The MAGIC NUMBER is down to 2

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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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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

... 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.