2009-02-28

Storm on Cruise Control in Playoffs


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.

2009-02-23

2009 Kamloops Storm Awards Banquet


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

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.








2009-02-17

It All Comes Down to This...

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

2009-02-14

Storm in Creston

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.

2009-02-07

Crunch Time As Playoffs are Nearing

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

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.

2009-02-01

Kamloops Storm Clinch Division Title


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.