#neversoproud

#neversoproud?
It's been awhile since I have been on here and not even sure I know if this will post correctly.

In 15 years I have never seen a team with so few players take 5 out of 6 points on a weekend.  13 skaters took to the ice on Friday. Two of those guys had missed the two previous weekends due to injury and a couple others were not 100%. One of those 13 was affiliate Carl Main (thanks to Vernon midget coach Keith) making his first appearance in a ki regular season game

The Storm headed into Summerland against a very good team.  Wilson Northey had a great offensive game, while the rest skated their hearts out to come away with a double overtime win with seconds remaining.  13 skaters almost 70 minutes of playing time!  And on the road.  Back to Kamloops and home at 3 am. Up the next day off to Revelstoke same 13 guys but in the second period a dman gets hit in the face with a puck.  Off to the hospital he goes.  Down to 12 skaters, only 2 of which are regular defence men.  Another overtime granted less than 2 minutes but now we are at about 132 minutes of playing time.  A wait at the hospital and home again after 3am.

You would expect no gas for the third game BUT not to be the case.  Byl is out but great character from captain Brett Watkinson, who comes off injury to lead his team to a 3-1 home win over a good Revelstoke Grizzly team.  We could only pick one star of the game but there were 14 different guys who showed leadership, integrity and heart.  Way to go guys #neversoproud.  #kijhl #kamloopsstorm teaching character.  So why so short 3 guys leave for BCHL, two to Surrey Eagles for the remainder of the year (Hunter Kero and Rob Johnson)  and Sol Siebel as an affiliate to Wes Kelowna.  Sol will be back for next weekend. Several out with injuries think we counted 8 at one point in time.

You would think that without 3 of your better players, add in the injuries that if you got two points you would accept it, but this is such a balanced well coached teams that it just allowed other players to step up.

If we get to the finals this year, we can look back to this weekend as a turning point.

Last day in Doug Birks division

Sicamous is in playoffs Revelstoke is out. BUT. Still don't know who we play. If 100 mile house loses. They will open against the Storm Friday in Kamloops. If they win they will play Chase and the Storm will play Sicamous. 

Nothing more to say. What a fantastic season. 

Last week of Doug Birks playoff race.

Still 1-2 games to go for the teams in Doug Birks race. Three teams have ensured a place in the playoffs, Kamloops are first. Chase is second.  Three more separated by a total of 2 points.  Wow!

100 mile are guaranteed a playoff spot. They could be third or fourth.  Their last game of the year is Sunday against the Storm in Kamloops. Could be a first round matchup.  Sicamous play Princeton in Sicamous. They need one point to beat out Revelstoke. A win and they could finish third if 100 Mile lose their last game. 

Revelstoke plays Chase and need a win with Sicamous losing to get the final spot.  Revelstoke have had the best record in the division over the last ten games with scoring from Chavez-Leetch, Roberts and Fuist 

The Storm lead the division in goals scored and fewest goals against.  Chase are second in team scoring and fourth in goals against. Revelstoke is third in scoring and third in goals against.  Chase and the Storm are the only two teams in the division that have scored more goals than they have given up. Sicamous has the largest difference in goals for and against having given up 17 more goals than they scored. 

Sicamous may have the hardest game to finish the year.  Princeton is tied with Kelowna for third place in the Okanagan and need to win to avoid a first round match up against Osoyoos.  They also need Summerland to beat Kelowna. It is questionable if Chase will take a full lineup to Revelstoke so no idea what will happen in that game.  

In our division I have never seen a race like this. Don't go anywhere the fat lady hasn't even started to sing

Storm play Saturday 7 pm vs Spokane and Sunday at 5 against 100 Mile House.   Playoffs will start in Kamloops Friday February 20 at 7 pm and Saturday February 21 also a 7 pm start.  The Saturday game will also be a fundraiser for former Storm/Blazer/Venom trainer Peter Friedel.  Pete has been fighting diabetes and kidney problems. A portion of every ticket sold at the game will go to Peter.  Come out make some noise and help support Peter.  This is a joint fundraiser for the Storm, kamloops Venom and Kamloops Blazers. Pete has given tirelessly to the Kamloops sporting community it is our chance to give back.  Tell everyone you know to come to the game. Cheer on the boys and cheer on Pete

Storm at Revelstoke

Definitely not a defensive battle and the animosity shows through as the grizzlies come away with a 9-7. Victory. Seemed the last shot was going to win as neither team could stop the goals. Mark O'Shaugnessy had a good game for the Storm while Michael Roberts was the best player for Revelstoke.  Rematch next Friday as the Storm will once again be on the road to Revelstoke.  In the meantime the Storm play Saturday at 7 against Nelson Leafs.  Then Monday it is Chase Heat in a 5 pm family day start.  The family day game will have a skate before the game from 1-3 pm with several Storm players.  Come out meet your favourite players and enjoy a free skate. Then stay for an exciting game.  

The Chase Heat had a big win 4-1 over Nelson.  The win kept them 7 points ahead of 100 mile and Revelstoke there magic number to clinch second place is now 2 with four games remaining.  To clinch a playoff spot and ensure they can't be caught by Revelstoke or Sicamous the magic number is one.  It could go to the wire

Doug Birks race

The new feature on the kijhl.com website with previews makes it easy to figure out how teams have done at a glance. 

Sicamous has two games left. Princeton and Spokane. Both of the teams are playoff bound.  Do they rest players which might help the Eagles. Sicamous has won the previous games 5-2 over Princeton and 3-2 over Spokane. Neither Spokane or Princeton can move up in the standings but both are only four points up on the fourth place team in their division. The race could be settled by the time they play as they play on the last weekend.  Do Princeton and Spokane rest players from the long road trip if the standings are set OR do they bring full guns to prepare for the first round of playoffs.  Sicamous maximum points 56 enough to get second.

Revelstoke. Not a fan of the organization but Michael Roberts is fun to watch.  They play kamloops 2 times at home. Revelstoke are 2-4 against the Storm scoring 12 and allowing 23.  They beat North ok 5-2 in the one time they have met.  They also have a winning record against 100mile 4-2 out scoring the Wranglers 27-21. Chase holds a slight advantage at 2-3-1-1 but both team have scored 17 goals and allowed17.  The addition of Roberts makes me think Revelstoke has a chance to catch second place. Depends on the Storm with a big game tonight.  Revelstoke maximum points 57

Chase play Nelson who beat them 4-3. Nelson can catch Spokane and will be looking for a strong showing this weekend after all the Leafs controversy. Against 100 Mile they are 4-2-1 scoring 31 while giving up 30 goals.  They need this win to have a run at second place.  They also play Revelstoke and Kamloops.  Strong rivalry with the Storm on family day game in Kamloops 5 pm start. A win Monday and at least one over Nelson or 100 Mile will be huge.  Chase maximum points 64. Kamloops have more wins so have clinched first place.  

100 Mile also play North ok who the lost to 4-2. They need to sweep all three games this weekend to stay in the race.  Wranglers maximum points 59

Predictions I can see Chase second as they have had good success against the teams they play. Hodges and Boyle have been good all season. Solid defence with Okino and good goaltending Byer can win games for his team.  

The rest is up for grabs. Sicamous has good goaltending duo but is one hurt?  Hasn't dressed in a bit! Grieve and Jepson can control a game. Revy goalie we haven't really seen Doak so he is an unknown. Fiust and Leech are good young players and Roberts can be dynamic.  They need to win most or all of their games avoid injuries and suspensions to make a run.  If they get into playoffs they will be hard to beat.  Chase hold their own destiny and should prevail.  100 Mile have great goaltending and if they play like they can are very good.  Coach Dale has allowed players to play in BCHL, so could be why they have the worst record in division at 3-6-0-1 in last ten games.  Assume they will all be back.  They are big and fast.  

This might be the best playoff race in last ten years that I can remember. And any team in playoffs can be a surprise. No one to take lightly in the Birks Division

Storm clinch Doug Birks Division

Storm won 5-1 in Sicamous to clinch division

Birks Division Final

The Storm are playing 100 mile house wranglers.  The first two games in Kamloops were won by the Storm. 8-3 and 3-0.  The first game was a Dominos pizza night.  The Storm threw shot after shot at Kristian Stead who played well despite allowing 8 goals.  In the first period he stopped 25 shots which gave his team a lot of confidence.  The Storm offence took over in the second period lead by Max James.  

Game 2 saw Liam McLeod earn the shutout, with Mitch Friesen scoring the game winning goal on a beauty feed from Max James.  

Game 3 goes tonight in 100 Mile House with game 4 tomorrow also I'm 100 Mile.  Not a lot of lineup changes expected from the Storm who have been rolling 4 lines.  The Wranglers are a little beat up and will be without Santerno who is suspended for a hit from behind.  Santernonhas been one of the best players for 100 mile all season so he will be missed. 

Couple of issues and would love to hear your thoughts on the subjects.

League awards.  The Storm won the league during regular season, and had the largest margin over the  nex closest team yet got 2 awards.  In the other conferences the dominant team received the bulk of the awards.  No slight to the guys who won but why wasn't Max James rookie of the year.  Similar points to the guy who won but played less games.  How about Bobby Kashuba for most sportsmanlike. 17 pims and over 60 points.  And the coaching staff?  I know we all make nominations and team awards are more important than individual but why is this?  Jealousy in our division? Maybe the way the guys were slighted will give us more determination in playoffs.

The other issue is league/hockey wide.  I am not a proponent of fighting or dirty play, but is it fair to suspend a player 5 games in playoffs for a check from behind and accumulated fighting penalties.  I don't know all the details but Brandon Formosa who is one of the best players in the league will miss the rest of the series against Kimberley and if they advance maybe part of the next for just that reason. Formosa is an aggressive player and we don't see him a lot but he has never been a goon against our team.  This suspension could cost Creston a division title.  Surely there has to be a better solution.  Let us know your thoughts

Storm win in Sicamous to take 2-1 series lead

Luke Gordon has scored the first goal in each game of this series against the eagles. He netted another in the second period for his team leading 5th goal.  Spencer Schoech, Felix Larouche, and Brock Balson got the others. Liam McLeod got the win stopping 30 shots.  Sicamous came out strong had a couple of good scoring chances.  Liam had some help from the cross bar early and made a couple of big saves.  Joyce was also good in net for the Eagles.  Storm will be back in Sicamous for game 4 tomorrow at 7 pm,  Monday game 5 at MacArthur island at 8pm 

2014 KIJHL champions

The Storm clinched the overall league championship on Saturday night.  The Storm with 81 points could not be caught in the overall standings. A win on Saturday in Lillooet just added icing on the cake.  The Storm hosted the 100Mile House Wranglers in Lillooet as a neutral site game. The Storm won 3-2.  The winning goal scored by Lillooet native Brett Watkinson in double overtime.  The crowd went crazy, as the hometown hero made it a show that won't soon be forgotten.    

What is next for the Storm  first a makeup game Wednesday in Sicamous and then they are going to the NHL (rink that is). MacArthur island has two rinks the Storm's normal rink is the Olympic, the other is called the NHL.  This Saturday they will finish the regular season with a special promotion  KMHA, and Papa Johns pizza will give the first 500 paid adults a coupon for a free Papa johns pizza. One coupon per family.  It will be a special night on the NHL rink, the banner as league champions will also be presented.  The Storm will go back to the Olympic ice for playoffs starting Tuesday February 25 and Thursday February 27 th when they will start a best of seven series against the Sicamous Eagles. All games will be at 7 pm  

The Storm have only lost 8 times this season, 2 against, 100 Mile House, 2 against North Okanagan, and once to Golden, Chase, Creston and to Sicamous.  Sicamous was the last loss the Storm suffered to date a 7-5 defeat on January 31.  Playoffs will be a war as the Storm don't take losing easy and they will want to finish the Eagles quickly.  So far the teams have met 7 times.  In September it was 3-2 kamloops in overtime.  October was a 6-3 win.  November 5-3, December a 4-0 shutout.  January a 6-3 win then on January 31 the loss in Kamloops 7-5. The Storm rebounded in February with a 3-1 victory.  In the seven games so far with one game to play, the Storm have scored 32 times and given up 19 goals.  Sicamous have one of the top defensive teams and compete by working hard and relying on solid goaltending.  The Storm counter with great offence and are fighting for the league lead in fewest goals scored allowed.  It should be a good series but GO STORM.  

Come out and catch some great hockey action as the Storm look to go a long way in playoffs. Tickets for the playoffs are on sale only $10 for exciting hockey action.

Storm secure overall kijhl. Regular season championship by Nicole and Tamara barker

DOUG BIRKS DIV	GP	W	L	T	OTL	PTS	ROW	OTW	GF	GA	DIFF	PCT	STRK
z-Kamloops Storm	49	40	8	0	1	81	40	5	237	139	98	0.827	W5
x-100 Mile House Wranglers	49	23	20	0	6	52	23	2	153	164	-11	0.531	W1
x-Chase Heat	50	25	23	0	2	52	25	7	185	175	10	0.52	W1
x-Sicamous Eagles	50	22	25	0	3	47	22	6	151	162	-11	0.47	L1
Revelstoke Grizzlies	50	8	38	0	4	20	8	0	121	287	-166	0.2	L9

 

 

From: Nicole Barker [mailto:nicole_barker04@hotmail.com] 

KAMLOOPS STORM WIN 4-1 OVER REVELESTOKE GRIZZLIES

February 15, 2014

 

The Kamloops Storm (40-8-0-1) beat the Revelstoke Grizzlies (8-38-0-4) 4-1 on Saturday night at home. 

 

Josh Rasmussen opened the scoring for the Storm with a short handed goal assisted by Rourke O’Briain. It was Rasmussen’s 29th goal in his record breaking 232nd KIJHL game. Storm built on their lead with a goal from Rourke O’Briain fed to him by Stefan Wood and Josh Rasmussen. Shortly after Bobby Kashuba and Brock Balson slid the puck up to Daniel Buchanan who scored his 23rd goal on a Subway Power Play. 

 

Both teams played a good second period with Aiden Silzer-Hooker and Felix Larouche feeding the puck to Bobby Kashuba who scored to make it 4-0 with 18 seconds left in the second period. 

 

The third saw both teams fighting for the puck with the Revelestoke Grizzlies finally getting their first goal by Brendan Jay from Matt Lucero. 

 

The Storm outshot the Grizzlies 52-14 in the game as Liam McLeod earned the win with 13 saves and Jaxon Nohr stopped 48 for the Grizzlies. 

 

Kamloops Storm was 2-for-7 on the power play, while the Grizzlies finished the nigh 0-for-5.

 

With this win the Kamloops Storm will have earned the league title for KIJHL. Kamloops Storm (40-8-0-1) will host the 100 Mile House Wranglers(23-20-0-6) February 16 at the Lillooet Recreation Center, the puck is set to drop at 5PM. These two teams have met six times this season with the Kamloops Storm winning four of those meetings. 

Possible KIJHL playoff match ups

With 2 weeks to go in the season the Storm still do not know who they will play in the first round.  It would appear it will be Sicamous who can still get a total of 8 points in their last four games, if they win all their games and if either 100 Mile lose their last 3 games and Chase win no more than one of four remaining games Sicamous will finish fourth.  The Storm lost once to Sicamous so far in their 7 games. They have one game remaining on February 19.  The Storm also lost once to Chase and twice to 100 Mile House.  The Storm play 100 mile house two more times.  They play in Lillooet on Sunday then the final game of the year February 22 at MacArthur Island arena.  The other 100 Mile House game will be against Chase.  

Chase can control its destiny as they playSicamous twice, 100 Mile once and Revelsoke once.  Sicamous plays the Storm, two against Chase and one against Revelstoke.  Sicamous is a bit of an enigma, and I wonder if they are wanting a first round match with the Storm.  Their last game they started an affiliate goalie, and while it appears he played well, it is a question, when your starting goalie is one of the best in the league.  I always tell my coaches that you never want to deliberately give points away, as it usually comes back to bite you in the rear.  Sicamous has strong defence from their entire team, good coaching and responsible forwards.  They have the sixth fewest goals against in the entire league, which is a function of their style of play and Joyce has been good in net.  So has Turner but he has been hurt over the last while and his status is unknown.  This Friday will be a huge game for Chase  and Sicamous when they meet in Sicamous.  They will play each other again on Saturday.  If Chase wins either game they will pretty much clinch at least third place. Chase has control of its own destiny for home ice advantage.    

Confusing?  Not much difference in the other divisions.  Golden and Columbia Valley have the same points and games remaining.  They meet each other in the final game of the year on February 22 and that might be the deciding of who goes home and who plays Creston.  Fernie will play in Kimberley in the other playoff matchup.  The Okanagan is mostly sorted out with Kelowna probably meeting North Okanagan in round one, with Summerland meeting Osoyoos.  Technically things could still change between Summerland a and Kelowna and they do have to play each other 2 more times. I am predicting status quo.  North Okanagan starting in Kelowna and Summerland at home to Osoyoos.  North Ok is the only team with a winning record against the Storm, winning both games.  

All teams are alive in the West Kootenay division, although Grand Forks are well back but still have 7 games to play awhile Spokane has only 2 games remaining.   Spokane and Castlegar are one point apart, so anyone of those 3 teams could finish from third to fifth.  It would be a struggle for Grand Forks as they play Beaver Valley and Nelson in the last two weeks.  The real battle is for first in the division.  Nelson is up 4 points but have two less games to play than BV.  BV has allowed the least goals against and the two teams should win most of their remaining games.  Beaver Valley would seem to have the tougher schedule, however the last game of the season will see the two teams play each other.  That could be the game that decides first place in that division.  Both teams look to have one extremely strong line.  Vlanich and Wellman are first and third in league scoring for Nelson, while Edwards and Calvin are also in the top 10 for BV.  The two teams split last weekend so it is anyone's guess.  Home ice is important for all teams but maybe more so for BV, as they seem to have a team built for their home barn.  Both teams have excellent home records.  A point of interest is that the final game will be in beaver valley.  Beaver Valley has the best defence in the league three goals fewer allowed than the Storm.  Nelson has scored 28 more goals than BV.  

Stay tuned as things unfold. go Storm

Storm clinch conference

The Kamloops Storm's win on Friday over the Sicamous Eagles clinched the conference title in the Okanagan Shuswap Division.  The Storm are first overall in the kijhl right now and now have a magic number of four points to ensure the league title. The Storm are in a race with Creston, Beaver Valley and Nelson.  Any combination of 4 points so two wins by the Storm or losses by the other teams will give the Storm the league crown.  In the playoffs the team with the most points gets home ice advantage as they advance through playoffs.  

On Saturday the fans saw what could be a conference battle as the Kelowna Chiefs came to town. It was another Dominos pizza night as the Storm won 5-3 with an empty net goal.  A well played game by both teams, with the Storm controlling the majority of the play.  It was fast aggressive hockey and the fans got their money's worth.  

The Storm have worked hard all season, with a balanced scoring attack and aggressive forechecking which has kept their opponents off balance.  The playoffs will probably start in kamloops February 25 and 27.  At this time the opposition is not known and could be anyone of the Chase Heat, Sicamous Eagles or 100 Mile House Wranglers.  100 Mile will play the Storm twice over the last two weeks with one of those games in Lillooet next Sunday.  100 Mile is 2 points ahead of Chase and 5 points ahead of Sicamous.  Chase has a game in hand and more wins right now so are in good shape to finish either second or third to avoid a first round matchup with the Storm. Sicamous have a good team but seem to lose the wrong games to make any head way for the fight for second.  

This has been a great season and playoff tickets are going on sale shortly.  Season tickets for next year will also be available. 

Shane Poulsen

Former Kamloops Storm player earns NCAA scholarship. Shane Poulsen going to university of Nebraska.   Shane is a local kamloops hockey  player who was able to advance his hockey career by playing junior hockey at home.  We are so proud of Shane and wish him all the best

Playoffs in the Okanagan division

We only see the Okanagan division once at home once on the road.  What we have seen has been very tight.  Looks like Kelowna will open against North Ok while Summerland and Osoyoos will face off, however it is not settled.  Kelowna is 7 points ahead of Summerland while North Ok is only 3 points behind Osoyoos.  Kelowna is a solid team good structure and depth of players especially in playoffs as many have been close the last couple of years.  The loss of Nick Joseph's to BCHL hurt, but they picked up last years scoring champ Salahor so it is a minor blip, on the forward line. Goal has been strong and doesn't seem to matter who is playing.  A couple of Rookie dmen have stepped up.  Nick Headrick from Prince George and Alex Gran are having good seasons.  Summerland has been on a role.  Personally a big John Depourq fan (tried to hire him a wiggle ago).  He has a skilled fast team and when I saw them in December thought they were the best team we had seen in the league.  There core group is not big but good skill.  Since then they lost Riley Hunt who went to Junior A, and he is a skill guy who is hard to replace.  They have good scoring in Scott, letaurd, Robertson and Burton.  If Summerland plays north Okanagan I predict Summerland in 4  or 5.  North ok is short on scoring and very young in goal.  Kelowna should beat Osoyoos but I predict 6 games.  Kelowna should be better in goal but Osoyoos has some big bodies who could wear down whomever they play.  Chemelka, azevado are solid players.  Dobransky while not big has been solid on defence.  Goaltending is in question, we haven't seen the current two to know how it will play out.  Both are only 17 and lack experience.  Will be interesting.  Kelowna should play Summerland in the division final.  Home ice could be huge and that does favour kelowna right now.  Summerland don't list most of their players size and while Kelowna are mostly around 6 feet, they don't have a big squad either.  A we see Kelowna this weekend so will have a better idea.  I predict 7 games for the Okanagan final with whomever has home ice advantage taking the series

Awards

The kijhl offers several awards each year and it should be a great contest in each division.   The awards include top dman, coach, MVP, goalie,sportsman and rookie.  In the burks division there are several guys that should be in the running.  Revelstoke has struggled and really don't have many players who will be considered.  In Sicamous jepson should be in the running for rookie, also Joyce in net.  In Chase Boyle should be considered for sportsman, good points not a lot of pins. Mattes in net should be considered.  Numbers are not as good as Joyce but his team is not as defensively structured and he has been a huge part of the teams success.  Venne has had a strong year and could be considered for MVP or sportsman.  In 100 mile I am sure goalie would have been Warren but he went to BCHL so out of the running.  They do have have a strong rookie contingent lead by Santerno, and I think levesque is very solid on defence.  I do think that while the Storm has a strong team that several top individual awards or maybe all of them could go to Storm players.  Coaching staff for the Storm has been great, Ed has brought in Kyle and Todd as well as using a strong leader in zach tjader to keep the team focused.  While other coaches have done a good job the record speaks for itself.  Rookie should be Max James.  Only Santero has similar points per game.  James has played fewer games is younger and doesn't get as much power play time as the 100 mile house player.  However he generally has better line mates so could be a close call.  I always think if I was building a team who would I rather have, and to me it's James.  

Dman has to be Buchanan top dman scoring in league and well ahead of teammate Spencer Schoech who is second in league scoring for a dman and about 14 points behind Daniel. 

MVP lots to consider from the Storm, Kashuba and Larouche have had a great season, so has Rasmussen but I think it is neck and neck between Balson and Buchanan.  Balson has good offensive stats but also his defensive play has been terrific.  It could be close.  McLeod should be considered for goalie but he has played less games than Joyce so I think he could be overlooked.  Sportsman Balson should be in the running but this one could go to Boyle from Chase.  A few more points and a few less pims. 

With the season the Storm have had there should be some individual awards but this group won't be happy without a league title, a provincial championship and a western Canadian championship.  What a great season boys be proud of yourselves.

Playoff update

I told you I don't know anything.  Michalovsky is backing up in salmon arm and was named energy player of the game recently.  Way to go Kyle. When he is back in creston he will be ready for playoffs

Playoff forecast and awards

With not seeing each team it is hard to determine all the playoffs match ups and awards.  Let's start with the west kootenays this is the only division we haven't seen this year. The top two teams are Nelson and beaver valley but I wouldn't rule out Castlegar.  The nighthawks seem to be the favorite. One of the coaches from the Eddie mtn. Division says they are similar to the Storm skilled and big.  They play on a small surface and don't know about their skating but the top two players Ryan Edwards and Dallas Calvin are well known to the league and they can create havoc.  Nelson appears to be a smaller team but reported to be very fast.  Goaltending could be a question mark.  Mada came in a little before Christmas which resulted in the leafs moving the starter to another junior b team.  He was at the top of the league in most categories when they made the change. Mada seems to have picked up where the last guy left but is it a great defence or strong goaltending. Could be interesting as mada doesn't seem to have the experience of playoffs.  Nelson are guaranteed a spot in the provincials and may not be as motivated for a long playoff.  I like a lot of the Castlegar players. Good experience in playoffs, and question seems to be goaltending. Beaver valley just resigned their number two goalie was he hurt, an off ice problem? Why was he gone for most of a month?  The other tender has been good all year so bv should be ok. Back to Castlegar, they picked up a scorer from Golden,who is good, add that to Bartlett and Disher and they could be the spoiler.  Nelson could decide not to push too hard and look to deliberately go only one or two playoff rounds. Several teams have taken this route over the years with the idea of staying healthy for the Cyclone but sometimes you lose your competitive instincts. Could be interesting.  If bv plays Castlegar in round one I would take bv in 5 if Nelson plays Castlegar I might go for Castlear in 7.  Who ever plays Spokane should win that series but Spokane will be tough.  Nelson in 6 if bv, bv in 5.  

In the east Kootenays I think fernie will eventually come out of the Eddie Mountain.  Good team good coach, just underachieving so far.  Duner will get them going for playoffs.  Creston has a15 point lead and will finish first.  I was not impressed by their goalies but picking up Michalovsky from us in January should be a big help.  Problem is Kyle has not dressed the last few games.  Is he hurt?  He is very good, not that Levebvre isn't good, but he is young and not a lot of experience, and that could be a real problem.  Creston leads the league in goals scored but can be a run and gun team, that relies heavily on goaltending. Experience and timely saves are a must in playoffs.  Kimberley are one point ahead of Fernie so home ice could be a factor.  Whoever plays creston in round one Columbia Valley or Golden will have their hands full.  Don't know cv's coach but do expect Ty Davidson to have his team ready if they get that final playoff spot.  Ty has a game in hand and is tied with cv for the final spot.  If creston plays cv I predict creston in 5.  If Golden creston in 7.  Coaching will be the difference in the first round and Golden could upset, no disrespect to crestons coach, I just think Ty could have the experience to pull it out.  Ty in my mind can be one of the top playoff coaches.  Back to fernie and Kimberley, Kimberley is lead by some good young players. Their top scoring 93 has only 26 points, and it seems they only have 3 20 year olds in the lineup on a regular basis.  Morriseau is good in net but would need to be at the top of his game against Fernie, again a good coach for Kimberley, but they lack experience.  Fernie should ride Logan Hill in net and he has lots of experience. Coach Duner brought him in knowing he could win some playoff rounds.  There is a strong Princeton posse influence that followed Duner to Fernie and they will be motivated for playoffs.  They were the most consistent team we saw in the Eddie mountain. I think Fernie in 6.  I predict Fernie and Creston in the division final for the Eddie Mountain.  A long series for Creston in the opening round could hurt in the division final, so they will want to finish off either cv or Golden quickly.  

Will update on Okanagan later in week

Last weekend

A loss to the Eagles on Friday but a good win in Revelstoke on Saturday 9-3. Reade Bentz got his first kijhl goal. Reade is an affiliate player from the midget tier one team. Reade had a strong game as did many of the Storm players. 

This weekend we play in Sicamous Friday and will be looking to avenge last weeks game  it is possible that Sicamous will be a first round opponent and coach Patterson will not be wanting the Eagles to have any confidence as playoffs approach. 

Saturday we are home to the Kelowna Chiefs. The Storms on.y other game against kelowna was in September a 5-4 win. The Storm had to hold off a kelowna comeback. Ian Chrystal had the game winner a blast from the point in the last minute. Should be a good contest as the Chiefs lead the Okanagan division. The Chiefs are currently 5 points ahead of the surging Summerland steam.  Kelowna are 6 wins 4 losses in their last 10 games. They are also the 5 th highest scoring team in the entire league behind creston, beaver valley,  Nelson and the Storm  some of that offence was nick Joseph's who has since gone to the BCHL.  Look for a heated game. This is also a fundraiser for Westside Fellowship youth group who are going on a mission trip in the spring.  Catch an exciting game and support a great cause. 

As we approach playoffs would love to hear your thoughts on possible playoff match ups as well as predictions. Email me at dewar@vip.net with your thoughts. The league will also be doing league awards these are done by division. So give me your thoughts in any or all divisions. The awards are for top coach. MVP, rookie, top goalie, sportsman top dman.  Get me your thoughts as I hope to do a playoff report this week

Jan 31 weekend

The Storm lost to the Sicamous eagles Friday night 7-5 with an empty net goal.  The Storm had several chances including a 5 on 3 power play but couldn't manage to pull out the win. Good effort by the Eagles who played well. The Eagles capitalized on several mistakes and power play chances to earn the victory. It should be a good lesson for the team as Sicamous could be a first round matchup  Sicamous needed the win to stay in the race for third place as they trail Chase by 2 points.  Chase won in Revelstoke setting up a big game for Saturday when the Heat travel to Sicamous for an afternoon game. Sicamous came to Osoyoos as Turner is suffering from a concussion. Puts a lot of pressure on Joyce as they were not even able to dress a backup.  

The Storm meanwhile hit the road to Revelstoke on Saturday. Will be interesting to see who coach will play in net.  Normally it would be Moyls start but Liam McLeod could get the nod. On Friday night Liam  started but Moyls came in in the second period and finished the game.  I am saying McLeod to start as he didn't play badly but 2 of the 3 goals he would probably like back especially the last one with 2.2 seconds left I. The first period.  

Alumni game 6-3. Storm game pizza night 5-1 over Chase heat

Storm win 7 of 8 regular season games and top it off with a great show.  A game within a game helped raise $1500 for heart and stroke foundation. 

The Kamloops Storm would like to thank all the former players and coaches and their friends for a great night of fun and entertainment. The plans are already underway for next year. Former coaches of the Storm including Greg Hawgood, Steve Passmore, Brent Fritz, Tyler Liebel, Brad Priestlay, Blair Rota, and Geoff Smith who all played pro hockey and their friends including Scott Ferguson, Steve Gainey, Mike Brown, Bob Westerby and Chris Murray came out to help raise money for the heart and stroke foundation. A special thanks to the Chase Heat especially Presient Scott Koch, the referees including Jason rende, rob fryer, rob Schweitzer and willie saari.  The game was the brainchild of Kirstie Hawgood and $1500 was raised.  The amount will be bigger next year with more time to plan.  It was made possible by current coach Ed Patterson who called on some of his friends to put on a show.  Everyone had a great time and stayed around to sign autographs. Pro team included former Storm coach Keith Sedgwick and current Storm trainer zach Tjader who both played for the Storm

Friend of the Storm Steve Gainey putting on a show. Current trainer Zach Tjader looks on

Former Storm coach Blair Rota chases down former Storm player Shae Naka
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