Kamloops Storm vs Summerland Sting

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

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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Spokane Steals One From Kamloops

... 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.

2 Wins Last Weekend

Keep Kamloops Storm Atop the Division

Two key wins last weekend, against division rivals Revelstoke Grizzlies (4-1) and cross-divisional rivals the Castlegar Rebels (4-0) has put more distance between the Storm and the rest of the Okanagan-Shuswap division as Kamloops is starting to run away with the division.

Taylor Stuart had 2 goals in Friday's win against the Grizz and picked up 1 assist in Saturday's tilt for a 3 point weekend. Stuart has been playing well at both ends of the ice and has added another skating gear as his speed has significantly improved thru the month of November. The coaching staff have also taken note and have used him in both penalty kill and power play situations. Keep up the good work Taylor.

Jamie Galbraith has made his presence known since he returned from his groin injury. He scored in Revelstoke and was a real physical force in the game against Castlegar. His tilt with Taylor Anderson was the fight of the day of which Jamie was the clear winner. James Friedel also had a fight, duking it out with Jerris Gregory. James did ok but found himself on the bottom of the pile at the end of the skirmish.

Goaltender, Kyle Graham (I believe that he is now signed instead of an AP) won on Friday in Revelstoke. Anthony Manfredi posted the shutout win against Castlegar, however Graham finished the last 5 minutes of the game as Manfredi appeared to re-injure his knee. Graham's signing was necessitated by the extended injury to Christian Pederson who is on the mend at home in Calgary.

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Earlier this week we saw the departure of defenseman, Sheldon McDonald. He has been traded to Campbell River for future considerations. Kamloops as well as other KIJHL teams are considering trimming their rosters to make room for any Junior A cuts that may become available before the roster deadline. We wish Sheldon good luck on the Island.

Ryan Hanes was to have his ankle operation this week. I don't have that confirmed but I do believe he was booked in for Thursday. Expect him to be back in February. His electric presence will be missed.

I also expect that Ty Jackson should be ready to be back in the lineup this weekend but that is also not confirmed.

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This Weekend:

The Storm have a full weekend with 3 games. Divisional rivals Summerland Sting and Princeton Posse are on tap with the Summerland game being on the road Friday. Princeton visits on Saturday night and Spokane pays a visit to Mac Park for a Sunday afternoon contest. Spokane are currently 3rd in the Eddie Mountain Division, just 3 points behind 2nd place Castlegar.

I would expect that the game in Summerland could get physical and I suspect that the game with Princeton on Saturday will be another "swing party" as the Posse are always in the mood to dance.

Crazy Caption Contest

Kamloops Storm
Family, Friends & Fans

Join in on the:
Crazy Captions Contest.


The idea is to have some fun by posting older pictures of players that are currently on the Kamloops Storm Hockey team taken by moms, dads, grandparents, siblings, friends etc.
Post the picture, add a headline or caption and a short description of what was going on.

Once posted, other people can have a crack at adding a Crazy Caption too.

The more photos, the better. The contest is being run in conjunction with the new Kamloops Storm Profile pages just recently uploaded to the web.

Just about any picture will do. Holidays, Christmas, school, family, events... anything to get a rise out of the readers.

Dolson's Source for Sports is sponsoring the contest. Anyone that contributes a picture gets a downloadable discount coupon for merchandise at Dolson's store in the Aberdeen Mall. Dolson's will also be supplying a valuable prize for the player that gets the most pictures and comments during the rest of the season.

Also, when you visit the Dolson's site, make sure that you sign up for Dolson's e-Flyer. Be the first to get any new products or specials that Dolson's Source for Sports are offering over the net.

So dig out those pics and give us something to remember (and to comment on). Have fun.

Note: Page1Performance.com and the Kamloops Storm reserve the right to review all contributions and inappropriate postings or comments will be edited or removed. Persons making inappropriate comments or contributions may be banned from the site and contest.

Enter the Crazy Captions Contest here!

any questions? just send an email or post a comment through this blog at the bottom of this posting.

thanx, the KamloopsStormWriter

Injuries and Defections Plague the Storm

While Trying to Maintain First Place in Division

After only collecting 2 of a possible 6 points in the West Kootenays last weekend, the Kamloops Storm still has a sizable lead of 7 points (over Princeton) in the Okanagan-Shuswap division of the KIJHL however with the rash of injuries and defections in recent weeks their stronghold could be weakening.

The Storm has lost 3 skilled speedsters to defection or trade.
As reported last week, Brandon Long and Darren Mann left to find greener pastures on the coast. I believe Mann has not been released from the Storm as yet so can't be playing anywhere yet.

This past week saw the departure of Travis Cech, a crafty stickhandler and speedster. At first he was traded to the Beaver Valley Nite Hawks and then the word that I got was that he was off to Qualicum Beach (Van Isl) to play for Oceanside. Despite his gritty play, Travis struggled with staying out of the coach's and general manager's doghouse by persistently being involved in disruptive behavior. The team management decided enough was enough and off he went. I hope things work out for him.

Injuries You Say

The goaltending position has been hardest hit in this latest injury parade. As if losing Christian Pedersen for the bulk of the season wasn't enough, star starter, Anthony Manfredi went down himself last weekend with a strained knee. He ended up backing up Kyle Graham for both the Castlegar and Nelson games. The team expects that Manfredi will be available to play this coming weekend if required.

Ty Jackson is out with a bruised knee... he's day-to-day.

Daniel Medland-Marchen has strep throat.

And Mike Hanes, who has been on a tear the last couple of weeks will finally undergo surgery for the lump on his ankle. Don't expect him to return until sometime in January.
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And if that's not enough...This is a good news story with implications...

They Swim



I attended a recent BCHL game in Salmon Arm with the Merritt Centennials as the visiting team. As I was watching the warm up I recognized Scott Kirkham on the ice, then Mike McCance and then Sean Menton. All were up as AP's for last place Centennials playing against the league powerhouse, Salmon Arm Silverbacks.

Merritt coach, Al Glendinning, being the sink or swim type of bench boss that he is, threw all 3 of them out together for a number of shifts. And to my pleasant surprise, these boys swam. So well that they all saw power-play and penalty kill time, especially in the 3rd period.

Mike McCance played very well. I bet he saw well over 20 minutes of ice-time including power-play, penalty kill and regular shift. His 5'7" frame played 6'6" in size as he played the body and the puck with precision and effectiveness. He easily out-played 2 or 3 of the regulars and was rewarded with the extra time.

Kirkham played well but just couldn't seem to connect on offensive opportunities (neither could any other regulars who had numerous chances). His defensive game was sound enough to keep him and the team out of trouble most of the night.

Sean Menton took a little longer to acclimatize himself to the faster game and played a stronger 3rd period. He looked a little confused positionally at first but being the smart kid that he is, he adapted well. (...Sure hope he gets a new pair of skates for Xmas Dad).

After talking with Barry Dewar today, I guess all of these boys are back in Kamloops. That's the good news. The possible bad news is "how long before Merritt starts plucking and keeping players?"

McCance's performance sure deserves a second look.

Losing kids to the BCHL is kind of a goal for Junior B's but as the season wears on it would be nice to keep some consistency in the line up.
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Your comments are welcome. Just click below and give us your thoughts.

See you at the game on Saturday... a rematch with Castlegar.

later... kamloopsstormwriter

Stormy Weekend Ends with 4 Points

2 Wins and 1 Loss Keeps Kamloops atop the Division

3 games this weekend reinforced the Kamloops Storm hold on the Okanagan-Shuswap Division of the KIJHL but some chinks have showed in it's armor. Could it be that the loss of speedsters Darren Mann and Brandon Long has upset the balance of the team?

On Friday night the Storm visited division rival Chase and got their lunch handed to them with a 4-2 loss. Newcomer Scott Jackson scored a 2nd period hat trick to put Chase ahead to stay. All reports was that it was a lack lustre effort by the Storm and a spectacular effort by Chase, particularly Jackson. Devin Gannon and Jose Reyes scored the 2 goals for Kamloops.

Saturday night's tilt was a slugfest in Princeton with 4 fights and coaches being suspended. Kamloops easily won 6-2 with Ryan Hanes posting the hat-trick and Josh Caron chipping in for 2 goals. A total of 8 players were ejected for fighting and 2 other 10 minute misconducts.
With one fight in the 2nd period, all hell broke loose in the 3rd period with 3 more fights. The 4th fight between Storm defenseman Daniel Medland-Marchen and Posse's Brody Brewster drew suspensions for both head coaches.

Is there a pattern here? It seems that when ever there is a major dust-up in the Okanagan-Shuswap division, Princeton is involved. Last year it was against Chase. It seems that when things aren't going their way the only way they know how to deal with it is to fight.

Hey, by no means do I want to see the end of fighting in hockey. It has it's place but continual intimidation and lack of respect for the game itself seems to emit from the Posse organization year after year. It's a black-eye on the league.

Back to hockey.

On Sunday, the Grand Forks Border Bruins paid a visit to Mac Park and gave Kamloops everything they could handle. The Storm ended up winning 4-2 but it took 4 third period goals to secure the win. Grand Forks goaltender, Shane Mainprize was steady throughout the game, making save after save but finally succumbed to the pressure as the Storm really picked it up in the 3rd period.

Things looked grim just after the halfway point when Storm speedster Jose Reyes got a cheap call from referee Tom Henetiuk for a hit from behind. The call was out of line for a couple of reasons, first the player turned to draw the penalty and secondly Jose held up and clipped the side of the player. It wasn't hard to recognize. A particularly spectacular save by Storm goaltender, Anthony Manfredi, near the end of the 2nd period seemed to turn it around for the Storm.

With head coach Ed Patterson suspended for the game and co-coach Steve Passmore tending to some personal business, assistant coach Scott Sinclair stepped up to the plate as the bench boss for the game. A well timed time-out near the end of the 2nd period also helped Kamloops get back on track.
After one goal in each of the first two periods by Grand Forks (Jensen and Olsen), Devin Gannon finally got Kamloops on the board.

Sean Menton then went to work setting up 2 more goals and scoring the winner with 3:24 left in the 3rd. Mick Ludvig and David Gore scored on the Menton feeds.

It's a long stretch between home games as the Storm head out on the road for 4 games. Next weekend should be the toughest of the season as Kamloops heads to the West Kootenays to play Nelson, Castlegar and Beaver Valley. The following week they start Friday on the road in Revelstoke and then finally return to Mac Park for a rematch against Castlegar.

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No word on the return of Christian Pedersen yet. He is still in Calgary nursing a sore knee however one has to question whether he intends to return to the Storm as a back up for Manfredi. Pedersen certainly has the tools to be a number 1 somewhere else but not here. Hopefully we can get more concrete answers before the next home game.

Kamloops Storm Split Weekend Tilts

Nelson Leafs dump the Kamloops Storm 2-1 in Regulation

The Kamloops Storm faced some stiff opposition in their home barn last Friday when league leaders, Nelson Leafs came to town. It was a tight game between two of the most powerful offenses in the league and a battle between two top notch goaltenders.

The scoring didn't get started until the middle of the second period when the Leafs Dane Rupert cashed in on the power-play. Up until that point both goaltenders, Anthony Manfredi and Garrett Beckwith were rock solid, even acrobatic.

Kamloops got on the board early in the 3rd period, also on the power-play when David Gore finished off a nice 3 way play from Ludvig and Naka. Gore has been hot of late with 6 goals in 3 games.

Nelson finished off the scoring on another slick passing play as Kai Bauman slid a rebound under Manfredi. Kamloops got itself into penalty trouble at the end of the game, leaving only 10 seconds to be at full strength. Sean Menton, who took the penalty knew where to go when he got out of the box but couldn't knock down the pass to get a final chance to tie the score.

The game was close, with both teams showing similar characteristics that make them amongst the best in the league... depth at offense, strong skating skills and of course, quality goaltending.
I thought that Nelson showed a little more organization on the power play and holding the blue line. Manfredi really did a great job there.

Depth at offense was starting to show up in the Kamloops 4th line of Jackson, Friedel and Stuart.
Both Taylor Stuart and Friedel has one of their best games of the season showing much stronger skating and offensive zone control. Jackson was his usual spunky self and is happy to have a couple of wingers that he can work with.

Darren Mann returned after almost a month off. He looked a little tender out there but that will improve with time.

In summary, although the crowd was entertained, Kamloops again fell to a top team from the other division (Golden twice/Fernie) in their own barn. As good as they are looking now, there is still room for improvement. They meet the Leafs again on Nov 23 in Nelson and let's hope that the Storm can return the favor.

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James Friedel hits the Score Sheet



On Saturday night the Storm visited the Revelstoke Grizzlies. The Grizzlies dominated the first period, out shooting the Storm 15-5. Again Manfredi was hot, but it was James Friedel who got the Storm off to an early start. With their strong play the night before, Coach Patterson, showing a lot of confidence in the Jackson line, started them and Friedel got his first goal of the year, unassisted. It was 1-1 after the first period.
Two quick power-play goals in the second period by Jose Reyes and David Gore put Kamloops ahead to stay. Ryan Hanes scored the other 2 goals with a total of 4 goals in the 2nd period.

The 3rd period appeared to be a goon show as both teams took a truck load of penalties with 6 players being ejected for fighting. Ty Jackson finished off the scoring in the 3rd period making it a 6-2 final.

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Brandon Long has left the team to pursue Jr hockey on the lower mainland. Apparently he has an opportunity to AP with a BCHL team in the area (Surrey?) but it wasn't going to happen unless he was locally available. Good luck Brandon.

Last but not least, back-up goaltender JJ Zackall finished off the game in the 3rd period, logging 5:57 min and stopping 5 of 5 shots.

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The new Team Profile page should be ready soon... we are excited to have Dolson's Source for Sports on board as the Team Profile sponsor. We are just getting the final details ironed out before we go live.

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3 Game Sweep Extends Storm Lead Atop Standings

Captain David Gore on a Tear!

It was a near perfect weekend for the Kamloops Storm as they played 3 days in a row and came away with 3 victories. Every game was tight, especially the Sunday game against Creston, where the Storm got a lucky bounce off the butt of the referee when David Gore capitalized scoring the game tying goal with 34 seconds left on the clock.


Gore had a tremendous weekend scoring 5 goals and adding 2 helpers. Previously David had been playing well and getting assists but this weekend he was gold on the goal scoring trail and has now moved up into a tie with Scott Kirkham, leading the team in points with 25.

On Friday night the Sicamous Eagles were in town trying to make amends for the poddy-kicking (8-1) they received from the Storm the previous week, on home ice no less. The game was a close affair with both goaltenders posting big save after big save. It was an Italian standoff as Storm goaltender Anthony Manfredi out duelled the Eagles stopper, Delaney Minichiello.
Gore had the hat-trick, including an empty netter to seal the win at 4-1. It was a good game, with both teams playing hard. Kamloops really didn't shake the Eagles until late in the 3rd period when it was still tied at 1-1.

Saturday night in Summerland saw Jose Reyes as the dominant player on the ice as Kamloops rolled to a 4-2 win over the Sting. Kirkham, McCance and Brandon Long (just back from injury) scored the other goals. Gore has a lone assist.

Then of course, there was Sunday's tilt against the Creston Thunder Cats. Loaded with past Kamloops Minor hockey products in Silverston, Miller and the Moen brothers (Kolton, Brodie), the Thunder Cats proved a tough opponent. Creston is in 4th place in a tough division but has a few games in hand on the divisional leaders (Fernie, Columbia Valley, Golden). Goaltender Wade Waters was stellar however Kamloops goalie, Anthony Manfredi was equal to the task and then out duelled Waters in the shootout.

The Storm's next home game doesn't get any easier as the league's best record in the Nelson Maple Leafs comes to town. It should be an epic battle.
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Quick Notes:

Darren Mann is back in town and expects to start skating this week after rolling over on his ankle on Thanksgiving weekend.

Jamie Galbraith is day-to-day (groin).

Daniel Medland-Marchen is also day-to-day with a strained glutimus-maximus.

Christian Pedersen may be done for awhile. He is in Calgary getting an MRI done on his knee and may need arthroscopic surgery. We will hear more this week.

James Friedel remains snake bitten in the goal scoring department. He missed a wide open net on Friday night's game against the Eagles. Friedel has been playing hard and coaches Patterson and Passmore have rewarded him, Tyler Jackson and Taylor Stuart with more ice time recently because of their dependable play. On Sunday, Friedel was moved back to defence to replace Medland-Marchen and played pretty well. I don't think he wants to stay there though.

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Watch for the Kamloops Storm Profiles to start here on the blog. Along with the profiles, the Storm will be running an ongoing fan & player participation contest (of sorts). Contributing fans will be able to secure discount coupons from our profile sponsor... Dolson's Source for Sports and the players will be competing for a prize, also contributed by Dolson's... the only thing holding us up are the delinquent profiles required from a few...ahem... star players.
It will be fun and everyone is encouraged to participate. In the end, we would like to also create the largest team profile website in the province... Stay Tuned.

here's a hint... dig up some old or recent photos of your favorite Storm player, we are gonna need them.

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Thanks to Barry Dewar for the Volunteer Appreciation pizza-fest after Sunday afternoon's game.

October 31 game

A very entertaining game on Halloween night as the Sicamous Eagles put up a great battle before the Storm were able to pull out a 4-1 win. Danny Minichiello made his first start for Sicamous against the Storm and played awesome as did Storm goalie Anthony Manfredi. Manfredi had to be sharp in the first period making a couple of key saves and then again in the second before the Storm took control of the game. Minichiello stopped 47 of 51 shots. Manfredi stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced. The McDonalds 3 stars of the game were #3 Minichiello, #2 Anthony Manfredi and the number one star was David Gore who scored 3goals including an empty netter with seconds remaining on the clock. Ryan Hanes with one goal and one assist got the other marker. Mick Ludvig had 2
assists while Kirkham, Reyes, Menton and Long all had one assist

INJURY REPORT
Christian Pedersen has returned to Calgary for a few days following a tweak in his knee, he should be back this week and will likely get a start next weekend. Darren Mann will resume skating this week after a twisted ankle. Jamie Galbraith will be out for another couple of weeks with a lower body injury. Doug Orr and Ryan Hanes both returned last night after a couple of weeks off due to injury. Both had strong games in the win over Sicamous

This Storm is Beginning To Howl

As the Pieces Start Falling into Place

So, let's see. At this time last year Kamloops was mired in last place in their division. The talent was there but the cohesion hadn't quite started.

Fast forward to late October. The Storm are in first place and starting to dominate their division. The way that they have played lately they could be really scary by Christmas. All the pieces are starting to come together.

Consider the following:

1) This team has speed to burn, probably as much as any team that I have seen over the last 3 seasons of watching the KIJHL. Players like Reyes, Mann, Menton, Cech, Kirkham, Jackson and Hanes could be the fastest guy on any other team.

2) The addition of Josh Caron and Shea Naka to an already solid defensive crew gets my vote as the most talented in the league. Their transition game (D to D - out of the zone) is the best it has been in the last 3 years. A little more care in their quiet-zones give-aways will ultimately lead to more offensive breakouts where the team has speed to burn (see #1).

3) Goaltending is solid. Until Manfredi showed up in either of the previous years, the team struggled for a #1 goaltender. No problem this year. He's been here since the beginning of the season. And back-up Christian Pedersen has proven to be a solid in his appearances, especially at home.

4) Head coach Ed Paterson and Co-Coach Steve Passmore are back for a 2nd year. They gained the confidence of the boys last year and with continuity the team has developed much faster than than previous years.

5) The team hasn't even fielded a full healthy line-up yet.

6) The penalty killing efforts of Kirkham, Mann, Hanes, Menton, Long, and Jackson make Kamloops a scoring threat on almost every short-handed effort.

7) Team leadership is solid. Captain David Gore along with group of solid vets like Reyes, Ludvig, Mann, Goode, Kirkham and Galbraith are leading by example. The younger guys have fine examples to rise up to.

The current version of the Kamloops Storm could be the best so far... but not yet. There's a little thing called consistency. And another called focus. With a tournament called the playoffs. Only time will tell if this group of hockey brothers can keep on improving to take the final step in a league and provincial championship.

The Storm host the Nelson Maple Leafs (1st Place in the Neil Murdoch Division) for an epic battle of division leaders. Let's hope that the game is as good on the ice as it is on paper.

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ps... good to see Tory Caldwell doing so well with Fernie. He deserved his shot as a starter and he is making the most of it.

Controversy Rears its Ugly Head

Last season the Chase Chiefs lost out on a playoff spot due to a league ruling that cost them 2 points which was enough for Summerland to sneak into the final spot. This year it is Beaver Valley Nitehawks who come to town this Saturday October 25 to play the Kamloops Storm, 7pm at McArthur Island. Beaver Valley has been accused, and the league has not yet ruled, that they played an inelegible player in 4 games. 4 games in which they did not lose a game. It appears that the Nitehawks could lose 7 points which would drop them from second place to last in their division. 4 of the points would be awarded to Grand Forks and they would move up to a tie with Beaver Valley for the last playoff spot. Look for some angry Nitehawks in Kamloops if this ruling comes down as expected.

Kamloops Storm Split Weekend Points

Grab 3 of a Possible 6 Points.

A win, a loss and an overtime loss is what the Kamloops Storm bring back from this past weekend road trip to the East Kootenay's.

This was the first extensive road trip for the team and although they didn't dominate the competition, they survived. This October road trip has always proved tough on the team as they have to learn to get their road legs, find out more about each others bad habits and most of all, find the guy real leaders on the team.



Obviously, the line of Reyes, Gore and Ludvig have started showing their leadership on the ice. This line contributed a total of 15pts over the weekend and at least one of them was involved in 7 of the 11 goals that the Storm managed to muster up. This is good news for the Storm as this line started the year slow but are now gaining momentum.

Nice to see Josh Caron back in the lineup. He will be a welcome addition to the blueline.

Ryan Hanes requires minor surgery on his ankle that will keep him on the sidelines for about a month.

No word on Brandon Long (we miss his penalty killing). He's out with a banged up shoulder and was still not skating when the boys left for the road trip.

After 2 very commendable appearances between the pipes in Kamloops, Christian Pedersen faced his first adversity as he got pummeled by Golden on Friday night. He was pulled mid-way through the 2nd period and replaced by Anthony Manfredi. It happens. Christian is going to be a good goaltender for the Storm. Hang in there kid.

game summaries

Thanks to Jeremy Salamandyk for sending the game summaries.
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The new Team Profile page should be ready by the end of the month... some guys just have to be prodded to submit their information. Look for a high profile sponsor. In addition, you, the fans, will be invited to contribute to the pages and give us all a laugh... stay tuned
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Posse Gunned Down in Storm

Complete Team Effort by Storm Pays Dividends

It was a good old fashion shellacking, one we're sure the Princeton Posse will keep in the back of their minds for the next meeting. The Kamloops Storm unleashed their offense and used sound defense to control the game from start to finish. The Posse looked like they were standing still.

Two 20 year-old veterans, Jamie Galbraith and Mick Ludvig stepped up their efforts on Friday night to score 2 goals apiece in a 9-2 drubbing of the Posse. And there were significant contributions from almost every one on the team. In fact, everyone on the team got on the score sheet except James Friedel (who was tossed for fighting the middle of the second period) and AP Chris Clark. Clark saw limited ice time until late in the 3rd period.

Sheldon McDonald (0-3) and Austin Goode (1-2) led the point parade with 3 apiece while 7 others had 2 points.

For added entertainment there were a couple of good tilts. James Friedel took on Brody Brewster with Brewster taking a narrow decision and Jose Reyes duked it out with Kevin Darcy with Reyes on top of the heap after the smoking fists cleared.

A couple of unfortunate hitting-from-behind penalties also took a couple of players out of the game. Nick Cecconi got nailed for the Posse. I did not see the hit as my vision was obstructed so I can't comment on the hit. I will however say that Cecconi was issuing cheap hits earlier in the period and got away with it so it didn't break any of the Kamloops fans hearts to see him tossed. Darren Mann, in his speedy, aggressive style of play took out a Princeton player in front of the penalty box with a hit from behind and also got tossed. I did see that one and although I don't think it was intentional, it was a good call by the ref, who struggled with the concept of hitting and getting hit throughout the game.

Kamloops was firing on all cylinders. It was too bad that Manfredi lost his bid for a shutout. The goals were a perfect example of team overconfidence that led to breakdown. One fan mentioned to me after the game that it was a good thing the Posse scored earlier in the 3rd period because the Posse's 2nd goal was a coaches nightmare. Taylor Stuart, who played a pretty good game for the most part, committed the ultimate sin of being the last guy back with the puck, trying to stickhandle out of his own zone. With three Posse players on top of him, he coughed it up resulting in a goal by Bill Marshall. With head buried between his legs coming to the bench, the coaches didn't need to say too much.

For full game results, go the the KIJHL site here.

All said and done, the Storm seem to be coming together much earlier than the last two seasons.
With five really good players out of the lineup (Ryan Hanes-ankle, Travis Cech-suspension, Tyler Jackson - flu, Brandon Long - shoulder and Josh Caron- ankle) one wonders how good this team can really be. The impending 5 game road trip should solidify the character of the team and do nothing but grow their confidence.

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Keep your eyes open for the new player profile pages. We are solidifying a sponsor and intend to hold a season long contest for all fans.

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Ghostriders Steal Back Game in Shoot Out!

Heartbreak Kids Steal Show in this Game

After holding a 1-0 lead (David McIvor) going into the last 2 minutes it was heartbreak for the Fernie Ghostriders goaltender Jason Greenwell when Kamloops forward Devin Gannon scored a short-handed goal with 1:58 left in the 3rd period to tie the score at 1-1.

It was heartbreak again, this time for Kamloops Storm goaltender, Christian Pedersen when, on the same power-play, Chad Olsen was left alone in the slot to fire the go-ahead goal with 1:37 remaining, putting Fernie up 2-1.

Probably the cruelest heartbreak occurred with less than 1 second remaining when Greenwell was beaten by a shot from Storm rookie, Shawn Menton. There was a little controversy about no time being left on the clock however the red light went on before the blue light (which signals the end of the period) went on so the goal stood.

Both goaltenders had to make good saves in the overtime which settled nothing. In the shootout, the veteran Jason Greenwell showed his poise and stopped 4 consecutive Kamloops shots while Pedersen was scored on by Mike Oldfied and Chad Olsen to steal it back for the Ghostriders.

It was a very entertaining game between two of the best teams in the league. Don't be surprised if you see these perennial rivals meet again in the KIJHL final this spring.
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Veteran Kamloops Storm goaltender Anthony Manfredi was the back-up goaltender in this game. Word is that he has been battling an ear infection.

Mann to Man

Ouch! Sting Get Stung - Storm Wins 8-2

It took all of 12 minutes for Darren Mann to show his coaches and his fans that he is all growed up now. Mann, on a lightening fast line with Kamloops Blazer product Ryan Hanes and Californian speedster, Shawn Menton left the opposition Summerland Sting swarmed and stung early.

Mann was everywhere, scoring 3 goals in 3 distinct manners. First, he took advantage of a juicy rebound on a howitzer by Hanes. His second goal was a converted opportunity on a loose puck. And his third goal was the result of constant pressure and a pretty passing play between the speedy linemates.

If it weren't for poor positioning by the referee, it could have been 4 goals in the first period, but the goal was disallowed as the official had lost site of the puck.

Mann played for the Storm 2 years ago when he stuck with the team as a 17 year old tenacious, hard checking speedster. He has returned with all the qualities he possessed back then but with a little more size and lot more smarts. The Storm, who haven't shown a lot of offensive savvy so far this season have now found an important piece of the puzzle.

Last night's game was played without the benefit of 2 other speedsters, short-handed specialist Brandon Long (separated shoulder) and Travis Cech (suspension-3 games). With those 2 guys in the lineup Kamloops could be the team to beat this year.

And this was only the first half of the game.

The second period saw much of the same pressure as the first when Jose Reyes, David Gore and Mick Ludvig caught fire. Having Mann, Menton and Hanes attracting a lot of the attention, tihis was the perfect catalyst for a wake up call for this line as they struck for 2 more quick goals in the first half of the 2nd period.

In the middle of the second period, up 6-0, the Storm relaxed a little and found themselves in the penalty box. Summerland, needing to dig deep, turned up the pressure and fired 2 goals of their own, only 1 min-9 seconds apart and carried the play for the rest of the period.

Then Kamloops put it away in the 3rd, again, 2 goals by the Reyes line. David Gore had 2 goals (one in the second period and one in the 3rd, Ludvig one goals and Reyes finished with 1 goal and 3 assists, the line's biggest offensive output of the year.

Daniel Medland Marchen also scored in the first period. Marchen has a very solid game, stepping up into the offensive play, driving the net and hustling back to defend. He is looking more comfortable each time out and will be a steadying force on the blueline.

With the great performances on the evening it's almost a tragedy that we haven't mentioned the Kamloops starting goaltender last night, Christian Pedersen. The 18 year old native from Calgary got his first start of the season and did not disappoint. He moved well and was able to see most of the pucks coming his way. We look forward to seeing him more although the 3 goaltender situation in Kamloops is likely to get broken up shortly with someone being traded. Count on Tory Caldwell finding another home in the future as he is ready to step up into a "starters role".

The love extends to David McIvor and the Fernie Ghostriders tonight at the Mac Island Sports Centre. Fernie took it on the chin, losing 3-2 to a solid Chase Chiefs team in Chase last night. Fernie, still a force in the league will face a team as talented as they were the last 2 years when they won the league championship, disposing of the Storm both times in the final.

Game time tonight - 7pm

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Also, feel free to comment on the stories as they come. Just click comments at the bottom of the post and let us know how you felt about the game, the players or the story.

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Hanes and Goode Dominate Score Sheet

Tory Caldwell Wins 2 Between the Pipes!

With a 2 game sweep of weekend games, the Kamloops Storm are only 1 point out of first place in the division with 2 games in hand. Currently tied with the Chase Chiefs and only 1 point behind the Sicamous Eagles, the Storm are starting to make some noise in the division.

Rookie Ryan Hanes and 3rd year vet Austin Goode dominated on the score sheet this past weekend, scoring 6 of the 7 goals by the Storm, while Travis Cech scored a game-opening, short handed goal in Sicamous on Friday.

Tory Caldwell was impressive, stopping 28/29 on Friday night and 29/30 on Saturday's game for a weekend GAA of 1.00 and Save Percentage of 0.9661... rather stellar I might say and certainly putting a little pressure on regular starter and past MVP, Anthony Manfredi.

On the weak side, the power play was a miserable 0 for 7 while they still managed to score one short-handed marker by Cech. To date the team has 4 Power Play goals and 3 Short-Handed goals, an interesting ratio, would you agree?

Coach Patterson has been putting an awful lot of faith in the inherant first line of Reyes, Gore and Ludvig, who for some reason can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn door these days. You gotta wonder if there is a little shake up in the offering, noting that this line had a total of ZERO POINTS for the weekend. A bit of an underachievement to say the least.

Stay tuned for this weekend's home stand as the Storm hosts division rivals Summerland Sting on Friday and perennial league powerhouse, the Fernie Ghostriders on Saturday.

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What are your comments on the past weekend games?
(click comments below - your views and opinions are welcome - keep it civil - thanx... DaveO)

Only in Canada you Say???

Hockey Night in Sheffield...England

Recently, a friend of mine who is visiting jolly old England needed to get his hockey fix. It was opening night for the local pro hockey team and ... I'll let him tell the story...

I just gotta share this with you - on Saturday night I decided to go see the Sheffield Steelers Ice Hockey team play in their home opener against Coventry Blaze - a bitter rival from 60 miles down the M1.

It's the first time I've been since I was here back in 2004 and I was quite looking forward to getting my hockey fix. When I arrived it was very obvious that they had gone to great efforts to promote the fact that their product is a Family Affair as they want to fill the seats with whole families to negate the soccer hooligan mentality that permeates sporting events over here. They were handing out pom poms to all the little girls and little boys who came in with their Mom & Dads and they had clowns and mascots all over the place - competitions for the kids - I was really quite impressed - they really had gone all out to promote a family atmosphere.

I guess at game time there was about 6000 in attendance, many of them young families - even the cheerleaders were all under 12 and the little boys and girls were dancing and copying the cheerleaders who were showcased on the big screen - the kids were in their element.

The teams came on and the kids went wild as they lined up for the face off - right off the bat prior to the drop of the puck the Coventry left winger lifts his stick up and tries to castrate his opposite number - you guessed it - 5 on 5 (brawl). I couldn't believe my luck (Ha Ha), the atmosphere changed in an instant - all the fathers resorted to their football mentality and began shouting and screaming obscenities - the little kids stood there with pom poms at their side not knowing what to do - one little girls burst into tears and others where comforted by their mothers shielding their eyes from the mayhem that was ensuing.

It was one of the most surreal sights I have seen in hockey - all these kids brought in at great effort by the club only to be exposed to the most brutal violence sport can offer - I just sat there and watched the reactions of the families around me - it was hilarious - how ironic - some Moms were giving their husbands shit for jumping up and down and swearing, serving to frighten their children as there was blood all over the ice - it was great. It was 20 minutes before sanity was restored and all 12 players were ejected as both goalies were battling.

Sheffield won 5-1 - but I didn't care - all the entertainment was before the first puck was dropped - I'll be going next Sunday.

Only in Canada they say... what a hoot!

Later... DaveO

Storm Battle to a 1-1 Weekend

Leaders by Expectation Finally Step It Up

After a rather unenthusiastic effort in a 4-2 loss to the Golden Rockets, the expected leaders on the team took it up a notch and contributed big time in a 5-4 Saturday night tilt in Revelstoke.

I can quite imagine that coach Ed Patterson was aging rapidly waiting for some production from his designated first line of Mik Ludvig, Dave Gore and Jose Reyes. It took until game 4 to start hitting the scoreboard and I was wondering how long they were going to retain their status.
Through in some lackluster play from vets Austin Goode and Taylor Stuart and a knee injury to rookie speedster Sean Menton, things were not looking too good for offense.

On the bright side 3rd year Storm player, Scott Kirkham, has put on some more size and weight over the summer. His improved speed, strength and much improved shot have made him the team's leading scorer.

Also on the bright side, the young defensive corps have stood up very well. They seem to have mastered the art of d-to-d passing and limiting the low percentage stretch pass that turns too often into icing and disrupts the flow of the game. Doug Orr and Sheldon McDonald have been solid contributors and newcomer, Danie Medland Marchan was steady in his Storm debut on Friday's game against Golden.

Nice to see Darren Mann back. With Brandon Long, Kirkham and Tyler Jackson the Storm should rank very well in the PK by season's end.

The Storm is blessed with a lot of talent. Let's hope that the boys can start gelling before the Xmas break this year.

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Just some business to clean up...

I have been getting comments on the blog that would be more appropriate in an email. Unfortunately, I did not know that my kamloopsstormhockey address had been de-activated. I apologize to anyone who has tried to contact me in that manner. The email is again ACTIVE so please send your email comments or questions through the blog (there is a little "envelope" at the bottom of the post). The email is then sent directly to my inbox and I will be contacted that it is there.

The comment block on each posting is designated for comment on the recent games or topics written in recent blog entries. Sorry if this has caused any challenges.

To the listener that was requesting "highlight tape", I'm sorry, you will have to contact Barry Dewar. I just yak and write on the blog. The cameras and tape are in his hands. However, I might add, the cameras that bring you the game are stationary (mounted on the beams of the arena) and don't produce any better footage than what you are getting. We lost our game recording parent, Bruce Trenaman, who had tackled that task for the last 2 years.
Any takers? contact Barry Dewar.

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Funny Thing happened at the game against Golden...

Jose Reyes lost a skate blade near the end of the first period. I had not heard whether he could dig up another pair of skates or not. Near the end of the first intermission I looked along the concourse at the Mac Park centre and saw Jose dressed in street clothes talking to his Dad. At this point I'm wanting to get back on the air for the second period with some news. I asked Joe Cocco, who was sitting in the booth as the camera operator, if that was Jose. He said yes so I enthusiastically approched him and said "so Jose, what's the scoop, your not dressed anymore and your Fans want to know?" At this point I got the queerest look from the kid and I started asking again. He finally said to me, who do you think I am? I am not Jose, I'm his brother.

Well you coulda fooled me... we all had a laugh and when the period started the real Joses Reyes was on the ice as usual.

Storm Steal One from the Posse

Newcomers Show Some Dazzle

It was opening night and the Kamloops Storm and the Princeton Posse were meeting for the 4th time in less than 2 weeks.

The game started out a-blazing as the Storm scored an early short-handed goal by Brandon Long, a nice 2-on-1 with 3rd year vet, Scott Kirkham.
Princeton came back 3 minutes later when Nick Ceccone slipped a lost puck past Kamloops goaltender Anthony Manfredi who had just taken the puck in the facemask on a hard wrister from Spencer Brooks.

Princeton tallied the only goal in the 2nd period, on the power play when Brooks Christensen finished off a nice 2 on 1 with a nice feed from Wade Masch.

Both goaltenders stepped it up until late in the 3rd period. The Storm's Manfredi and Craig Stewart for the Posse came up with a number of big saves to keep the game close. However, late in the 3rd period, Travis Cech was awarded a penalty shot when he was hauled down on a breakaway. Cech, who had been showing some nice hands throughout the game, made a nice deke on Stewart and tied the game with 4 minutes left. Neither team seemed to want the 2 points as they traded marginal penalties through the end of the period and into the overtime period.

It was Sean Menton who stole the show with a highlight reel, end-t0-end rush that pulled the fans off their seats and settled the score at 3-2 for an opening game win. Menton and Cech, both newcomers, displayed some nice chemistry as well as individual talents that earned them #1 and #2 stars of the game respectively. Wade Masch, for the Posse, was the 3rd star.

The Storm play again, Sunday, Sept 14 at 2pm