt

3. Ryan Skinner

Next action for the Storm is Friday Oct.30th when the North Okanoagan Knights visit the Mac Island Sports Center. Game time is 7:00pm.

Kamloops and Chase Split Weekend in Pink

2009-10-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Storm Edges Ahead to 2nd Place in Okanagan -Shuswap Division

A strong effort from veterans Tyler Jackson, Taylor Stuart, Jason Alessio and goaltender Anthony Manfredi saw Kamloops own or share the lead throughout the game Saturday night as the Storm came through with a 5-3 victory on home ice.

Both Jackson and Stuart had a goal and two assists each while Alessio, with a strong skating performance, scored the first and last goals of the evening. Beven Ollek scored the winner with his team leading 12th goal of the season.

The Chase Chiefs got a strong performance from David Harrison, who had 2 goals while Jordie Cool scored the other.

It was a back and forth game where special teams played a big part, particularly for the Storm, as they scored 3 power play goals. The Storm looked like they were in control when they took a 1-0 lead into the 2nd period and made it 2-0 before Chase started to claw back, scoring 2 goals within 6 minutes to tie the score. Ty Jackson, again on the power-play scored before the end of the period to make it 3-2 going into the 3rd.

Again Chase tied the score as Harrison notched his second of the evening half-way through the 3rd period but it was Bevan Ollek with a mid-air tip on a Logan Hawgood shot past goaltender Riley Wall that put the Storm ahead to stay. Jason Alessio finalized the scoring with an empty net tally.

There were only a couple of altercations of note... **Catlin McLeod for the Storm took on Scott Renner during the only real fight in the game... while there was a bit of a donnybrook near the end of the game when Storm goaltender Anthony Manfredi got ran over in his crease with about 10 seconds to go.

The McDonald's 3 Stars of the Game:

1) Tyler Jackson
2) Taylor Stuart
3) David Harrison

The Men in Pink promotion for Breast Cancer was success with lots of stuff donated and auctioned off. The Storm players wore pink sweaters that were also auctioned off after the game.
It was a packed house of 900+ as both Kamloops and Chase fans were entertained by the two rival teams.

League Standings

Box Score - Saturday - Kamloops 5 Chase 3

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On Friday night in Chase, the Chiefs scored a late goal in the 3rd period to pull out a 3-2 win against the Storm in another great game. I wasn't there but I understand that the fans filled the Chase arena too.
Brock Balson had 2 for Chase while David Harrison scored the winner with 2:19 left in the 3rd period. Colten Moen and Brady Fuller replied for the Storm who were outshot 44-22. Anthony Manfredi felt the heat between the pipes for Kamloops while Jordan Bytelaar had a somewhat easier evening at the other end for the Chiefs.

Box Score - Friday - Chase 3 Kamloops 2

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Unlike the last couple of games in Kamloops, the coaches managed to stay on the bench for the entire game. The officiating crew did a pretty good job letting the players play. The players and coaches, in turn, showed discipline and for the most part, stuck to playing the game. I believe that the crowd enjoyed and appreciated the flow of the game.

**apologies for the error earlier in this post when I identified Colton Moen as the combatant for the Kamloops Storm during this game.
Colton is injured and the combatant was Catlin McLeod...
thanks to the 3 readers who quickly let me know

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Spencer Donaldson still hasn't returned to the team but Storm Ass't manager, Gary Donaldson has been quietly doing a good job for the Storm on the sponsorship end of things.

Dylan Becker is serving a 5 game suspension after receiving a match penalty last weekend in Spokane. We haven't heard what the basis of the infraction was but 5 games is a pretty healthy penalty. He will be eligible to play again on Nov 6.

Sheldon McDonald is practicing again. Expect him to be back within the next week or so to help shore up the defensive ranks for the Storm.

Next game for the Storm... Wed Oct 28 in Sicamous
Next home game... Oct 30 vs the North Okanagan Knights

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Note... I'll be out of town for next weekend's games. Mike Potestio will be doing the play-by-play on Friday night and possibly on Sunday against Princeton. I should be back on Nov 7 for the home game against the Sicamous Eagles.
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Men in Pink Night - This Weekend

2009-10-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Kamloops Storm would like to remind the media and fans the Men in Pink night will be Oct. 24 at McArthur Island Sports Centre, against the Chase Chiefs. The same two teams play Friday night in Chase.

Part proceeds from the game will be donated to cancer charities.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game, for a chance to be entered into a prize basket draw and numerous other prizes.

The Storm will be wearing pink jerseys during the game, which will be autographed and sold.

The on ice officials will be joining in, wearing pink helmets. There will also be autographed Jerome Iginla and Bob Gainey jerseys up for auction during the game.

Game time is 7 p.m. at McArthur Island Sports Centre.

Harpreet Sidhu

Kamloops Storm Hockey

Public Relations and Communications coordinator

storm lose to beaver valley

2009-10-17T08:43:00.001-07:00

Last night in Fruitvale the Kamloops Storm lost 4-1 to the host Beaver Valley Night Hawks.The Storms goal came on the power play from Justin Fulton assisted by Brady Fuller and Brett Defrias.Anthony Manfreddi came up with the big save when he had to but even he can't win the game by himself.This afternoon the Storm travel to Spokane looking to take their frustration out on the Braves.The game can be heard live on kijhl.com.

storm road trip

2009-10-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

This evening the Kamloops Storm travel to Castlegar to start a 3 games in 3 nights road trip.

They play against the Beaver Valley Nighthawks in Fruitvale tomorrow night Oct.16th.

Then on the 17th, the team plays the Spokane Braves in Spokane Washington and finally the team plays the Grand Forks Border Bruins on the 18th.

All 3 games can be either seen or heard live on KIJHL.com through the internet broadcasts link.
To all of our fans have a great weekend.

Next home action for the Kamloops Storm is Oct.24th when the team hosts the Chase Chiefs in the back half of the Men in Pink series.

New Signings and Injury Report - Update

2009-10-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

We mentioned most of this earlier but this is the official version.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Kamloops Storm have added three players to the roster after a series of injuries during the past week.

Joining the Storm is forward Taylor Leibel who played his minor hockey in Kamloops.

The Storm also added forward Jordan Suzuki, 19, from Merritt. Last season Suzuki played for the Campbell River Storm of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.

Forward Keaton Miller, 18, rounds out the signings. Miller played for the Chase Chiefs last season.

The Storm have five (5) players out with injuries at the moment.

Forward Kolton Moen is out approximately two weeks with a separated shoulder.

Foreward Matt Pouncey is out for six weeks with a broken wrist.

Ryan Skinner is out approximately 10 days with a knee injury.

Sheldon McDonald is out approximately 10 days with a wrist injury.

Duncan Schulz is listed day-to-day with a knee injury.

Kamloops Storm Wins Round One Against Chiefs

2009-10-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Chiefs Lose Composure in Wake of Penalty Calls

Game Writeup:

The Kamloops Storm took round one against the Chase Chiefs by a 3-2 score, at McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre Sunday afternoon.

The Storm opened the scoring at the four-minute mark of the first period with Catlin McLeod getting his first of the season. The goal came after discussions with the goal judge a minute and half later when the play stopped due to Chase forward Tyson Bentley putting the puck behind Anthony Manfredi. Bentley’s goal was disallowed after the earlier play was discussed with the goal judge.

The Chiefs would get on the score sheet before the period was over with Brock Balson scoring.

In the second period the Chiefs took the lead with Devon Hobbs scoring. Kamloops would tie things up on the powerplay with 20 seconds remaining in the period. Jason Alessio scored his sixth of the season.

The Storm would collected the game winner at 3:52 of third period with Bevin Ollek’s team leading ninth goal of the season.

Chiefs head coach Tyler Bolt received a game misconduct at 10:30 of the third period.

In total the Storm had 24 minutes in penalties called against them while the Chiefs had 110.

The Storm improved to a 7-2-0-2 record, as they enter a five-game road trip.

Next up for the Storm play their next five games on the road. On Oct. 16 the Storm are in Beaver Valley against the Nitehawks, Oct. 17 in Spokane against the Braves and Oct. 18 in Grand Forks against the Border Bruins. The Storm are in Princeton Oct. 20 and round out their road trip on Oct. 23 against Chiefs in Chase.

Next home game is Oct. 24 when the Storm hosts the Chiefs at 7 p.m. It’s Men in Pink night at McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre. Part proceeds from the game will be donated to cancer charities. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of the cause.

• The Kamloops Storm new website has lauched at kamloopsstormhockey.com

Harpreet Sidhu

Kamloops Storm Hockey

Public Relations and Communications coordinator

Our View:

The game started out well but it didn't take long for the shenanigans with the officiating crew to start... with the Chiefs coming out on the short end.

The first major gaff occurred when Catlin McLeod seemingly put the puck in the net at around the 4 minute mark of the period. The goal light went on but the referee/linesmen did not blow the play down. At this point Tyson Bentley (Chiefs) picked up the puck in his own zone and started weaving his way through the Kamloops team, taking it end to end and finishing off with a pretty goal against Kamloops puck stopper, Anthony Manfredi. It was a highlight reel goal that, to the disgust of the Chiefs team, was called back after the officiating crew consulted the goal judge and the goal was awarded to Kamloops. In fairness on this one, at least the officials consulted the goal judge. If it was in, it was in, and as I watched the reaction of the Chiefs, it was disappointing but they took it in stride and carried on.

Other than this one error (and an understandable one at that), the officiating was pretty good in the 1st period. The players got to play, the flow of the game was exciting and the fans loved the end-to-end play.

Frustration from the Chiefs bench started early in the 2nd period. There was a call on Brady Fuller (Kam) for roughing and Chiefs coach, Tyler Bolt, for some reason, lost it enough on the bench while talking with the referee and got the boot. It wasn't long after that the Chiefs on-ice discipline started to go south and the referee wasn't in a mood to put up with it. By the end of the period, the Chiefs managed to accumulate 2 more 10 minute misconducts, one for arguing with the ref (Tyson Bentley) and another for a hit-to-the-head (Vonk). Taylor Stuart for the Storm got the boot too in this period for a hit-from-behind call.

With the score tied a 2 going into the 3rd period, Kamloops picked up an early goal from Bevin Ollek as he did some spade work around the net in front of Chiefs goaltender, Riley Wall. This time it was Chief veteran Darren Pittendreigh that voiced his dismay to referee, Jason Chambers, and ended up with a 10 minute misconduct. Less than 2 minutes later it was Tyson Bentley who lost his composure and picked up a 2 min unsportsmanlike penalty + 10 minute misconduct + game misconduct.

Trailing 3-2, the Chiefs finally started to play 5 on 5 and carried their fair share of the play. During a particularly effective offensive barrage the Chiefs scored again but it was also called back due to a rather obvious penalty by Kevin Hobbs for goaltender interference on Anthony Manfredi, just before the shot was taken from the point (can't remember who let the shot go). In addition, Pittendreigh lost it again and picked up a 10 min misconduct and a game misconduct.

After having their line-up reduced significantly, the Chiefs still managed to keep it close. They continued to take penalties (4 more minors) of which Kamloops did not take advantage of. The Chiefs were given a chance to even the score when they had a 19 second power play at the end of the period.

It was deja vu all over again, except this time it wasn't the Storm that incurred the wrath of a dazed and confused officiating crew. There were a number of blown offside calls and waived icings that may have made a difference to add to the mix of frustration. Although the Kamloops fans were happy that they won this game, they were not as elated as they normally are, perhaps in sympathy for the frustration of the Chase fans. The Kamloops fans know all too well what it's like to be hanging on to the gooey, stinky end of the stick.

As we noted last week, the players don't come to the rink with the intentions of having the game deteriorate like we have seen over the last 2 weeks. Both times, the catalyst was provided by the officiating by not making the right calls and retaliating to defend their honour by showing us all how they have the power to "control" the game the way that they want.

It's a sad state of affairs that this has to be the topic on a weekly basis, but for the most part, these guys are stealing the show so, they get the print.

Dave Ouellette
the KamloopsStormWriter

storm over knights

2009-10-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Last night in Armstrong the Kamloops Storm skated to a 7-5 win over the North Okanogan Knights.After 1 period of play the score was 3-1 for Kamloops on goals by Taylor Stuart assisted by Justin Fulton,the Knights would tie the score at 1 before Bevin Ollik would restore the lead for the storm assisted by Jason Alessio,newcomer Tatylor Leibel would round out the scoring in the first period assisted by Dylan Becker.Newcomer Jordan Suzuki would score 1:27 into the second period on the power play for the Storm assisted by Taylor Stuart,the Knights would respond to make the score 4-2 4 and a half minutes into the second period before the Storm would take control in the 2nd period period,Jason Alessio would score to make it 5-2 for the Storm assisted by Bevin Ollek than with 2 and a half minutes left in the 2nd period Brady Fuller would score to make it 6-2 for the Storm assisted by Brett Defrias and Justin Fulton and Chase Edwards would score to make it 7-2 for the Storm with 1:52 remaining in the 2nd period.After 2 periods the score was 7-2 for the Storm.Despite having a short bench the Storm worked hard all game long.The 3 newcomers were really exciting to watch.

Storm Weekend Injury and Suspensions Oct 9, 2009

2009-10-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a summary of the Kamloops Storm current injury situation and suspensions.

Suspensions for Saturday only:

Tyler Jackson and Brent Fritz. - Jackson for his double game misconduct for fighting and 3rd man in. I guess Fritz takes the blame for the over-the-limit amount of fights as head coach Greg Hawgood had already been tossed earlier in the game against Revelstoke for beaking the ref.

Injuries:

Matt Pouncy wrist 1 month

Kolton Moen shoulder 3 weeks

Ryan Skinner bruised knee 2 weeks.

Sheldon Mcdonald wrist 1 month

Duncan Shulz lower body injury day to day

Other:

Spencer Donaldson has taken some time off to reconsider his hockey options.

Look for these 3 New Faces in the Line-up;

Taylor Leibel (19), Keaton Miller (18) and Jordan Suzuki (19).

Leibel was here in camp earlier this season and at this point we are not sure where the other 2 players have come from. Hopefully we will be able to fill you in at game time... This Sunday, 2pm against arch-rival, the Chase Chiefs.

Grizzlies Maul the Kamloops Storm

2009-10-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

Embarrassing 11-2 Home Ice Loss Leaves Bench all but Empty

Official game Notes:

The Grizzlies opened the scoring at 2:30 of the first period, on the power play, and never relinquished the lead.
The Grizzlies would score five more times with the extra man, as the Storm had trouble staying out of the sin bin. By the end of the night the Storm had 124 minutes in the box while the Grizzlies had 42.
The Storm had goals from Tyler Jackson (in the first period, on the power play) and Jason Alessio in the third period.
Riley Spraggs led the Grizzlies with two goals and two assists, while Caleb Roy had four assists.
Brand Irving, Jordan Bledsoe and Bruce Silvera each had two goals. Brandan Burge, Jakob Reichert and Dayton Martens had singles.
Andrew Parent was in net for the Grizzlies.
Anthony Manfredi started for the Storm but was pulled when the Grizzlies made it 6-1 at 14:39 of the second period. Will Frolek finished the game.
The Storm record falls to 5-2-0-2.

Editorial:

**What a Fiasco!

It was ugly right from the get-go. And as I have witnessed, over the last 25 years of hockey involvement... a Kamloops team never gets a break from a referee from Kelowna.

I don't think that there were ill intentions going into this game. Kamloops lost a close one the night before in Revelstoke and by all accounts, this should have been a good game. It never fails that when the officiating crew come in and try to set the tone to show that they are in charge, the game goes south. We have seen it time and time again. Inconsistent calls, scrums between the linesmen and the ref on a regular basis (usually because the ref doesn't see the infraction that they are calling and they allow the linesmen to make his mind up for him) and of course, always talking to the coaches because they sure as heck don't see the same game that these guys are calling. Seems like they want to reduce the game to Ringette.

My assessment, even before we get to the penalty stuff, is that a good measure of how competent the referee is reflected in their accuracy to hand out assists on goals. Many of these guys in this league either don't pay attention enough and/or they don't even bother to ask a player if he touched the puck or who they got the pass from. I'm sure that if team officials and the players themselves don't make a point of adjusting the score sheet (which they have a right to do) within a certain amount of time after the game, individual stats would suffer even more. Even though it is considered in bad taste to pad one's stats, it's just as bad miss them... especially when points are so vital in recognition to getting to the next level.

I have got news for them... NO ONE IN THE BUILDING COMES TO WATCH THE OFFICIALS REDUCE A GAME TO UTTER NONSENSE.

In my opinion, the officiating appears to be the catalyst to this deterioration of the game.

One crappy call here, another make-up call there, border-line calls that result in game suspensions or misconducts. They are ruining the friggin game... not only for the players but for the paying public. The linesmen are not any better. They can't seem to be consistent for icings and faceoffs are a joke. Drop the puck for god's sake. They fart around long enough to promote encroachment, toss someone, then half the time they don't even wait until the new centre-man is set. What is that? It happens to both teams until every one in the crowd wants to stick their fingers in their throats to offer their dinner to the officiating crew.

Case in point about the borderline calls.

Bevin Ollek of the Storm is 6ft 5inches tall. He's a big boy. His right to body check all but the biggest guys in the league has been virtually eliminated by the hitting to the head rule. These guys that are 5ft nothing, take liberties and then when they leave themselves open for a hit. Because of Bevin's height, of course a check comes in at the head, not purposely and usually not with a stick... What the hell is suppose to do with his arms... raise them so he leaves his mid-section open and give them a belly push? It's ridiculous... he has to either give up on the way the game is supposed to be played or expose himself to injury. There are a few other guys in the league that suffer this injustice too.

This season, the Storm seem to have received an inappropriate number of hitting from behind calls too. From my vantage point (and I have a pretty good one), the penalty on Brady Fuller on Friday night was inappropriately called. Perhaps a hit to the head but certainly not a bonafide hit from behind. So, instead of the misconduct... he's gone for the game.

We are seeing this kind of crap officiating game after game. These young men play hard (as they are supposed to) and the officials seem bound and determined to make it their game, not the players. The calls get so bad that when a player or coach questions the validity of the call, they get the boot. It appears that the officials are beyond approach.

Erring on the side of caution rather than letting the play flow and allowing the players to work things out seems to have gone by the wayside. I don't condone the lack of discipline that the Storm players showed at the end of the game, they got out of hand as the score ballooned. But 7 power-play goals? That makes the 5 on 5 time 3-0 for the Grizzlies which was really about what the score should have been.

Sorry for the rant but I call them like I see them.

**the opinions expressed above are strictly those of the author and in no way represent the views of the team, the Kamloops Storm or it's management/coaching team.

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Next game is Oct. 10 in Armstrong as the Storm visit the North Okanagan Knights. Game time is 7 p.m. Don't expect Tyler Jackson to be there or even coach Greg Hawgood. Jackson got a double game misconduct near the end of the game and Hawgood is subject to the league fighting rules that has him suspended when the fight total in a game reaches more than 3. This game, they had 4. It seems odd that Hawgood would get suspended for the actions of the team near the end of the game since he was banished from the bench (arguing a questionable call... perhaps with some superlatives for good measure) and was no longer in control of the team. I guess we will have to see what shakes out on this one.

Injuries are now becoming a concern. 2 more players went down with injuries on Sunday. Fulton got a puck in the foot and Skinner looked like he had a serious lower body injure, either foot, ankle or knee. In any case, he wasn't putting any weight on one of his legs as he was helped off the ice by his teammates.

Next home game at McArthur Island Sports Centre is Oct. 11 when they Storm host the Chase Chiefs at 2 p.m.

Golden Rockets Sneak Past the Kamloops Storm

2009-10-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

3 Goals from POMMELS Turns the Trick

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This blog sees lots of exposure, not only in Kamloops but throughout the league and in other provinces too. With the Keystone Cup coming to Kamloops this season, hockey enthusiast from all over western Canada will tuning in.

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Spencer Pommells was the difference as the Kamloops Storm dropped a 3-2 double-overtime decision to the Golden Rockets. Pommells, the 19-year-old forward of the Rockets collected hat-trick.

The Storm had a two-goal performance from Bevin Ollek, his second 2 goal game in a row at home.

The game was rather a defensive yawner for about 45 minutes. The goaltenders were rarely tested and when they were, they could see the puck to make the easy save. Even though Kamloops out shot Golden 40-31, Storm goaltender, Anthony Manfredi seemed to have the more difficult saves than counterpart Spenser Wong.

The crack officiating crew took control of the game early. It seemed that they were intent on stealing the show (which they did for 45 minutes because the teams couldn't muster up any excitement). The clamp came down early in often from face-off toss outs to weak penalty calls.
I was starting to think it was a girls game but then re-thought... the girls are allowed to play rougher than this.

Brady Fuller, a newcomer to the Storm saw some quality time for the first 5 minutes of the game and showed that he belongs. Unfortunately, he got called for a hit-from-behind (bogus) and got tossed from the game. It happened right in front of our broadcast booth and it was apparent that he should have gotten an elbowing penalty, or at worst, a hit to the head with a 10 minute misconduct... but the ref made the call from the other side of the ice and saw what he wanted to see.

Another oddity of the game was the amount of times Kamloops players lost their edge and fell for no apparent reason. It must have happened close to a half-dozen times. They may want to check their skate sharpening technique. It even cost them the first goal when Brett Defrias was trying to bring the puck out of his own zone, lost an edge along with the puck which created a 2-on-1 with Pommells and Herlein. A little give and go and the puck was behind Manfredi.

The two teams went into the third period scoreless when the Rockets turned on the right light at 5:08 of the third period with Spencer Pommells scoring his fourth of the season.
The Storm tied up the game tied the game with Ollek’s sixth of the season. Tyler Jackson and Dylan Becker collected the assists on the goal. Ollek would give the Storm their first lead of the night when he let a high slap shot fly from inside the blue line, which caught Rockets goalie Spenser Wong off guard.

The Rockets would tie the game up at 15:46 with Pommells scoring his second of the night. Rylee Orr and Stefan Jensen collected the assists.

Anthony Manfredi was in goal for the loss.

The Storm travels to Revelstoke Saturday night for the first game of a home-and-home doubleheader with the Grizzlies. Game time is 7 p.m with the game being broadcast on kijhl.com.
The Grizzles will be in Kamloops Sunday at 2 p.m. for a rematch.

Box Scores

Dynamiters Implode

2009-09-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

Kamloops Storm Scores 3 in the 3rd to Win 4-1

The Kimberley Dynamiters stayed pretty close to the Kamloops Storm for 2 periods but undisciplined played had Kamloops score 2 goals on the power play in the 3rd period to ice their 5th win of the season.

Kimberley got hammered 6-0 the night before by Sicamous and came in with the intention of making amends. In the opening 2 minutes Anthony Manfredi was forced to make a number of early saves, including 2 tricky shots that came off the back boards. Tory Caldwell played solid between the pipes at the other end and the period ended in a 0-0 tie.

The stalemate lasted until 9:41 of the 2nd period when Justin Fulton, who just stepped out of the penalty box, picked up a loose puck and feed Cody Jules who showed a nice touch and quick hands while he whistled the puck over the shoulder of Caldwell and put the Storm up 1-0.
Kimberley came right back after killing their own penalty and it was Taylor McDowell deflecting a Logan Gutfriend point shot past a screened Anthony Manfredi.

Jason Alessio scored what ended up being the winner on the power-play almost 7 minutes into the 3rd and Bevin Ollek picked up a re-bound during another power play late in the period. Ollek's 6'5" frame is tough to move in front of the net when he takes a notion to set up his office there. Tyler Jackson assisted on both power play goals.

Bevin Ollek notched his second on an empty netter in the last minute. Ollek showed good hustle and deft hands beating a defender to a cleared puck and slipping a deep angle back hand just inside the post.

3rd Star - Cody Jules
2nd Star - Tory Caldwell
1st Star - Anthony Manfredi

You can catch the BoxScore here.

Notes:

- I thought the defense played much better in this game than the last couple that we witnessed. Both Logan Hawgood and BrettDefrias saw a lot more ice time after captain Mike McCance got a game misconduct for a hit from behind early in the first period. Spencer Donaldson, who has been playing forward lately, dropped back on defense this night and played very well. Ryan Skinner is coming along nicely too. The only one that had a so-so game was 20 yr old Dylan Becker who seemed to be a little lethargic.
- Bevin Ollek had 2 goals but I'm sure he could have had more or helped on more if he parked his large frame in the goaltenders face more often. That's how he scored his first goal of the evening. He did show good personal control, drawing a penalty in the 3rd period, turning a cheek to a Liam Jeffries roughing call in the 3rd.
- it's been great having Gary Donaldson doing color in the broadcast booth during the game. We hope that it has added to your entertainment value. Gary should be around all year and we hope he joins us often.

Advertise on this spot!

This spot sees lots of exposure, not only in Kamloops but throughout the league and in other provinces too. With the Keystone Cup coming to Kamloops this season, hockey enthusiast from all over western Canada will tuning in.

Contact the KamloopsStormWriter for more info. There are 3 spots open... get yours today.

Okanagan Division Starting to Separate

2009-09-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

A Definite Pattern Emerging Early

It's still early in the season but there seems to be a definite pattern emerging in the Okanagan Division of the KIJHL. Early indications show that Kamloops, Sicamous, Revelstoke and Chase will be battling it out for first place with perhaps some challenge from Princeton. The Penticton Lakers and the new team from North Okanagan appear to be struggling for points. Both have been to Kamloops and nicely afforded us with Pizza from Domino's because of the lopsided scores.

Tonight's tilt in Kamloops has the Storm taking on the Kimberly Dynamiters. Kimberly took it on the chin, 6-0 in Sicamous last night. The Storm did not play.

No word at this time regarding any line-up changes.

You can catch us live on the internet at www.kijhl.com
We are on the air at 6:50 - 6:55pm.

Advertise on this spot. It gets lots of exposure, not only in Kamloops but throughout the league and in other provinces too. With the Keystone Cup coming to Kamloops this season, hockey enthusiast from all over western Canada will tuning in.

Contact the KamloopsStormWriter for more info. There are 3 spots open... get yours today.

The Storm Rebounds with 6-3 Win

2009-09-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

Scoring Comes From Multiple Sources

The Kamloops Storm scored three times in the first period against the Penticton Lakers on their way to a 6-3 win Saturday night at McArthur Island Sports Centre.
The Storm got goals from Bevin Ollek, on the powerplay, Justin Fulton at even strength and Duncan Schulz - shorthanded -in the opening frame and improved to a 3-1 record.

Head coach Greg Hawgood was happy with his team's ability to put in a strong effort after losing a 3-1 decision to the Sicamous Eagles Friday night.

"The guys are really working hard and they played really well. Give them team credit they were down and taking a lot of penalties," said Storm head coach Greg Hawgood.
"Our discipline was lacking. There was no reason to be in the box as much as we were. The guy that retaliates is the one how gets caught and we have to take some hits and not react to them."

In the second period Fulton collected his second on the power play and Tyler Jackson also scored for the Storm.
With just over four minutes the Lakers pulled goalie Kenny Quinn in hopes of getting back in the game but those thoughts were crushed with Jason Alessio scoring his first of the season into an empty net.
Lakers scoring came from Tripp Emmer, Riley Henderson and Branden Redschiag.

Anthony Manfredi made his third start of the season and improved to 2-1.

The Storm were strong on specialty teams with them collecting one short handed goal and one power play goal in the game.

Next up for the Storm is a trip to Penticton Tuesday night. Next home game is Sept. 26 against the Kimberley Dynamiters. Game time is 7 p.m. at the McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre.

Storm Humbled by Eagles

2009-09-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

Veteran Sicamous Team Looks Like Class of the Division... so far

The Sicamous Eagles rolled into the Mac Park Sports Centre about an hour late (broken down bus) but there was nothing late about their performance.

The Eagles veteran starting line of Aaron Buat, Jarryd Tenvaanholt and Jordan Hynes quickly showed their superiority by out-skating and out-checking the Storm's starting line of Duncan Schulz, Tyler Jackson and Taylor Stuart . The depth of the Eagles, who have at least 12 returnee's from last year's divisional finalists, was apparent all evening.

Derek Husiman led Sicamous with 2 goals, one on the power play and one just as the power play ended. Scott Fellnermayr notched his first goal of the season.

The Storm welcomed 2 new 16 year old players, Logan Hawgood and Brent Defrias, both defensemen, to the line-up. They were put under fire early and often. Defrias was paired with team captain, Mike McCance, while Hawgood spent most of the evening paired with Dylan Becker. Although both players are good skaters and understand the game well, their size may be a difficult obstacle during the season. Add Mike McCance and the Storm have 3 starting d-men at 5'7" or less.

The bright spot of the evening for the Storm was the play of all-star goaltender, Anthony Manfredi. The young and inexperienced defensive corps gave up break-away after break-away with Manfredi coming up big on the save every time. There was a short spell in the 2nd period where Manfredi couldn't keep the puck out when the Eagles were dominating down low, picking up a rebound and a couple of deflections.

Spencer Donaldson scored the only goal for the Storm. Normally a defenseman, Donaldson played as a forward this game.

Forward Bevin Ollek picked up his 2nd major infraction in 2 home games as he was nailed with a 5 minute hit-to-the-head major and a game misconduct. It was our opinion that the penalty should have been a 2 min. minor and a 10 min misconduct but referee, Nick Swain didn't see it that way. It's pretty hard for a guy that's 6'5" (Ollek) to make a hit on a smaller player without coming near his head... period. Obviously Ollek is going to have to adjust his style of play if he hopes to play a whole game at home this year.

The Storm have a chance to redeem themselves tonight as the Penticton Lakers are in town tonight for a 7 pm start.
See you there!

Our camera work has significantly improved this year. We have 3 young guys (Mike and Justin Potestio and Morgan Sidkey)taking turns on a moving camera and bringing you more shots by following the play and offering closeups of the benches, skirmishes, penalty box and of course, the goaltenders. Thanks guys.

Kamloops Storm Wins Home Opener 7-1

2009-09-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Kamloops Storm didn't give the North Okanagan Knights a warm welcome into the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League Friday night.

The Storm scored seven times on their way to a 7-1 victory over the Knights at McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre on opening night.

Scoring came from six sources for the Storm. Goals came from Bevin Ollek with a pair and singles from Duncan Schulz, Dominic Alec, Kolton Moen, Matt Pouncy and Spencer Donaldson.

Anthony Manfredi was solid in net kicking aside 32 of 33 shots after allowing a powerplay marker by Shawn Holliday in the opening frame.

Head coach Greg Hawgood watched the game from the stands, while Brent Fritz and Don Schulz were behind the bench.
Hawgood is unable to coach in the regular season until BC Hockey grants him his certification. He doesn't have his level one and needs it in order to coach through BC Hockey. Without the certification he is not insured, so he can't be on the bench.
Once he's registered he will be eligible to be on the bench until he finishes
the level one class.
The Storm travel to Armstrong for a rematch against the Knights on Sunday.

story by Harpreet Sidhu

3 Stars

1) Duncan Schulz
2) Domenic Alec
3) Colton Moen

BoxScore... click here

Kamloops Storm Names 2009-10 Coach

2009-08-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Greg Hawgood Takes the Reigns
in Landmark 2009-10 KIJHLSeason

Former Kamloops Blazer/Blazer coach and NHL star, Greg Hawgood has signed on to coach the Kamloops Storm JrB Hockey Team for this all important season. The pressure was on before the signing as Kamloops has been awarded the Keystone Cup, the Western Canadian Jr B Championships where the Storm get an automatic bye into the tournament.

Hawgood comes with a list of amateur and professional credentials to guide the Storm with his puck possesion, flowing style of play... the style that made him the Hall of Fame player for Blazers during the 1980's.

Hawgood says... "It's such an honour to be awarded this job. The Storm are clearly the best team in the league nad for Barry to show confidence in me is an honour" "it's a special opportunity with Kamloops hosting the Keystone Cup".

Also present at the press conference were club owner, Barry Dewar and newly appointed Asst GM, Gary Donaldson. Look for Donaldson to be a front line guy, helping the organization where ever required. You can also expect Donaldson to be a regular colour commentator on this years internet broadcasts. Gary has done colour for the Kamloops Blazers in the past.

Barry Dewar, a hands on owner, is committed to the community approach of hockey development, including staying tight with the Blazers. "the wealth of experience that Greg brings to our organization is invaluable" Dewar said. "We're very happy to have someone of Greg's stature involved with our organization. We're excited to continue to have a member of the Kamloops Blazers alumni (both past co-coaches Ed Patterson and Steve Passmore are Blazer alumni) involved with our franchiseas we continue to strengthen our relations with the Blazers."

The Storm camp opens Aug 29 and there are approximately 50 players invited to attend so far. It is expected that the opportunity to play in the Keystone Cup will attract some quality players from around Western Canada. The training camp will be help at the Mac Island Sport Centre.

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2009 - 2010 Kamloops Storm Spring Camp

2009-04-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

May 16 - 17 Spring Camp

The Kamloops Storm will be holding a spring camp May 16 and 17 for players born between 1994 and 1989. Goal tender spots are full.

Cost $150

To register email to dewar@vip.net

Include:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Full Name:

Date of Birth: Position:

Coach and team last season:

Address:

Phone Number:

Email:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If wishing to pay by credit card please indicate and we will call for information.

If paying by cheque mail to:

Storm Spring Camp
#3 2361 Tranquille Rd., Kamloops, B.C. V2B 0B3

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Barry Dewar, General Manager
Kamloops Storm Hockey

250-376-0990 office

250-574-7811 cell

Nelson Sweeps KIJHL Final

2009-03-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

In Game 4 Thriller

The Nelson Leafs showed resilience in Game 4 of the KIJHL Final on Thursday night when, after taking a 3-0 lead, losing the lead, taking it back, losing it again and then finally putting it away with 2:01 left in the 3rd period to defeat the Kamloops Storm.

It was a see-saw battle that saw the Kamloops crowd playing "taps" after a disastrous first period when Anthony Manfredi was pummeled with 3 goals by the Leafs and pulled himself after only 16:37 gone. It wasn't Manfredi's fault and the team, well, they were awful. The Leafs needed only 14min 12 seconds to build that lead, including the first 2 in less than 4 minutes. It was a quiet building during the first intermission.

I don't know what was said between periods (I can just imagine!) but the Storm came out in the 2nd period and scored 4 straight goals to take the lead. Goals were scored by Ryan Hanes and Devin Gannon with some tough close in work around the net.

Then Goode, on a pretty set-up by Brock Backus tied the game at 3 and seconds later it was David Gore batting the puck out of mid-air to take the lead. The building was frantic.

This time, the Leafs were shell-shocked and with a well timed time-out, the Leafs regrouped to answer with one goal (a beautiful effort by talented Kai Bauman) to tie the score before the final period.

In the 3rd period it was the Leafs that came out flying again when the skillful Dylan Walchuk scored only 17 seconds gone to make it 5-4 Leafs.

The Storm, still feeling the momentum from the 2nd period didn't cower and Devin Gannon scored his 2nd goal of the game to tie it at 5.

The game was pretty even up until late in the period when the Leafs started exerting more pressure and Michael Spring found an opening while Christiansen was screened and buried the final goal with 2:01 to go in the game. The Storm had some pressure on at the end of the game as they pulled Christainsen for 6 attackers but Nelson goaltender Garrett Beckwith stood tall and barred the Storm from the comeback.

In everyone's eyes, if it had to be a loss, it was a great effort to end the season. The Kamloops boys played hard after the 1st period, probably as intense as they have been all year. Nelson was just the better team and congratulations to them. We hope that they represent the league well in the Cyclone Taylor Cup, coming up this coming week.

I would personally like to wish all the graduating players well and hope that their futures are proud and prosperous. Also, there will be a number of players moving on with try-outs in the BCHL or WHL. Good luck to them at the next level. Many of the players will be returning for another year and they will be the core of the future for the team. We will look forward to seeing them in September.

I would like to acknowledge all the sponsors and their commitment to help the Storm become a mainstay in the Kamloops Hockey scene. The team couldn't do it without them.

And finally, to the coaches, staff and volunteers that give their time enthusiastically to make the Storm a real community team.

Barry and Sandy Dewar have put together a solid team both on and off the ice, running a quality organization that is appreciated by the fans and supporters in Kamloops and across the league.
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All game photos taken by Judi Dupont,

Nelson Leafs Too Much for Kamloops Storm?

2009-03-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

Kootenay Conference Champions on Verge of League Title
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Usually the Kamloops Storm have a definite advantage against their opponents when playing on the olympic sized ice at the Mac Island Sports Centre because of their imposing speed. It was apparent all year, especially within the Okanagan-Shuswap Conference.

But not this time.

The Nelson Leafs let loose on the large surface and thoroughly thrashed the Storm in game 3 with a solid 6-2 win. The game was close until the 3rd period. The Kamloops players struggled to keep up most of the game and Anthony Manfredi, standing on his ear for most of the game, was victim to a bad turnover in the 3rd period and you could see the whole team start to fade.

There was also just a little too much Dylan Walchuk. The 17 year old former Kamloops Minor Hockey star who was cut from the Major Midget team last season displayed his superior speed, puck handling and deft hand-eye co-ordination to pot the hat-trick that was the backbone of the Kamlooops demise. It could have been worse. Walchuk came close a number of other times, including a cross-bar in the 2nd period.

It's a tough task ahead for the Storm. It would be nice to see them pull one out tonight to at least send the series back to Nelson. After watching the game last night the chances are slim at best. Usually, one can at least put out an opinion on how they should do it but this time I am at a loss for words. The best scenario that I can draw for them is to work harderthan they ever worked before, hope that the Leafs are off their game and pray for some good luck.

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For those of you who tried to tune into the internet broadcast last night, we apologize for the audio problems. Barry Dewar and Lee Ferris worked hard all game trying to get it up and going to no avail. I truly hope that tonight's game is delivered as expected. It would be a shame to not have the chance to say goodbye for the season on the air should the Leafs win.

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It was a shame to see Sean Menton leave the bench after the 1st period last night. It seems that he was upset about warming the bench on the 4th line while former Storm player, Brock Backus finally joined the team and took Menton's spot. I can't blame Sean for being upset but walking away doesn't do him much good. I have been a big Menton fan all year and feel for him... by the way, Backus assisted on both Kamloops goals. I hope that he can get things straightened out with the coach so that he can play tonight. If anyone has the speed to keep up with the Leafs on the big ice, it's Menton, even if he is in a checking role.

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Your comments are welcome. If you were at the game, give us your view of the action. The fans who didn't get to see the game might appreciate it.

It's All on the Line

2009-03-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Nelson Blows into Town with 2-0 Series Lead

It's deja-vu all over again. For the 3rd year in a row, the Kamloops Storm returned home from being on the road for the first 2 games of the league final sporting an o for 2 record. If you like trends, perhaps the Storm can pull this one out in the long run.

In 2007 the Storm lost in 4 straight to the Fernie Ghostriders.
In 2008 the Storm we much more resilient, losing on home ice in Game 6 to the same Fernie Ghostriders.
Perhaps in 2009 we can hope for a series win in 6 or 7 games... but that's a tall order considering the league dominance that the Nelson Leafs have enjoyed all year. With only 10 losses so far this season (regular and playoffs) and no losses to Storm in 4 games, the Leafs confidence level should be sky high.

By all accounts, the Storm have played well so far in the series. Anthony Manfredi has been spectacular and all for one bad period in game 1, the Storm have stayed with the Leafs. It will be an interesting exercise to see how well the Storm can capitalize on their home ice. Nelson will get a skating test on the large surface. It didn't seem to bother them earlier in the season.

For the veterans that have been around for awhile, this will be their last kick at the cat. David Gore, Jose Reyes, Mick Ludvig, Jamie Galbraith and Justin Palazzo are done with junior hockey when the team bows out at the final curtain call, whenever that occurs. Guys like Scott Kirkham, Devin Gannon and Anthony Manfredi and quite possibly a number of others will be looking for spots on the junior A circuit.

It's been a great year and it could last 2 more nights or another week and a half. Let's hope that the Storm can dig down deep for a couple of wins here. Talent wise the teams match up well but as in most sports, it's the mental frame of mind that can put a team over the top. Right now the Storm are facing adversity and an uphill climb, something they responded to in the Sicamous series. All eyes and expectations will be for them to do it again.

See you at the games tonight and tomorrow.
If you can't make it, watch and listen to the game from the KIJHL.com website, starting at 7pm, where we will be calling the game.

KIJHL Final Starts Tonight

2009-03-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Kamloops Squeaks Out Wins In Game's 4 & 5
Against Sicamous to Take Okanagan-Shuswap Title

The Kamloops Storm face the Nelson Leafs this week in the KIJHL Final and fittingly it pits the top 2 teams from regular season play. Nelson swept through the playoffs, losing only one game in the first round to Spokane but the Kamloops Storm had a little different story getting there.

Because of the round-robin format the the Ok-Sh division in the first series, Kamloops ended up playing 8 games to Nelson's 5. Round 2 was similar as both teams swept their opponents in 4 straight. The conference finals saw Nelson dispose of last year's champion, the Fernie Ghostriders, in 3 games while the Storm were faced with the prospect of going out early when they found themselves down 2 games to 1 and trailing 2-1 half way throught the 2nd period in game 4. The prospects at that point looked a little grim.

And then... the leaders led. Gore, Reyes and Ludvig picked it up a notch. You could see Jose wasn't going to lose to his former team if he had anything to do with it. Scott Kirkham, who has trouble finishing earlier in the playoffs came alive. Justin Palazzo tightened up on his defense and wound up his booming shot to become a big part of the offense again.

Austin Goode may have been the most effective forward through the last couple of series. He picked up his intensity and was effective in all three situations that he was called upon. As well as playing his regular shift, Austin was tenacious on the PK and was sharp as the set-up man on the PP.

Anthony Manfredi rose to the challenge in the last 2 outings to put Sicamous away. His counterparts in the last 2 series were outstanding he refused to be outplayed.

Ryan Hanes has been a breath of fresh air with his work effort, quick shot and aggressive checking.
Taylor Stuart was another pleasant surprise. He and James Friedel are the 2 most improved forwards this year. I didn't pick either of them to make it into November.

The rest of the team also raised their games against Sicamous. I was proud of the effors of guys like Galbraith, McCance, Medlan-Marchen and Naka. And what can you say about Sean Menton and Ty Jackson, 2 guys that have given a great effort all year. And I don't think that any team in the KIJHL oculd compete with the quality of AP players that were able to contribute to the success throughout the season including the playoffs. It was a team effort and when they started to play with some fire in their belly, they looked like the Conference champions that was expected of them. Now it's time to keep that cohesiveness when they take on the powerful Nelson Leafs.

I'm sure that the Leafs are the prohibitive favorites and I can understand that. They should be. They beat Kamloops on both occassions that they met Kamlooops during the season. I suppose that the only advantage that the Storm will have is that they have been in the finals the last 2 seasons. If the Storm hope to avoid being the bridesmaid one more time, they need to raise their efforts to the next level to pull this one out.

My heart says Kamloops in 7 but head says Nelson in 5. All I know is that before the month is out, we will know.

Storm over Eagles in game 5

2009-03-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

Friday night at a jam packed McCarthur Island Sports Center the Kamloops Storm came out ready to play in front of their own fans.Kamloops got on the scoreboard first on a goal by Scott Kirkham assisted by Sean Menton,Just over a minute later on the power play Jose Reyes would score assisted my David Gore and Austin Goode to make the score 2-0 for Kamloops after 1 period.Scott Kirkham would score his second of the game in the 2nd period on the powerplay assisted by Sean Menton and Justin Palazzo.Final Score 3-1 for the Storm.Anthony Manfreddi was solid in goal once again.The Kamloops Storm now move on to the best of 7 league championship series starting Sunday night March 22nd and Monday March 23rd in Nelson against the Nelson Leafs before the series shifts to Kamloops March 25th and 26th.

storm headed for the league final

2009-03-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday night in Sicamous the Kamloops Storm defeated the Sicamous Eagles by a score of 4-2 to tie the series at 2 games each.Scoring for Kamloops were Devon Gannon assisted by Justin Palazzo and Scott Kirkham.After 1 period the score was tied 1-1.In the second period Kamloops got goals from David Gore assisted by Jose Reyes abd Justin Palazzo and Scott Kirkham assisted by Ryan Hanes and Doug Orr.After 2 periods the score was Kamloops 3 and Sicamous 2.Ryan Hanes assisted by Scott Kirkham and Justin Palazzo.

eagles up 2 games to 1

2009-03-19T00:45:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night March 18th the Kamloops Storm traveled to Sicamous for game 3 of their best of 5 division series.Up 2-1 after 2 periods the Storm could not hold the lead and last 3-2.Game 4 goes Thursday night March 19th from the Sicamous and District arena.Hopefully the Storm can find a way to win and bring the series back to Kamloops tied 2 games apiece for the 5th and deciding game.

Eagles Tie Series

2009-03-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Kamloops Creating Their Own Storm

I don't know where the Sicamous Eagles have found their energy but they just keep going on and on like the Energizer Bunny. Blessed with 2 capable goaltenders and more depth than I personally gave them credit for, Sicamous has been full value for their effort and particularly their win over the Storm in Game 2.

On the other hand... What's going on with the Storm? Granted, they hit a few crossbars and the Sicamous goaltending has been exceptional. However the lack of finish in the offensive zone and the absence of intensity in the defensive zone (which was observed and commented on late in the season as team went on cruise control), has come back to kick them in the butt. The perception that the team could come and play the last period and walk out with a win is delusional and can ultimately be their demise. It's an attitude of complacency that has been visible since the Christmas break but until now it has been of little consequence.

This is the playoffs. Time to kick it up a notch.

We will see how the Storm handles their personal adversity as Game 3 and 4 proceed tonight and tomorrow night in Sicamous. Let's hope that they bring their "A" game for the whole game. I selfishly hope that Monday night's OT loss to the Eagles wasn't our last broadcast of the season... I too am unprepared for an earlier exit than expected.

Your comments are welcome.

Storm Win Game 1 in Conference Final

2009-03-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sicamous Eagles Running on Fumes
After Grueling 7 Game Series with Chase
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I don't think that I have ever seen a schedule like this year's KIJHL Okanagan-Shuswap Playoffs.
I can 't believe that the Sicamous Eagles played as well as they did because of the schedule.

It was a closed game last night in the opening game of the conference finals. Sicamous came out strong, as we expected in the first period and started to fade in the 2nd period as predicted. But it was their 3rd period that surprised this cowboy as the Eagles really stuck with the lack-lustre Kamloops Storm only to lose by one goal.

The Storm, lacing the skates up with a 5 day rest, again lacked finish in the offensive zone and can be accused a slack effort in their own zone. Their 2 power play goals helped save the day. Eagles goaltender, Chris Kingdon, again kept them in the game as he faced 44 shots to Anthony Manfredi's 28.

The Storm's big line of Jose Reyes, David Gore and Mick Ludvig were generally ineffective. They really struggled in every zone, especially their lack of production on the scoreboard. Not that they were not trying, they just were not clicking. If Kamloops hopes to win it all this year, that line has to pick it up a notch or two.

The best players on the ice for Kamloops were the tenacious twins, Devin Gannon and Ryan Hanes, and the skilled performances of Scott Kirkam and Sean Menton. The "D" was led by Shae Naka, Daniel Medland-Marchen and Mike McCance. Palazzo, Galbraith, Marr and Orr struggled in their own zone. Palazzo was certainly instrumental on the power play.

Game 2 goes tonight, 7pm at the Mac Island Sports Centre. The Eagles are playing their 5th game in 5 days and 9th game in 11 days and have got to be running on fumes. Luckily, their goaltending has held up and will need to continue to do so if they hope to win this series. The Storm need a 4 line effort. Their depth is their ace in the hole and should overpower the spent Sicamous Eagles. But that's why they play the game. On paper, it should be a no-brainer but extraordinary efforts can give extraordinary results. And super goaltending can make all the difference. Both teams have superb netminders. At the moment I give the Eagles the nod in this department, mostly because the Storm's Manfredi has seen very little action over the past 3 weeks. If he finds his "A" game it will be lights out for the Eagles. If not, the Eagles have a slim chance of pulling the rabbit out of the hat.

In other action, the Nelson Leafs have taken a 2-0 lead over defending champions, the Fernie GhostRiders. The series now moves to Fernie for games 3 and 4.

Catch us on the air about 5 minutes before game time tonight.

Your Comments are welcome.

Storm vs Posse game 4

2009-03-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last night the Kamloops Storm traveled to Princeton to play the Princeton Posse in game 4 of the best of 7 division semi-final.Alex Christianson got the start for Kamloops as Anthony Manfreddi was called up to the Westside Warriors of the BCHL.Both teams came out ready to play right from the opening faceoff.Kamloops would get on the scoreboard first at the 11:56 mark of the 1st period on a goal by Devon Gannon assisted by Sean Menton.Princeton would respond with a goal of their own at the 7:37 mark before Kamloops Storm David Gore scored on the power play assisted by Mick Ludvig and Jose Reyes with 2:51 to play the first period.Kamloops would carry that lead into the 1st intermission.Princeton would score at the 15:53 mark of the second period to tie the score 2-2 after 2 periods.Kamloops would score the game winner on the power play with 2:49 to play scored by Ryan Hanes assisted by Justin Palazzo.Final score 3-2 in favor of the Kamloops Storm.Kamloops win the best of 7 division semi-final 4 games to 0.Shots on goal in the game 36 for Kamloops and 31 for Princeton.Next action for the Kamloops Storm is Sunday March 15th against the winner of the Sicamous Eagles and the Chase Chiefs series live from McCarther Island Sports Arena.

Storm in Princeton game 3

2009-03-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last night the kamloops Storm traveled to Princeton to play the Posse in game 3 of the best of 7 division semi-final.Both teams came out hard in the first period with the Storm taking the play to the Posse but Posse goaltender Mickael Gartig played well for his team once again.After 1 period of play it was Kamloops 0 and Princeton 0.The second period saw both teams come out hard with both goaltenders making great save after great save than with 9:32 to go in 2nd period Sean Menton went down the ice on the power play and scored assisted by Taylor Stewart,Austin Goode followed that up scoring on another powerplay 5 and a half minutes later to put the Storm up 2-0 after 2 periods.the third period started out just like the last 2 periods with both teams working hard.Princeton got on the board 6 minutes and 21 seconds into the 3rd period on a goal by Nolan O'Brein assisted Nick Cecconi and Thierry Martine.Kamloops would than score the insurance marker to restore their 2 goal lead 9 minutes 16 seconds into the 3rd period on a goal by Ryan Hanes assisted by Austin Goode.Final score Kamloops 3 and Princeton 1.Shots on goal in the game Kamloops 40 Princeton 20.The Storm take a 3 games to 0 lead in the series in to game 4 in Princeton Tuesday night.

Kamloops Squeeks Out 2 Wins on Weekend

2009-03-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Posse Personality Rears Ugly Head

For the most part the opening 2 games of the Storm-Posse series actually looked like playoff hockey. Tight scores, great goaltending and outstanding efforts. It all came undone at the end of the game on Saturday night when cheap shot artist, Brody Brewster decided to take a two-hand chop with his stick on the face of Daniel Medlan-Marchan after the final buzzer.

I had taken the time to say how well Princeton looked when they stuck to hockey, both on the air and in my blog but Brewster, who was 3rd in penalty minutes in the league this year despite only playing in 45 games, climbed back into the sewer of credible play. We had noticed him yapping and taking cheap shots at Storm players throughout the game but his buzzer special was exactly why the Posse are considered the low-lifes of the league when it come to violence in hockey. For a kid that has zero for future on anything past Junior B hockey, you have got to wonder what's really on the line.

Posse goaltender Mike Garteig has been fabulous. This series would be out the window for Princeton if it weren't for him. Kamloops has scoring strength on every line and they all have tested him. But guys like Brewster are a throw back to everything that's wrong with hockey. Little skill in a league that begs for skill, this guy had no less than 15 games throughout the year where his penalty total exceeded 10 minutes. That's one third of all the games that he played during the regular season. For the life of me, I can't see how a bone-headed attitude like that can do anything but harm a team. Yet the Posse seem to grub around every year to find losers like this in hopes to be a winning team. Yes, they can intimidate some teams but not this time around. Princeton is far more effective trying to play hockey than trying to mirror the Broadstreet Bullies of the seventies... they don't have enough talent to do both.

Let's hope the league can get the tape on the incident at the end of the game and deal with it in a manner that not only sends a message to the player and the team but brings back some pride in actually running a legitimate league. Everyone knows that tempers flair and fisticuffs are going to happen and the league dealt with it in an exceptable manner... game misconduct. However, I don't think that they have addressed the whole issue of major penalties. Violent penalties (major penalties) including fighting, hits to the head, hits from behind, high sticking and so on need to have a limit. They have inserted the coaches suspension for more than 3 fights in a game. Now, it would seem prudent to step up to the plate and place some of the onus on the players, like a league review for anyone who receives more than 3 or 4 0r 5 (let them pick the number) majors in a season and a mandatory 5 game suspension for anyone who exceeds that threshold. Plus, increase the penalty every time that they take another major after that.

Some may say that that targets the physical players... not so. One can play the game being physical. And the rule would allow the player time to change his attitude. However, with no cap on major penalties it will continue to endanger real players and make more headlines than credible play.

The series continues in Princeton tonight. Let's hope that as emotions rise and physical play increases, it doesn't degrade itself with the goonery exhibited at the end of last game.

Let me personally apologize for actions of a few out-of-hand patrons from Kamloops on the Saturday night brew-ha. These drunken young men were pointed out as potential trouble makers prior to the game but had been in attendance the night before and relatively behaved themselves. You can't kick someone out for actually behaving. They crossed the line on Saturday and I personally hope that they are turned away at the door if they try to come to another game at the Sports Centre.

Good luck to Storm in Princeton and I hope that they keep their heads about them. The Posse will continue to try their tactics knowing full well that they have little chance to move on.

The fans in Princeton deserve more than a team that constantly leaves a black eye on the quality of the neighbourhood.

The above expressed views are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kamloops Storm Hockey Team.

Your comments are welcome.

Great Game - Storm 3 Posse 2 in OT

2009-03-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

Internet Broadcast a Bust!

It was a great game last night at the Mac Park Sports Centre as the Kamloops Storm pulled off an win in OT to defeat the disciplined version of the Princeton Posse.

Our apologies regarding the broadcast. When I arrived at the arena I was told that there were challenges getting onto the internet. We tried a few things but it appeared to be a hardware problem. Barry Dewar was working hard to have a techie look at it today so that we can broadcast tonight.

Back to the game.

Kamloops came out rather sluggish in the first period. Passes were not clicking, shots were missing and the Posse did a dandy job gettng pucks to the Kamloops net as well as neutralizing the Kamloops power play by keeping them to the outside and limiting shots. Whatever got to the net, Posse goaltender, Mike Garteig, had an answer for.

The open goal was scored by Kyle L'Arrivee from Jason Alessio and Matt Chomyc. L'Arrivee picked up a rebound on a sharp save by Storm goaltender, Anthony Manfredi and rifled it just under the crossbar.

Princeton did take their fair share of penalties and ended up a man short when Chomyc got tagged with a hitting from behind hit. He got 2 minutes and a game misconduct.

Kamloops came out flying in the 2nd period and was holding the balance of play. It wasn't until near the middle of the period when David Gore finally capitalized right off the faceoff on the power play to tie the score at 1. Later in the period, with Gore off for goaltender interference, Ryan Hanes won a clean faceoff and got it over to Taylor Stuart who made no mistake by slipping it under the pads of Garteig giving the Storm a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd.

Kamloops dominated again in the 3rd period although Princeton seemed to come on as they pressed for the tieing goal. Finally, with Kamloops killing a penalty, Brendan Stephen was johnny-on-the-spot to score the tying goal with just over 2 minutes remaining and eventually forcing overtime.

With less than 2 minutes gone in the OT, Devin Gannon broke up a Princeton rush and turned it around for a 2 on 1 with Scott Kirkham. Gannon held on until he was hash mark high and slipped the puck over to Kirkham who gave Garteig a little feign and scored the winning goal.

Gartieg ended up making 40 saves on the evening and was the first star, while Stuart was 2nd star and Kirkham was the 3rd star.

Game 2 goes tonight. Let's hope that we can get the broadcast done this time around.

PS... I do not receive emails during the game... sorry

Click here for other scores from Friday night playoffs in the KIJHL.

Real Playoffs Start Tonight

2009-03-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

Okanagan-Shuswap Division Finally Gets Serious

It's a good thing that Armstrong has been accepted into the KIJHL for next year. Their presence and participation should help make sense of the post-season.

For the most part, the first round of Okanangan-Shuswap Division has been a marathon of nonsense. An 8 game-double-round-robin to eliminate one team almost sounds like it was something dreamed up by the the BC Teachers Federation in fast forward. And playing 8 games in 10 or 11 days is a grueling exercise for players, coaches, fans and officials.

Rant #1

For teams like the Kamloops Storm, who have a wealth of AP players, this first round offered a valuable rest for their top players after they knew that they were into the next round. That amounted to 3 totally meaningless games. Perhaps the losers in all this though, are the fans. Without taking away from the effort of the players that did play those games, the paying fans got to watch an enhanced major midget team, without a lot of warning. I don't blame the teams that used their AP players to take advantage of this situation however one has to ask that whether fielding replacement players for half the line-up for 3 games puts the term "playoffs" on to the comic page rather than the sports page.

Rant #2

In addition, the amount of games played also taxed the quality of officiating that we saw. I know that it is a developmental league however, if I was an owner, which is my business, I would be extremely vocal about the quality of officials used in the games. When you have "boys", as young or younger than the players playing, holding the balance of power in a game, you know that their is going to be trouble. It is unfair to the official, unfair to the players and again, unfair to the fans to see a kid out there 3 miles over his head try to manage a game. Let's hope there is a lesson learned here. People don't pay money to watch a referee become the centre of attention in the game because they lack experience. That's what minor hockey is for.

Now, the playoffs begin.

The Kamloops Storm have dominated the Princeton Posse all season. Princeton is known for its physical, almost intimidating play against other teams with success but it hasn't really seemed to work against the Storm. I might say though, the one game that we saw Princeton in Kamloops during the last round, the Posse decided to play hockey rather than WWE. It was almost refreshing. However, I believe that their fate will be the same. Now that the Kamloops vets are now well rested, I think the Posse will be blown out of the playoffs. At best, this series will go 5 games.

The Sicamous Eagles - Chase Chiefs series should be more interesting. The teams are evenly matched and should go 6 or 7 games. Sicamous certainly had the upper hand in the first round, winning both games however if Chase goaltender, Riley Wall can perform at the level that he is capable, he could steal the series for the Chiefs. But somehow, I'm not sure that this will happen. At this point in time, I would have to guess that Sicamous will prevail in 7.

In the Kootenay Conference, look for the Nelson Leafs to emerge to play the Fernie Ghostriders in the final. Nelson was far and away the best team in the league throughout the regular season and Fernie has the playoff experience to move on. I can't make a more detailed prediction than that as I really haven't seen enough of the teams in that conference to know what makes each team click.

See you tonight and tomorrow night at the Mac Park Sports Centre in Kamloops for the showdown with the Posse. If you can't make it, pick us up on the internet for the game and play-by-play yours truly.

(note: the opinions expressed above are strictly the views of this writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kamloops Storm Hockey Team)

Your Comments are welcome!

Teams Clinch Series to Move On

2009-03-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

Okanagan-Shuswap Division have Only Meaningless Games Remaining

Even though every team that will be moving on to the 2nd round of the KIJHL playoffs there are still a few games to be played to finish the Okanagan-Shuswap Division double round robin marathon. With most teams playing 8 games in 11 days or less, this round has been extremely taxing on all teams.

The Revelstoke Grizzlies were eliminated from further contention last night with a 2-0 loss to the Chase Chiefs, which completes the 4 teams moving on. Kamloops will play Princeton (as they did last night) and Sicamous will do battle with the Chase Chiefs..

There were 2 upsets in the playoffs so far. The Kimberley Dynamiters took out the first place Creston Valley Thunder Cats in 6 games while Castlegar upset the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in 6 games.

The Nelson Leafs has moved on by easily eliminating Spokane 4 games to 1. They still remain the favorite to win the league. They will be battling with Castlegar for the Neil Murdoch Division final.

The Fernie Ghostriders are looking solid as usual at this time of year . They will play Kimberley in the Eddie Mountain Division final.

At the time of this writing the complete 2nd round schedule has yet to posted however most series are due to start Friday, Mar 6.

Storm on Cruise Control in Playoffs

2009-02-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

One Win and Two Ties Keeps Kamloops in Hunt

The Kamloops Storm seem content to cruise through the first round of the first round of this year's playoffs. With one win and 2 ties they are comfortably in the mix to move on to the next round but face a tough test tonight against their nemesis, the Chase Chiefs.

It matters not where the Storm find themselves in the round robin as long as it is not in last place. With their dominating, runaway first place showing in the regular season, the Storm are guaranteed home ice advantage in the next 2 rounds... as long as they win.

Somehow, I'm still waiting for them to turn it up a notch. 2 ties in Revelstoke and Princeton show that the Storm have not exactly exhibited the "fire in the belly" attitude that it takes to go all the way. However, I also know that the playoffs in this league are a marathon. We hope that coach Ed Patterson knows how to press that magic button at the appropriate time to kick the team into high gear.

Meanwhile, as Kamloops saunters through this round, the other teams that are playing them close are gaining a level of confidence that seems to peak when they play the Storm. Good thing they are beating the crap out of each other for the opportunity to take the Storm out.

Look for Kamloops to be strong at home over the next 3 games and then cruise through the final 2 road games to set up a semi-final showdown with the gritty and always tough, Princeton Posse.

Nothing like counting your chickens before they hatch. I can... they can't.

In the Neil Murdoch division, Nelson, as expected are 2-0 against the Spokane Braves while Castlegar is leading Beaver Valley 2-1 in the series.

The Eddie Mountain division as a potential upset in the making as first place Creston finds itself behind 1-2 in their series against the Kimberley Dynamiters. The Fernie Ghostriders are in tough but lead the Golden Rockets 2 games to one. There is only one goal separating the two teams after 3 games.

That's it for now... check back mid-week when we wrap up the Storm's 3 game home stand and take a look at the progress of the rest of the playoff runs.

2009 Kamloops Storm Awards Banquet

2009-02-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Feb 22 the Kamloops Storm held their annual awards banquet and presentation at the McArthur Island Curling Club lounge. It was a good turnout and the potluck meal buffett was absolutely spectacular. Thanks to everyone who brought food . The desserts were decadent.

There were a total of 9 Awards given out. The Award winners are as follows:

The Coaches award sponsored by DICO Holdings/The Mortgage Centre :

David Gore and Anthony Manfredi

A & W Most Points Award:

David Gore

Radio NL Jim Harrington Game Breaker Award:

Jose Reyes

A & W Hard Hat Award:

Devin Gannon

Home Hardware Defenseman of the Year Award:

Shae Naka and Mike McCance

Eastside Marios Fan Favorite Award:

Mick Ludvig

Sandi Dewar Unsung Hero Award:

Scott Kirkham

Canada Logo Rookie of the Year:

Ryan Hanes

The McDonalds Three Star Award Winners:

Devin Gannon and Anthony Manfredi

Playoffs begin on Tuesday Feb 24 and Saturday Feb 28 at 7pm at McArthur Island Sports centre.

Barry Dewar, General Manager - Kamloops Storm

Storm Wind Up Season on a High Note

2009-02-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

Playoffs Starting Tuesday Night Against Sicamous

The Kamloops Storm wound down their regular season Saturday night with a convincing 4-2 win over the 2nd place Sicamous Eagles. Kamloops took an early 2-0 lead on goals from the blueline crew as Daniel Medlan-Marchen and Doug Orr scored in the first period.

Sicamous came out flying in the 2nd period and Kamloops looked a little lax in their own end. Just past the half-way mark the Eagles scored 2 quick ones to tie the game at 2. However, no sooner had Sicamous tied it up, Mike Collins took a crossing-checking penalty and flashy Sean Menton wristed a laser beam under the x-bar, putting Kamloops ahead.

Sicamous then took another penalty (Ivan Hartling) at the end of the 2nd and it took only 19 seconds into the 3rd period for Devon Gannon to score on the PP to make it 4-2. There was no more scoring after that.

Alex Christiansen started his first home game for the Storm and looked real good. Kyle Graham came in half way through the 3rd to get a little action before the playoffs. With Anthony Manfredi on top of his game, neither is likely to see any action outside of possible first round action where 4 of 5 teams move to the 2nd round. I am only guessing but if Kamloops can win 4 of the first 5 games, the back-ups may get a chance to limber up while finishing the round robin.

As predicted by yours truly, Summerland is the team that is designated to the golf course. They won their final game against Chase and tied Revelstoke in points (42) but the Grizzlies advance on more wins.

So... What are Your Playoff Predictions?

It's always fun to predict so here are mine.

1) No surprises in the round robin. Revelstoke is going to have to dig deep to get out of this alive and I don't think that they have the guns to do it. Princeton and Chase will hold their own. Sicamous on the other hand may find the going tough too. They recently lost Curtis Summerfelt, a promising young 18 year old that appeared to lost interest. He was a good part of their offense and without him there is a lot less depth to their lineup.

2a) It's too bad that Princeton finished 4th as they will most likely be the team that meets Kamloops in Round Two. Kamloops is just too skilled and fast for the Posse. And Kamloops won't be intimidated.
Prediction: Kamloops in five

2b) Chase vs Sicamous - this is where the depth factor is going to start to show on Sicamous. Chase has got to keep their eye on the immediate competition as they will be truly motivated to move on to the divisional final against a probable Kamloops Storm.
Prediction: Chase in 6

3) Chase vs Kamloops Division Final - absolutely should be the best series in the divisional playoffs. There is a lot of emotion out there and with convincing back-to-back wins against the Storm late in the season... Chase has belief and confidence. The stands will be packed to the rafters in both buildings and the coaches of both teams (both ex-Kamlooops Blazers) will have their guys on a mission. It will be a little different Kamloops team in this round though. They have 4 line depth with plenty of capable recruits in the wings. Give an ever-so-slight edge to them also for goaltending. Riley Wall has had a great year and was spectacular against Kamloops during the season but Manfredi has been on this road before. He didn't win 2 division and 1 league MVP's for nothing.
Prediction: It's a short series (3 out of 5) so momentum is going to be crucial.
Kamloops in 5. I can see the smoldering already.

4) It looks like Nelson is the team to beat in the other half of the tournament but again, the playoffs are a marathon. Look for Castlegar to give them a run for their money in their division with Creston and Fernie fighting it out for a berth in the conferance final.

You are welcome to tell everyone your predictions on this blog. Just add your preditions using the "comments" button at the bottom of this post.

Photos from the Sicamous game below were forwarded by Judi Dupont, Java Mountain News. Some of photos were taken by her 10 year-old grandson, Josh Edgar.

It All Comes Down to This...

2009-02-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

The Complete 2009 KIJHL Playoff Scenario
by Barry Dewar

With only one week to go in the regular season and after a combination of over 800 games, of the KIJHL season, it all comes down to the final few games. What a league.

There are only 2 teams eliminated from playoffs at this date. By the time the Storm take to the ice it could be decided but with a week to go only Columbia Valley in the Eddie Mountain Division and Grand Forks in the Neil Murdoch know they are going golfing, and only Nelson, Sicamous and Kamloops know where they will finish. Nelson has been the runaway leader in the Neil Murdoch Division and will capture first overall. Kamloops have long ago clinched first in the Okanagan Shuswap Division and will finish second overall. Sicamous has guaranteed themselves second in the Okanagan but after that it is anyone's guess.

In the Eddie Mountain Division which the Storm were champions of last season, before returning to the Okanagan Shuswap, Creston sits in first place and can control their destiny as they have a five point lead on Fernie. If they are unable to win their last two games this week they could finish as low as third and lose that first round home ice advantage.
Golden who sits in third place cannot finish any higher than second but could easily finish fourth as only 3 points separate second and fourth place all with 3 games to go.
Fernie is to play Kimberley twice and Columbia Valley once. They have probably the easiest schedule statistically as they play all their games against a team lower in the standings. Kimberley plays its other game against Golden, while Golden plays Columbia Valley and Nelson. Creston with a win in either of its last two games will clinch first place.

In the Neil Murdoch, it is no different.
First and last were decided a long time ago. Nelson has been great all year. Grand Forks has struggled. But in between it has been a battle all year. Beaver Valley can catch Castlegar for second place and had they not had points taken away due to an illegal carding of a player they would be in the drivers seat.
Spokane is destined for fourth and a first round meeting with Nelson, while Castlegar and Beaver Valley will meet each other but not sure who will have home ice advantage. The two teams play each other in the last two games which will be a test for the playoffs but right now it looks like Castlegar will have the first tie breaker as they have the most wins in the regular season.

Hold on, the intrigue begins. That might change. Twice this year teams had illegal players play and the league has ruled differently both times and I am sure a protest would be considered, if Beaver Valley beats Castlegar in the last two games. In the first case with Beaver Valley the points and wins were taken away. In the second case the Princeton Posse had the points taken away but not the wins. Interesting developments could make for another league decision to be needed which would have huge impacts on revenue as home ice advantage can sway a series.

The Okanagan Shuswap is very tightly contested and again only Kamloops and Sicamous are secured their position. Chase and Princeton are also into the round robin marathon but Princeton can still catch Chase. Princeton is behind the Chiefs by 5 points with 3 games remaining. Chase plays Princeton and Columbia Valley in their last two games. They need to beat Princeton to ensure third place. Why? ...because of the wins.

Princeton is the spoiler also for Summerland and Revelstoke and could determine the last qualifier for the round robin. If Princeton wins out it will be very interesting as Summerland will need to beat Sicamous in both teams final game of the year. Summerland has 2 games left and are tied with Revelstoke for the final playoff spot with one game in hand. Sicamous has lost its last two games although one was in a shootout.

Sicamous has been playing well but had a line brawl with Princeton in a 4-2 loss Sunday and there could be some suspensions. Coach Duner will likely get one game to increase his league lead in that category but it is questionable whether any other suspensions will be levied. Revelstoke has only one game remaining against Princeton and while Revelstoke has only had 3 wins in its last 10 it is conceivable that the last game of the year on Saturday will be a mean nothing game for Princeton and they may not play their best lineup.

It is very interesting with many twists and turns, so hold onto your hats it could be a wild and crazy finish. The only thing I know for sure is that game one of the roundrobin will start for the Storm on February 24 in Kamloops against the Sicamous Eagles. Game time 7pm. See you at the game

Storm in Creston

2009-02-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

The Kamloops Storm traveled to Cranbrook on thursday night to begin their last road trip of the regular season.The team played in Creston on friday night.Trailing 1-0 after 1 period the team scored a short handed goal by Devon Gannon with assists going to Austin Goode and Doug Orr to tie the score 1-1 before Kamloops native Casey Silverson scored on Anthony Manfreddi to put Creston up 2-1 after 2 periods.Kamloops would come out flying in the 3rd period Scott Kirkham would score on the power play to tie the game at 2-2 with assists going to Jamie Galbraith and Sean Menton.Than with 3 minutes and 14 seconds left in regulation time Mick Ludvig would go dow n the ice and scorew the go ahead goal unassisted and with 27 seconds remaining in regulation time Jose Reyes would score into the empty net assisted by David Gore to make the final score 4-2 for the Storm over the Thundercats.Creston outshot the Storm 33-20 however Anthony Manfreddi came up huge when he had to.

Crunch Time As Playoffs are Nearing

2009-02-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

The Importance of the Last 6 Games

Having clinched a playoff spot quite awhile ago and with first place sewn up, the Kamloops Storm appear to be operating on cruise control. With a 7-3 record in 2009, the Storm have fared well with the ongoing calamity of call-ups, a rash of injuries, illnesses and suspensions.

Alternatively, the Storm's combined record against their remaining opponents for the rest of the year is not quite as impressive and if you isolate the out-of-division success, it is less than stellar.

In the 16 games that Kamloops has played against these remaining opponents the Storm record is 9-7.
Out of the division, 2-2.

With their overall success this season and high expectations, anything less than a berth in the league final would be unacceptable. Heck, they have been there the last 2 seasons so really, anything less than a championship will still be considered a failure.

The playoffs are a long haul to the finals. The results of the last 6 games could play a big part in the psyche of the team. It's nice to be at the top looking down, but when the playoffs start, it's a round-robin to start with and anything can happen. The playing field is leveled and every other team will be out to get them.

Let's hope that they will be ready... and disciplined. It has to start tonight against Chase who now actually believe that they can beat the Storm in a series. With the only winning record (4-3) against the Storm in the division, knocking off the Chiefs tonight with a little enthusiasm could be just the warm-up they need to carry them into the playoffs.

Another loss may be a recipe for doubt.

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Playoff home dates will be February 24, February 28 March 2 and March 3 all games at 7pm.

Get your tickets for one or all of the games. On sale now.

Chiefs Calm the Storm

2009-02-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

Rematch Tonight at Mac Park Sports Centre by Barry Dewar

The Storm came out flat last night against the Chiefs, who get full marks for the win. While we came back hard in the second period it was not enough. The final score was 5-3 for the Chiefs. That was the seventh meeting between the two teams and tonight is the final regular season match up. Chase holds the season series lead 4-3. Tonight the Storm want to even that record so that they can go into playoffs with a positive finish.

The Storm were without several key players due to a line brawl last weekend. Forwards Ryan Hanes, Scott Kirkham and Austin Goode and defenseman Daniel Medland Marchen all watched the game from the stands and will be in the lineup tonight. The Storm brought up affiliate players Duncan Shultz and Daniel Buchanan for the game and both played well.

In the previous 7 games both teams have won one game in the other teams building. The total scoring has Kamloops with 25 goals while Chase has 20. Kamloops has had 2 lopsided wins 5-1 Jan 23 in Kamloops, a Dominos Pizza night and and 8-1 win in Chase on October 24. the rest of the games have been 2 goals or less. Riley Wall, a Kamloops minor hockey product has won all the games in net for Chase and has started every game against the Storm but Jordan Bytelaar did play 43 minutes in the October 24 game and 20 minutes in the Jan 23 game although Wall got the loss in both of those games. Manfredi started the first 6 games against Chase and Kyle Graham started last night. One of the Chase wins included an empty net goal, so other than 2 games they have all been close.

The Storm take on the Kimberley Dynamiters a 2pm Sunday start tomorrow. It is the return to Kamloops of Tory Caldwell who was traded away at the start of the season. Tory has not played the last couple of games for the Dynamiters but I am sure he will be looking to show his old team that they made a mistake. The game also will have Dominic Alec in the lineup. Dominic came to camp in September but thought he would have a bigger role with another team. He is playing well for the Dynos.

Tonight’s match up with Chase is also a Diabetes fundraiser . All of the jerseys being worn will be auctioned off. Minimum bid is $50 and some have some gas certificates included courtesy of Husky/Mohawk Gas stations in Kamloops. A great cause a very unique prize and maybe some gas sounds too good to be true.

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Playoff home dates will be February 24, February 28 March 2 and March 3 all games at 7pm. Get your tickets for one or all of the games. On sale now.

Kamloops Storm Clinch Division Title

2009-02-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Last Playoff Spot Still Up for Grabs

Congratulations to the Kamloops Storm as they clinched the Okanagan Shuswap Division title Saturday night with a big 7-1 win over the Princeton Posse and a subsequent loss by the Sicamous Eagles at the hands of the Creston Valley ThunderCats.

Although I didn't get a chance to get to the game in Princeton, I did have a look at the box scores and broke out into a belly laugh when I saw the penalty totals. Just another night at the fights in Princeton... I wonder when they'll learn that the intimidating brand of goon show they bring to the league each year dosn't win championships anymore. It shows disrespect to the parents and fans who would rather have a winning team and boys with teeth in their smiles.

Sicamous has pretty much clinched a playoff spot although they didn't play well this weekend and Chase is comfortably in 3rd place.

That leaves Princeton (36pts), Revelstoke (36pts) and Summerland (34pts) to scrap it out for the last 2 playoff spots. Then, the top 5 engage in a crazy first round robin format to eliminate 1 team to set up the division semi-finals. Play0ffs are due to start Feb.24.

KIJHL - Okanagan Conference Playoff Format

Five out of Six teams advance to playoffs

Round 1: A Home & Home round robin involving all five teams

Round 2: Top four teams from round robin play Best of 5 series. 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3

Round 3: Series winners play Best of 7 Conference championship.

Round Robin Format: each game worth 2 point for win and 1 point for a tie. No overtime or shootouts. If a tie in round robin standings, the tie-breaker is goals for and against, then plus-minus rating for the team thru round robin play, then penalty minutes against (least wins)

Here are is the link to the complete 2009 KIJHL Playoff Format.

If I was to guess who the odd man out will be, I think it will be the Summerland Sting. They haven't impressed me at all this year. I think they don't have much team speed and by this time of the season, it's speed that you need to compete with the top teams.

The MAGIC NUMBER is down to 2

2009-01-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

For Kamloops Storm to Clinch First Spot in the Division
by Barry Dewar

Any combination of 2 wins by the Storm or 2 losses by the Sicamous Eagles will ensure first place for the Storm. With our destiny in our own hands we head to Princeton this weekend for a game against the Posse.

The Storm will still likely be without Daniel Medland Marchen, Ryan Hanes, Brock Backus and Jamie Galbraith. Galbraith did skate this week and is a possibility but outside chance at best. Hanes and Medland Marchen are both expected to dress for the Kamloops Blazers this weekend, so the Storm will be looking to fill the void with some affiliate player call ups. We expect 15 year old Brett De Frias, 15 year old Josh Rasmussen, 17 year old Alex Marr and maybe 17 year old Spencer Donaldson in the lineup. All players are from the Thompson Blazers Major Midget team which has a bye this weekend.

De Frias will be playing his third game for the club, while Rasmussen will be playing his second game. Alex Marr who is the captain of the major midget team will be playing his 5th game. Donaldson if he suits up will be in his first game as a Storm Player. Donaldson is third on the major midget team for goals and tied for the lead in points with 10 goals and 12 assists. Marr has 2 goals and 10 assists with 50 pims while Rasmussen is 3-3 and 54 pims and De Frias is 5 goals 5 assists with 34 penalty minutes.

Backus has not yet decided if he wants to play since returning to Kamloops from university.

It is expected that a couple of regular players could be seeing action in the BC Hockey League over the next few weeks. Merritt made several trades at the January 10th deadline and have been going with a short bench as they complete their season. Several players have been affiliated to various Junior A teams including Anthony Manfredi, Daniel Medland Marchen, Scott Kirkham, Sean Menton, David Gore, Jose Reyes, Mick Ludvig, Mike McCance and Kyle Graham.

This weekend the Kamloops Storm visit Princeton for the 6th and final meeting until playoffs. Kamloops won the first game in September 3-2 in overtime,. The second meeting was a 9-2 Domino Pizza night with Anthony Manfredi, Mick Ludvig and Peter Soroka as the stars. The third meeting in November was a 6-2 win by the Storm. Ryan Hanes had a hat trick in that game and Josh Caron had a pair of goals. December saw the teams play twice. The first was a 4-1 win for the Storm while the second game was a 5-4 shoot out win for the Posse. Taylor Stuart had 2 goals in the first meeting and 1 in the second meeting against his old team. In the shootout they had 12 shooters each with only John Minot of Princeton and Kyle L'Arrivee beating Kyle Graham who was in the net for the Storm while only Austin Goode scored for the Storm.

The Storm needs to play close attention to Wade Masch and Jason Allessio to earn the victory this weekend. The Storm won both of their games last weekend while Chase lost 4 games last week starting with a loss to the Chase Chiefs in Princeton, followed by a grueling road trip to Fernie, Kimberley and Creston. Next home action for the Storm will be February 7th against Chase for the Juvenile Diabetes fundraiser and on February 8th when Tory Caldwell and the Kimberley Dynamiters come to town.

The Storm Report - Jan 23, 2009

2009-01-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

THE STORM REPORT ... by Barry Dewar

The All-Star Report...

Great All Star weekend for the Storm representatives. Devin Gannon scored both goals for the Eddie Mountain Division prospects team and was named second star. Daniel Medland Marchen also appeared and had a strong game. The team played very well for the Storm coaching staff and some good goaltending by the Neil Murdoch team managed to pull out the victory. The final score was 3-2 for the Neil Murdoch team.

In the All Star game the Neil Murdoch team also won a goal fest game 7-6. The Storm figured in on all but one of the goals scored by the Eddie Mountain team. Jose Reyes, Scott Kirkham, Mike McCance and David Gore all scored while Shae Naka had an assist. Anthony Manfredi played the first period and played well. He allowed 2 goals. The scouts in attendance and there were lots, were all impressed by the work of the boys.

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The Controversy...

Controversy rears its ugly head. With the Storm only days away from clinching first place overall the rumors of a move have been well publicized. We do not want these rumors to disrupt the chemistry of the team and hopefully this will be the final comment for the season. The Storm have no intention of moving and really the team is not for sale. It is still business as usual for the team as we strive to win our division, league and province. We have set big goals for this season and expect to achieve them.

(for our comment, see the previous posting... scroll down)

(to give your opinion and to read others... click here )

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The Pre-Game... against the Chase Chiefs

The team has been playing short handed for most of the last month, and it has taken a toll on the players however, they are getting geared up for playoffs. The team really is looking for additional depth on defense. The loss of Josh Caron to the Blazers is being felt and we are searching for a replacement. We have talked to a couple of players about filling the spot but not found the right guy yet. While a D-man is what we want, we are also looking at finding the best player available for added depth. One concern with bringing in new guys at this time of year is how it affects the camaraderie in the dressing room, and it is a careful balancing act that has to be done.

The addition of Alex Christiansen and Bill Garnett should provide some additional insurance. Garnett is a role player who is expected to provide some added grit. He had been playing with Richmond Sockeyes up until Jan 10. Richmond is hosting the Cyclone Taylor provincial championship and needed to open a spot for a returning player. Christiansen was the goalie in Sicamous who was released to make room for a Junior A player.

INJURY REPORT-Where are they?

Jamie Galbraith has bruised ribs and will likely sit out this weekend. He is listed as day to day.

Ryan Hanes and possibly Daniel Medland Marchen are with the Blazers for the weekend. We expect Ryan back after the weekend. Daniel at the time of this posting is still unknown if he will be with the Blazers all weekend or will return to the Storm for Saturdays game. It will be Daniels first game in a Blazer uniform. We wish them both the best of luck.

Sean Menton is with the Merritt Centennials for the weekend, he will return next week.

The Storm used 2 of its last cards to sign goaltender Alex Christiansen and forward Bill Garnett. The Storm still have one card remaining.
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Other Business...

The Storm will also be at the Read-a-thon January 24 to help promote literacy. This event will be held at the Henry Grube Center in Kamloops. Come out and show the boys that their efforts are appreciated.

Also some of the players will be participating in a commercial. The Strauss Herb Company will be filming one of their new cutting edge commercials that will revolve around hockey and have asked the Storm to participate. This should be a lot of fun and will happen next week. Strauss who are a strong supporter of local youth athletics are a major company on the North Shore and we hope this is the start of a long relationship. We are not sure when the commercial will air but it should be exciting.

On Feb 2 some of the players will be at OLPH school to do some activities with the children. This will be another opportunity for the players to give back to our community. The Storm will also be involved in Strikes for Tykes and are looking for donations. If you can help this fundraiser for the Boys and Girls club donations are being accepted at the program table. Tax receipts are available for a donations of $20 or more

We are having a charity game for Juvenile Diabetes. Special jerseys to be auctioned off starting at $50. get a jersey and support this great cause. It is another competition with Chase and will be held Feb 6 in Chase and Feb 7 here in Kamloops. Again $1 from all tickets sold will go to the cause. Chase beat us in the Men in Pink lets put them to shame this time

UPCOMING EVENTS

Next home game Saturday January 24th 7pm Revelstoke. February 7 7pm Chase; Feb 8 2pm Kimberley

Controversy Hangs Over Franchise

2009-01-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Rumoured Possible Sale of Kamloops Storm
Catches Media/Public Attention

Earlier this week the local newspapers released an article about the possible purchase of the Kamloops Storm involving a group headed up by the BCHL's Merritt Centennials coach, Al Glendinning. The rumour is that the Glendinning group would own both the Centennials and the Storm with the intention of swapping locations.

I had actually heard the story the previous week from inside the Storm's management group but had shrugged it off as rumour material that wasn't ready for comment. Well, now it is.

My understanding and further speculation of the situation is this:

The Merritt Centennials have been struggling the last few years, financially and talent-wise. Pathetically small gates and a small town that offers little in the way of attractions for potential star players, the franchise has failed to keep pace with the rest of the BCHL. With an average of 450 fans in a league that consistently attracts 1000 fans as a minimum in most rinks, leaves the Centennials at a disadvantage. It puts great pressure on team financially and on the volunteers who have stood by, working their fingers to the bone to support the franchise. Once a proud franchise, Merritt has neither the financing, population base or the fan support to continue losing tens of thousands of dollars a year. In essence, they really do need to move... somewhere.

But is Kamloops the right place?

Before the Kamloops Storm moved to town I had numerous conversations with other hockey fans in town and we speculated whether a Junior B or Junior A franchise would survive in Kamloops. After being intimately involved with the Storm over the past 3 seasons, I would have to say that Kamloops, at this point in their hockey history, does not have room for a viable Junior 'A' franchise.

Here's my reason's why...

The BCHL has become a prominent league in terms of supplying players not only to US college but also to the NHL. With less than 100,000 people in Kamloops, it would be risky to expect the town to support two high level junior teams. They would be feeding off each other for fan and sponsorship support.

A BCHL team has significantly more expenses than a Junior B team, particularly in the cost of billeting. Junior A players are billeted relatively free of charge to the player where the team pays compensation to the billets through fundraising, gates and sponsorships. In Junior B, the parents of the player are generally charged a monthly fee by the team to supply billets. With a prominent recession smothering the economy right now, it would appear that the cow could threaten to go dry.

The Storm average about the same amount of fans per game as the Merritt Centennials. It would be futile in my opinion to expect a major change in attendence or sponsorship in a town that has limited resources. Kamloops is not going to give up on the Blazers.

The Storm have carved out a wonderful niche in the Kamloops hockey scene. Owner Barry Dewar has 2 ex-Blazers (Ed Patterson and Steve Passmore) to handle the on ice duties (as well as some of the off ice duties). Barry has worked hard to establish a community presence, utilizing both the players and volunteers, that has grown and solidified over the last 3 seasons. I believe that this success would be hard to be improved on enough to support a Junior A franchise as long as the Blazers are in town.

Barry Dewar has said that the team is not for sale however if the right price is offered, any businessman would have to weigh his options. And that's the answer that we would expect. After all the hard work and loyalty that the Kamloops Storm has built over the last 3 years, I would be surprised if a replacement franchise would receive the same reception.

In conclusion, the Merritt Centennials need a new home. With most BCHL towns sporting populations of 30,000 or more, the town of Merritt, with a population of around 12,000, struggles to compete. But Kamloops is not the place.

Merritt however would thrive with a Junior B franchise providing it received the same corporate and fan support that the Jr A team receives now. Their location is conveniently located to operate in the Okanagan-Shuswap division. And let's face it folks, it's a lot easier to sell a strong Junior B team to the fan base rather than a perennial loser at the Junior A level.

However, at this time, Kamloops is not the answer to the woes of the Merritt Centennials.

Go to this Link to give up your opinion on the subject or to comment on someone else's opinion.

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We are down to the last month in the KIJHL season and only 5 games left in the regular season before the marathon playoff tournament. Kamloops is comfortably in first place with only 5 home games left. Over the last couple of weeks they have picked up a couple of players to try and complete their roster. They are...

Alex Christiansen - goaltender
Bill Garnett - forward

There was a question about Ryan Aynsley. Apparently he is carded with the Merritt Centennials and there is no word on whether he will be re-assigned here.

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Kamloops Witnessing Their Own Storm

2009-01-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

Indifferent Performances Cost 3 Points

For most teams, a win, a loss and an overtime loss producing 3 of 6 points is acceptable. I don't believe that this applies to the Kamloops Storm.

I wasn't able to see them on Friday night when they won a close game against the Sting in their barn. It was obviously the Justin Palazzo show as he contributed a hat-trick + 1 assist in his first KIJHL game.

However, the indifferent play on Saturday against the Sicamous Eagles and lackluster performance against the Summerland Sting on Sunday, both at home in the Mac Park centre, has one wondering whether they can hold their substantial lead atop the Okanagan-Shuswap Division.

The loss of key players (injury or call ups) is going to play an important part of the psyche of the remaining players and they have to know that each and every one has to step up and fill the gap.

The biggest losses for the team are Josh Caron and Scott Kirkham. Scott played this weekend but he will be lost for at least a month, if not the rest of the regular season to the Merritt Centennials. I would suspect that he will be back for the playoffs as Merritt has little chance to see post-season action.
Josh Caron has been endorsed by the Kamloops Blazers and will remain there for the rest of the season. Josh was our most poised defenseman, particularly defensively, and his presence will be missed.
Ryan Hanes has also been spending time with the Blazers however he was only listed as an Associate Player which restricts him to a maximum of 10 games for the rest of the year. He did not play with the Storm this weekend and the energy void his absence created was noticed. Expect him back soon, possibly this week.

As previously mentioned, Justin Palazzo, a new recruit with significant WHL experience has joined the team on defence. His offensive abilities shone through this weekend as he was in on 9 of the 10 goals that the Storm scored this weekend. His defensive play was definitly suspect however as he coughed up the puck many times in his own end and was on the ice for quite a few goals against. In fairness, he hasn't played in 10 months and he's coming into the season with everyone else in mid-season shape. Let's hope he can pick that part of his game up and be the real asset to the team that the coaches and management expect of him. I'm sure he will.

Goaltending was a bit scary. Both Anthony Manfredi and Kyle Graham played sub-par at the 2 home games. Manfredi got the hook after the second period against Sicamous after 4 goals and Graham promptly let in the first shot he faced. On Sunday, Graham got the start and looked shaky all game, missing with the glove hand, giving up generous rebounds and sitting way too deep in his net where he got burnt early against Summerland.

Both Sicamous and Summerland outworked them.

Sicamous bottled up the middle and the Storm players were not sharp enough to find their way around them. Passes were slow and inaccurate which caused turnover after turnover. The stretch pass was working like a square wheel. There were more 1 on 3's than I have seen all year.
Against Summerland on Sunday, it was much the same until the 3rd period where the Storm took over and scored 3 consecutive goals to take the lead on to turn the puck over late in the game and allow the Sting to tie it up and force a shoot out where the 4 Storm shooters were impotent and Graham struggled, letting in 2 of 4 shots.

It's mid-January and the party is over. Let's get back to some crisp, disciplined hockey get ready for the playoffs. There are only 5 regular season home games left.

So, who played well. Jamie Galbraith (who celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday) was a workhorse. Shawn Menton was steady as was Tyler Jackson. But it was James Friedel who stood out in my mind as a character player this weekend. He was asked to play both forward and defense and did well in both. James has made great strides in his game in the last month and consistently contributes to the good fortunes of the team.

Good luck to all participants in next week's KIJHL All-Star Game and Prospects Game in Chase.

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The Crazy Caption Contest is still on however so far it has been a bust. There either is no interest or the process appears too complicated. Dolson's has committed to handing out discount coupons to participants and a prize to the player with the most comments by the end of the year.

Please send me an email at kamlooopsstormwriter@yahoo.ca and let me know if you are having problems uploading or if it's just a waste of time.

Any other participation ideas are welcome.
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I rarely enter into any of the draws during the game but this past weekend I submitted my name to the Sun Peaks booth and won one of the prizes. Unfortunately, I can't use it so I am going to put it up for dibs.

The Prize:

Ski and Board Terrain Park Clinic for Two (2) at Sun Peaks - Feb 7-8, 2009.

Learn the Fundementals of Jumps, Boxes and Rails and Free Ride Skiing Skills.
Available to kids age 10-18 years old with a strong intermediate ability level.
Value 2x $150 = $300
Mandatory Equipment: Helmets and skiers need twin tips.

The Draw:

Enter your:
name:

city:

telephone #

in an email to:

bfsh@page1performance.com

Subject: Ski Terrain Clinic

We will make the draw during the Jan 24th home game against the Revelstoke Grizzlies. Anyone can enter however keep in mind that the prize is restricted to 10-18yr old kids. I will announce the winner on the air and publish the the winner's name in this blog.

This draw is only available from this blog so your chances of winning are pretty good.
Only email entries will be accepted. Thanx.

Storm over Sting

2009-01-10T02:39:00.000-08:00

Friday night January 9th the Kamloops Storm traveled to Summerland to face the Sting in a game that saw the Storm defeat the sting by a score of 4-3.Scoring for the Storm were James Friedel with his second of the season and newly aquired defenceman Justin Polazzo with the hat trick.

Storm kick 2009 off with a bang.

2009-01-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

The Kamloops Storm started 2009 off with a 2 game road trip to Grand Forks January 2nd to play the Border Bruins and than January 3rd to play the Spokane Braves in Spokane.January 2nd saw the Storm beat the Border Bruins 6-1.January 3rd saw the Storm beat the Braves 5-4.Anthony Manfreddi was solid in goal for both games.

Kamloops Storm vs Summerland Sting

2008-12-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

Game Pictures by Judi Dupont, Java Mountain News 14.12.08

Judi is a regular at the Storm Home games and she had her camera on hand for the weekend game against Summerland. Thanx Judi for your contribution. You are invited anytime.

Austin Goode ready to pounce

David Gore and Josh Mitchell in a faceoff scrum

James Friedel rushing the puck

"The Pose" by Manfredi

Taylor Stuart gettin' in done

A Rare whiff by Manfredi

Scott Kirkham facing off

Shae Naka on the move

Dancing to the Music - Josh Caron and
Caron and Dinsmore do the Shuffle

Storm Gathering Strength

2008-12-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Despite Dwindling Bench

The Kamloops Storm continue to create distance between them and the pack in the KIJHL Okanagan-Shuswap division. After 3 divisional games, gathering 5 of a possible 6 points, the Storm is poised to enter the New Year in first place despite the depletion of the roster.

The only blip on the radar this weekend was a 5-4 OT loss to the Posse on Friday night in Princeton. After a convincing 4-0 win over the Revelstoke Grizzlies at home on Saturday, the Storm followed up with a high scoring win, 7-4 over the visiting Summerland Sting.

Kamloops came into the year with a deep roster at all positions. As the year has progressed there have been a number of trades, deletions and injuries that have cut back on critical manpower but to the credit of the management and coaches, the team just keeps rolling along.

Austin Goode (5), Jose Reyes (7), David Gore(6), and Jamie Galbraith(5) all had big point weekends, Galbraith being the most consistent of the bunch as he had goals in every game.

Despite the success, the Storm have had to dip into the AP pool because of various injuries and illnesses. Kyle Graham has gone from AP to a signed back-up goaltender as Christian Pedersen continues to rehabilitate from a knee injury. With the departure of Sheldon McDonald and illness to Mike McCance (mono), James Friedel has filled in one spot temporaily while Logan Hawgood (AP) and Daniel Buchanan (AP) played alternately at home this weekend.

The forward too, have been shorthanded. Players like Duncan Shultz (AP), Rylan Willoughby(AP), Cody Jules (AP) and Ryan Clark (AP) have done an adequate job while Ryan Hanes (ankle) and Tyler Jackson (knee) recover from their injuries. It's unlikely that either of these guys will be back before Christmas.

So, despite the dent in the depth chart, the Storm keep rolling. Let's hope that the New Year brings them health and a full roster.
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The back-to-back games against Chase this coming weekend have more on the line than points and pride.

It's the Men-in-Pink weekend where the Storm will be wearing pink jersys in support for Breast Cancer. H.I.S. Ventures has purchased the pink jersys and helmets for the referees. The jersys will then be auctioned off and the money donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation. You can also purchase T-shirts at the game where $5 from each sale goes to the cause. The T-Shirts sell for $15. If you where pink to the game in Kamloops, $1 will be donated.

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Princeton Gets a Break... Lose only 7 Points for an ineligible player

The Posse caught a break from the league who only assessed a 7 point penalty for having an ineligible player on the roster since Oct 5. They could have lost as many as 22 points if the league stayed with the letter of the law. However that kind of penalty may have had enough negative effect on the team that they would have had to fold, considering they probably would have been eliminated from playoff contention in December, fan support would dwindle and team sponsorships could dry up. A compassionate but necessary decision by the league to help keep a long time franchise above water. As it is the Coach/GM's job to ensure that the rosters are in order, the responsibility falls on them. Therefore, coach and gm, Dale Hladun will be suspended for a total of 9 games for his oversight.

A fair ending to a complicated piece of league legislation.
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Enter the Kamloops Storm Crazy Captions Contest and win discount certificates from our sponsor, Dolson's Source for Sports.
Enter a picture, crazy caption and a short story to become eligible for $10 discount coupons from Dolson's. Go here to find out more.

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By the way...
Answer to the Survey Question... Felix Potvin

thanks for participating

Spokane Steals One From Kamloops

2008-12-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

... Storm Power Play Nearly Impotent

It just seemed like one of those games where not much was going your way.

The game started off well with the Storm's Sean Menton and Scott Kirkham teaming up with the Storm's 2nd short-handed goal in 2 home games. Kamloops took and early 1-0 lead over the Spokane Braves when Menton neatly tucked the puck past goaltender Mike Smith early in the first period. Kamloops dominated every facet of the game for about 16 minutes in the first period but just couldn't bury another. Although Smith was solid, it was more bad luck around the net that led to the Storm's demise. Hard shots and delicate tips seemed to elude the twine, usually high and wide or blocked. The Braves forwards did a very good job in blocking shots, something they did a lot of throughout the game.

Late in the 1st period Kamloops got itself into penalty trouble and the Braves turned up the heat. With David Gore in the box for hooking, Braves captain, Connor Olstad was allowed to free wheel out of the corner and he put a nice shot passed a screened Anthony Manfredi. Just a couple minutes late, Austin Goode got the gate and again, Spokane took advantage of the situation and walked out of the 1st period with a 2-1 lead. Dylan Tappe was credited with that goal.

The teams played fairly evenly through the 2nd period, with the teams exchanging goals. David Gore scored on a deflection to make it 2-2 before Ryan Maul scored close-in on the PP to make it 3-2 at the end of the 2nd for the Braves. But it was their PP that was killing the Storm. With 3 power-play advantages in the 2nd, including a 2 man advantage for 1:32, the Kamloops power play just couldn't get pucks to the net.

Dylan Tappe scored in the middle of the 3rd to make it 4-2 and desparation set in for the Storm.
They finally scored on the power play late in the 3rd to make it close but again, they just couldn't close it out in the final minutes.

Anthony Manfredi, returning from a knee injury took the loss for the Storm. Without any practice the last week and limited action for the last 3 weeks, Manfredi looked rusty, particularly in the first 2 periods. He was buried deep in his crease, not challenging, losing site of the puck and flopping around like a fish out of water. That changed dramatically in the 3rd when his glove hand got hot and a challenged like the Manfredi we know. In the end, it still wasn't enough.

I thought Scott Kirkham was the best player on the ice and together with Menton, they were truly dangerous, especially on the PK. They had opportunity to score a few times but like everyone else on the Storm, they were a little short on finish.

Two things that caught my attention about the way the Storm was playing was the lack of /or poor passing when men were open (the Storm has numerous failed 2-1's) and the failure of the stretch pass. It is such a low percentage play and few guys in this league have the ability to make the pass tape-to-tape. If hockey is a possesion game, why do teams in this league keep throwing possession away? More often than not it ends up with an icing call (boring!) or a turnover.

The Braves were good for their win on a tough road trip. These 2 teams meet again soon, just after the New Year, next time in Spokane.

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The other 2 games on the weekend saw Kamloops take a strangle-hold on the Okanagan Division. Friday night the Storm took a 4-1 victory from the Summerland Sting and on Saturday, they dominated a flat Princeton Posse club. Kyle Graham was between the pipes for both of those games and played exceptionally well when called upon.
Again, in both games, Kamloops failed to tally on the power-play.

Sidebar...OUCH... the Princeton Posse may face a similar fate from the league as Grand Forks. They are suspected to have been using an ineligible player since about Oct 25. It could set them back 17-21 points when the hammer comes down. After working themselves back into 2nd place in the division this penalty will really put a damper on Princeton's playoff aspirations.

Sidebar2... Look for Anthony Collins to practice with the Storm after a season and a half absence. Anthony has been playing in the BCHL this season for Burnaby and was recently traded to Drumheller in the Alberta League. Anthony went and took a look but didn't see anything he liked enough to stay. He is now waiting for another trade back to the BCHL but may have to take a time out and hold up in Kamloops until his deal is done. Jan 10 is the trading deadline for Junior A.
For those who don't remember, Anthony played for the Storm 2 seasons ago. He is 19 years old and looking to get a US college scholarship.

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The Kamloops Storm Crazy Captions contest is now up and running. Just click the link to see what's going on and join in on the fun.

Crazy Captions Contest

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The last survey regarding "if the Storm played the Thompson Valley Blazers, who would win?"
13 responses with 11 voting for the Storm and 2 for the Blazers... makes you wonder if an exhibition game is in order.

The answer for this weeks question will be given next week (see left column).

next home games... Dec 13 and 14 with divisional rivals Revelstoke and Summerland visiting the Mac Island Sport Centre.

Peter Doyle (Sales Rep) Leanne Doyle-Hicks (Sales Rep)
Riverside Realty	867 Victoria Street Kamloops, BC 250-371-1119 (direct) 250-851-4099 (after hours) Email Peter & Leanne