As the Storm finished up their third game in three nights saturday in Oceanside, you could see a hint of frustration as the boys boarded the bus. Despite spotting the Generals a 3-0 lead, they roared back to pull cut it to 3-2 heading into the final 20 minutes on goals by Jordan Suzuki and Chase Haley.
Just under five minutes to the third, the Generals would score again, and if they were facing the boys a month ago, it would have signaled the start of a downward spiral. But not this current edition. Good second effort from Chris West off of an Alex Benjestorf rush cut the lead to one again just 23 seconds later. The game wouldn't be decided until the 14 minute mark, when Tyler Auricchio scored for Oceanside to give them a 5-3 win at home, a spirited game that saw both teams play physical and not back down.
Probably the most complete effort for the Storm in the 3 games. Thursday, the boys were also down 3 to Victoria before scoring 3 straight to tie it in the third. Only late penalty trouble allowed the Cougars to score a pair with the man advantage en route to a 6-3 win in Vic. Friday, the team came out strong against the Kerry Park Islanders, who were missing the likes of Zach Fridella, Spencer Reich and Sheldon Latham. Great opening period, but the vets for the Isles in Cole Thomson and Ryan Reynolds the difference in a 4-0 win for the visitors at the Brindy.
There continues to be signs from this group that when that elusive win comes, it will get them on track to gain 2 points more often than not. Jordan Suzuki has easily been the Storm's MVP, not only scoring big goals from the blueline, but now adding a physical element to his game. If he can avoid the box while doing so, teams will be wary when #28 is lurking about. Goalie Tyler Bachmeier has adjusted his game, from making highlight reel saves, but allowing a soft goal, to focusing on rebound control and it's given his team a chance each time he suits up. Ryan Fairgray has shown he can man the fort when Tyler's off his game or needs a break.
Chase Haley has been a revelation since coming aboard. He's fearless, goes strong to the net and has a knack for generating offense through hard work.
Alex Benjestorf is like this team's "Rudy". A guy that many thought would never play more than a supporting role in spot duty. He's been one of the strongest players for the Storm the last 8 games and has been rewarded with 5 goals.
I loved seeing Brendan Enns up front. The big man loves to carry the puck, makes it difficult for opposing defenders to move him from in front of the crease, and could give the Storm a really good weapon if he can cash in a few chances and play physical, but clean on the forecheck.
Corey MacLachlan continues to get points when he's not crashing into the opposition keepers.
I think Andrew Gaiga still has a lot to give this team offensively and has shown it in glimpses.
Kiefer Rivington is another kid that gets better every game. Under the steadying influence of Dylan Budgell, he continues to emerge as a solid blueliner in this league.
From the great two way play of Jesse Spooner, to the grit of the Eliason brothers, the pesky nature of Rob Iszak and lunch pail attitude of Danny Hall, to the speed of Matt Tilton and Wade Bartlett, everyone is starting to discover their roles on the team.
Even Joe Szabados has stepped up his game the last few, since the departure of McNeill. Hopefully, scoring his first goal in 3 games will help Chris West get acclimatized to the team.
So there is hope, Storm fans. It's always darkest before the dawn. A big 4 game stretch awaits the Storm starting friday. 4 very win-able games with a pair against Saanich and two against Westhore. I'd be ecstatic seeing the boys win 3 of those. Tune in friday to find out. As of now, pregame at 6:15.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
New month could mean new beginnings for Storm team
The past weekend did give Storm fans a glimmer of hope. As Coach Jim Revenberg so eloquently put it, the bonehead plays are down to 3 or 4 a game, as opposed to 14-15 earlier in the month.
On thursday, the boys were in Mill Bay to face a Kerry Park Islander's team that had beaten them twice earlier in the month, including an 8-3 whooping in Mill Bay the last time they met.
It looked like it could have gone that way, after the Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
But it would not be the same. Jesse Spooner scored after a scramble in front of goalie Ben Kantor to cut the lead in half. Then the Isles benefited from some Halloween trickery at their arena. The Isles would score after a Matthew Johnson point shot hit the shoulder of Gavin Lindner, fooling Ty Bachmeier and making it 3-1. Then a crazy bounce off the end boards landed on the stick of Chase Salisbury, who was all alone and he fired it home, 4-1 KPI.
But the Storm didn't quit. Chase Hailey, who played his best game in a Storm jersey, got his team to within a pair after 40 minutes.
In the third, Alex Benjestorf scored his third in a Storm jersey to make it a 1 goal game. The Storm would continue pressing, but Lindner would put it into an empty net with Bachmeier on the bench in the final 30 seconds to make it 5-3 KPI.
The next night, the Storm hosted an Oceanside Generals team with a lot of key vets out of the line up. With the likes Yamasaki and Dixon up in Junior A, the tables were leveled in terms of overall talent. The Storm would open he scoring, with Alex Benjestorf the recipient of a terrific pass from Chase Hailey, who dished it from the end boards, allowing Benji to rifle it past goalie Kolding Larsen. The Gens tied it with some terrific passing. Travis Briggs went backhand from the left boards to Brett Willsie, who then sent another backhand pass on to the stick of Travis Flug, who was alone in the slot. 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Only one goal was scored in the second, but it should rank as one of the top 5 from this season. Brent Baltus took the puck from the right boards with the Gens on the power play, stick handled around tow Storm PK'ers, lured Ty Bachmeier out of his net then put it into the gaping cage. 2-1 Gens after 40 minutes.
The Storm didn't let up as the third period began. They had chances to tie it up. They just couldn't pull the trigger, and it proved costly. A turnover at their blueline to Oceanside's Brett Willsie eventually ended up on the stick of Travis Briggs, who gave the visitors a 3-1 lead with under 5 minutes to play.
Then in the waning moments of the 3rd, with the net empty, Jordie Eliason's point shot beat Larsen to bring the Storm to within 1. But with only 15 seconds remaining, it was too little too late. 3-2 Oceanside.
Still,, if you compare it a few weeks previous, when they faced these two teams in back to back games, the combined score was 4-15. So much improved and hopefully that will continue when the Storm face the Victoria Cougars thursday, who have won 8 straight.
Aaron Enns of the Laronge Ice Wolves is my first period intermission guest, Tom Arlidge of the Cougars broadcast team in the 2nd. Puck drops at 7:15, so we'll be on the air at 7. On a side note, it's nice to see former Tyee Carsen Germyn healthy again and getting a chance to shine in the Swiss Pro League for EHC Olten. Carsen had 1 goal and 3 assists in his last game, a 9-1 win.
Here's a fun video of him and the team's other import, former Hobey Baker winner Marty Sertich. The subtitles are in German, but they're speaking in English (2nd story in).
http://www.ehco.ch/de/ehco-tv.html
Looks like a pretty nice play to play hockey for a living.
On thursday, the boys were in Mill Bay to face a Kerry Park Islander's team that had beaten them twice earlier in the month, including an 8-3 whooping in Mill Bay the last time they met.
It looked like it could have gone that way, after the Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
But it would not be the same. Jesse Spooner scored after a scramble in front of goalie Ben Kantor to cut the lead in half. Then the Isles benefited from some Halloween trickery at their arena. The Isles would score after a Matthew Johnson point shot hit the shoulder of Gavin Lindner, fooling Ty Bachmeier and making it 3-1. Then a crazy bounce off the end boards landed on the stick of Chase Salisbury, who was all alone and he fired it home, 4-1 KPI.
But the Storm didn't quit. Chase Hailey, who played his best game in a Storm jersey, got his team to within a pair after 40 minutes.
In the third, Alex Benjestorf scored his third in a Storm jersey to make it a 1 goal game. The Storm would continue pressing, but Lindner would put it into an empty net with Bachmeier on the bench in the final 30 seconds to make it 5-3 KPI.
The next night, the Storm hosted an Oceanside Generals team with a lot of key vets out of the line up. With the likes Yamasaki and Dixon up in Junior A, the tables were leveled in terms of overall talent. The Storm would open he scoring, with Alex Benjestorf the recipient of a terrific pass from Chase Hailey, who dished it from the end boards, allowing Benji to rifle it past goalie Kolding Larsen. The Gens tied it with some terrific passing. Travis Briggs went backhand from the left boards to Brett Willsie, who then sent another backhand pass on to the stick of Travis Flug, who was alone in the slot. 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Only one goal was scored in the second, but it should rank as one of the top 5 from this season. Brent Baltus took the puck from the right boards with the Gens on the power play, stick handled around tow Storm PK'ers, lured Ty Bachmeier out of his net then put it into the gaping cage. 2-1 Gens after 40 minutes.
 | ||||
| Game action between the Storm and Generals. Pictured are #17 Chase Hailey and #4 Thor Rossback. | Photo by Sandi Goldrup-Thomspn |
The Storm didn't let up as the third period began. They had chances to tie it up. They just couldn't pull the trigger, and it proved costly. A turnover at their blueline to Oceanside's Brett Willsie eventually ended up on the stick of Travis Briggs, who gave the visitors a 3-1 lead with under 5 minutes to play.
Then in the waning moments of the 3rd, with the net empty, Jordie Eliason's point shot beat Larsen to bring the Storm to within 1. But with only 15 seconds remaining, it was too little too late. 3-2 Oceanside.
Still,, if you compare it a few weeks previous, when they faced these two teams in back to back games, the combined score was 4-15. So much improved and hopefully that will continue when the Storm face the Victoria Cougars thursday, who have won 8 straight.
Aaron Enns of the Laronge Ice Wolves is my first period intermission guest, Tom Arlidge of the Cougars broadcast team in the 2nd. Puck drops at 7:15, so we'll be on the air at 7. On a side note, it's nice to see former Tyee Carsen Germyn healthy again and getting a chance to shine in the Swiss Pro League for EHC Olten. Carsen had 1 goal and 3 assists in his last game, a 9-1 win.
Here's a fun video of him and the team's other import, former Hobey Baker winner Marty Sertich. The subtitles are in German, but they're speaking in English (2nd story in).
http://www.ehco.ch/de/ehco-tv.html
Looks like a pretty nice play to play hockey for a living.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Panthers flex offensive muscles in weekend sweep
The Storm and Peninsula Panthers squared off in a home and home series, with the first game going friday at the Panorama arena. The Storm were without the services of Brandon Tidy and Chase Hailey, but got Rob Iszak back.
As for the Panthers, they continued to shuffle the deck as they prepare to defend their Patterson Memorial Trophy. GM Jackson Penny added Trevor Yee from the Saanich Braves for James and Chris Miller, then picked up Marshall Brome from the Delta Ice Hawks of the PIJHL.
Yee had 88 pts while never missing a game in 2 seasons with the Braves (96 games) and was the Braves captain coming into the season.
Brome is not nearly as offensive, with 14 goals and 31 points in 91 games in Delta, but brings a hard-nosed approach and some grit.
The first period of friday's game was very close. The Panthers held a two goal lead before Jordan Suzuki cut it in half. After Kyle Peterson restored the Cats two goal lead by beating Tyler Bachmeier, Andrew Gaiga put a rocket past goalie Nick Babich to once again close the gap to one. But a late goal by Peninsula's Joe Densmore with just over a minute remaining doubled up the score and the Panthers never looked back, winning 11-3. Gaiga with the other Storm goal. Evan Campbell the hat trick for Peninsula, Cole Peterson with 2. Marshall Brome scored in his debut.
On sunday, it was another tight one in the first. The Panthers again took a two goal lead once again, with goals from Trevor Yee and Joe Densmore but unlike friday, that would be all the scoring until early in the second. Jordan Suzuki beat Brady Berisoff with a beautiful wrist shot from just inside the blueline. The Storm would continue battling, but the Panthers expanded their lead by 2 more, making it 4-1 as Densmore scored his second and Kyle Peterson found the back of the net.
Andrew Gaiga fired one short handed to bring the Brindy back to life, but it was short-lived. The Panthers proved to be too deep, and this time it was Densmore who scored the hat trick, his final goal one that would have made any highlight reel, and short handed to boot.
On the breakaway, he pulled the puck back on his stick, sucked Ryan Fairgray deep into his net and then slipped it into the wide open left side of the crease. Then Corey Allen put a dagger in te hearts of the Storm faithful by scoring with 1 second remaining in the second, making it 6-2.
Jordan Suzuki would sniped on the power-play to cut the lead in half, showing the patience of Job by waiting out a forward who slid to block the shot, then skating in and snapping one past Berisoff. It wasn't enough, as Christian Stephenson's goal on the PP with under 2 minutes remaining was the cing on the cake in a Panthers 7-3 win.
Some bright spots in the game was the play of Jesse Spooner and Alex Benjestorff among the rookies up front, with Rivington making some good decisions on the backend to complement the play of Suzuki and Gaiga.
One area I'd love to see the Storm continue to work on is their transition game. Often times the defense will put a nice pass on the forward's stick in the neutral zone, only to see the forward babble the pass or over skate it. Mistakes like these are costing this team a chance to compete, and a correction in this area could result in more red lights behind the opposition net, less behind the Storm's and even more importantly, more time spent in the opposition's end. I can't even begin to count how much it's hurt this team on their 6 game slide.
From a broadcasting standpoint, Brandon Tidy did a remarkable job filling in for Joe O'Shea on color. Excellent insight from a very mature 17 year old. I apologize to any of our listeners for sunday's broadcast. With a few minutes remaining, the computer that controlled our broadcast froze up, putting us off air for 12 minutes. Thankfully, we were back on by the start of the third.
Next up for the Storm is a game in Mill Bay against the Kerry Park Islanders thursday. Pregame at 7:15 on 99.7 the River. The Islander's Zach Fridella is our guest in the first intermission.
As for the Panthers, they continued to shuffle the deck as they prepare to defend their Patterson Memorial Trophy. GM Jackson Penny added Trevor Yee from the Saanich Braves for James and Chris Miller, then picked up Marshall Brome from the Delta Ice Hawks of the PIJHL.
Yee had 88 pts while never missing a game in 2 seasons with the Braves (96 games) and was the Braves captain coming into the season.
Brome is not nearly as offensive, with 14 goals and 31 points in 91 games in Delta, but brings a hard-nosed approach and some grit.
The first period of friday's game was very close. The Panthers held a two goal lead before Jordan Suzuki cut it in half. After Kyle Peterson restored the Cats two goal lead by beating Tyler Bachmeier, Andrew Gaiga put a rocket past goalie Nick Babich to once again close the gap to one. But a late goal by Peninsula's Joe Densmore with just over a minute remaining doubled up the score and the Panthers never looked back, winning 11-3. Gaiga with the other Storm goal. Evan Campbell the hat trick for Peninsula, Cole Peterson with 2. Marshall Brome scored in his debut.
On sunday, it was another tight one in the first. The Panthers again took a two goal lead once again, with goals from Trevor Yee and Joe Densmore but unlike friday, that would be all the scoring until early in the second. Jordan Suzuki beat Brady Berisoff with a beautiful wrist shot from just inside the blueline. The Storm would continue battling, but the Panthers expanded their lead by 2 more, making it 4-1 as Densmore scored his second and Kyle Peterson found the back of the net.
Andrew Gaiga fired one short handed to bring the Brindy back to life, but it was short-lived. The Panthers proved to be too deep, and this time it was Densmore who scored the hat trick, his final goal one that would have made any highlight reel, and short handed to boot.
On the breakaway, he pulled the puck back on his stick, sucked Ryan Fairgray deep into his net and then slipped it into the wide open left side of the crease. Then Corey Allen put a dagger in te hearts of the Storm faithful by scoring with 1 second remaining in the second, making it 6-2.
Jordan Suzuki would sniped on the power-play to cut the lead in half, showing the patience of Job by waiting out a forward who slid to block the shot, then skating in and snapping one past Berisoff. It wasn't enough, as Christian Stephenson's goal on the PP with under 2 minutes remaining was the cing on the cake in a Panthers 7-3 win.
Some bright spots in the game was the play of Jesse Spooner and Alex Benjestorff among the rookies up front, with Rivington making some good decisions on the backend to complement the play of Suzuki and Gaiga.
One area I'd love to see the Storm continue to work on is their transition game. Often times the defense will put a nice pass on the forward's stick in the neutral zone, only to see the forward babble the pass or over skate it. Mistakes like these are costing this team a chance to compete, and a correction in this area could result in more red lights behind the opposition net, less behind the Storm's and even more importantly, more time spent in the opposition's end. I can't even begin to count how much it's hurt this team on their 6 game slide.
From a broadcasting standpoint, Brandon Tidy did a remarkable job filling in for Joe O'Shea on color. Excellent insight from a very mature 17 year old. I apologize to any of our listeners for sunday's broadcast. With a few minutes remaining, the computer that controlled our broadcast froze up, putting us off air for 12 minutes. Thankfully, we were back on by the start of the third.
Next up for the Storm is a game in Mill Bay against the Kerry Park Islanders thursday. Pregame at 7:15 on 99.7 the River. The Islander's Zach Fridella is our guest in the first intermission.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Top dogs devour the Storm
We knew coming into the weekend it would be tough sledding for the Storm. When the weekend began, Comox Valley and Victoria were 1-2 in league standings. The Storm were a combined 0-3 against them this year, outscored 16-5 in the process. But there's a reason games are played on ice and not paper. You never know what can happen.
Looking back, what did happen feels like something out of a Steven King novel as saturday's game in Courtenay was as nightmarish as it gets.
Lets rewind back to friday night. The first period against the Victoria Cougars went well. Tyler Bachmeier returned to the net and made 10 saves, 4 of them dazzling as it finished scoreless. In the second, the wheels fell off as the Cougars scored early and often, tallying 5 in all in the middle frame. By the third, the big blueline of the Cats wore down the Storm's smaller forwards, while the speed of Victoria up front kept the pressure in the Storm zone, and kept them from generating many chances on Corey Koop's net. It was 6-0 Victoria, with Trevor McNeil and Eric Guthrie each scoring twice. Bachmeier finishing with 39 saves to Koop's 16.
Saturday, the team headed to Courtenay with aspirations of a tight game like one back on September 24th, where the Kings posted a 3-2 win.
Those aspirations evaporated 3 minutes into the game, as the King's Mitch Ball beat Bachmeier high over the glove hand side. In fact the Kings would take a 3-0 lead 6 and half minutes into this one, while holding the Storm to no shots. Then in the final 5 minutes of the opening frame, they would add four more to lead 7-0.
OUCH!
The Storm settled down in the second period, with Jesse Spooner scoring his first junior hockey goal. He stepped out of the penalty box when Jordan Suzuki passed a bullet from the d-zone to his stick, sent him on a break away and he beat Cam Waddington in the Kings net. 8-1 after 40 minutes.
In the third period, it felt like I was broadcasting a root canal, only more painful. The Kings poured it on to the delight of the 265 paying fans in attendance at the Comox Valley Sports Center. They would strike 4 more times en route to a 12-1 drubbing of the Storm. Bachmeier 25 saves, Fairgray made 1 save on 3 shots in relief.
You can look at the numbers and criticize this group, but that would be like laughing at the kid who got "pants" by the bully in the cafeteria. Effort is not the problem with this group. Decision making is a much more prevelant issue.
They are trying so hard to make this work. They are battling hard to chase down their dump-ins in the offensive zone, but either the speed isn't there up front, or opposing defenses know what the Storm are going to do and counter it before anything can happen.
They are trying to finish their checks, but often find themselves up against much bigger opponents in the process, or out of position trying to make that hit.
Logic dictates that they could take the easy way by playing the trap, and clog up the neutral zone, which would limit the oppositions shots and with a goalie like Bachmeier, might keep the score down against more experienced opposition.
But Coach Jim Revenberg never did it the easy way as a junior player with Windsor Spitfire team that went undefeated in the OHL playoffs on their way to the Memorial Cup final final against the Medicine Hat Tigers. And chances are, he won't take the easy way out with this young group he's committed to developing for the future, regardless of how the present might feel.
The Storm get Peninsula in a home and home starting friday at the Panorama Recreation Center.
Looking back, what did happen feels like something out of a Steven King novel as saturday's game in Courtenay was as nightmarish as it gets.
Lets rewind back to friday night. The first period against the Victoria Cougars went well. Tyler Bachmeier returned to the net and made 10 saves, 4 of them dazzling as it finished scoreless. In the second, the wheels fell off as the Cougars scored early and often, tallying 5 in all in the middle frame. By the third, the big blueline of the Cats wore down the Storm's smaller forwards, while the speed of Victoria up front kept the pressure in the Storm zone, and kept them from generating many chances on Corey Koop's net. It was 6-0 Victoria, with Trevor McNeil and Eric Guthrie each scoring twice. Bachmeier finishing with 39 saves to Koop's 16.
Saturday, the team headed to Courtenay with aspirations of a tight game like one back on September 24th, where the Kings posted a 3-2 win.
 |
| # 7 Jesse Spooner |
OUCH!
The Storm settled down in the second period, with Jesse Spooner scoring his first junior hockey goal. He stepped out of the penalty box when Jordan Suzuki passed a bullet from the d-zone to his stick, sent him on a break away and he beat Cam Waddington in the Kings net. 8-1 after 40 minutes.
In the third period, it felt like I was broadcasting a root canal, only more painful. The Kings poured it on to the delight of the 265 paying fans in attendance at the Comox Valley Sports Center. They would strike 4 more times en route to a 12-1 drubbing of the Storm. Bachmeier 25 saves, Fairgray made 1 save on 3 shots in relief.
You can look at the numbers and criticize this group, but that would be like laughing at the kid who got "pants" by the bully in the cafeteria. Effort is not the problem with this group. Decision making is a much more prevelant issue.
They are trying so hard to make this work. They are battling hard to chase down their dump-ins in the offensive zone, but either the speed isn't there up front, or opposing defenses know what the Storm are going to do and counter it before anything can happen.
They are trying to finish their checks, but often find themselves up against much bigger opponents in the process, or out of position trying to make that hit.
Logic dictates that they could take the easy way by playing the trap, and clog up the neutral zone, which would limit the oppositions shots and with a goalie like Bachmeier, might keep the score down against more experienced opposition.
But Coach Jim Revenberg never did it the easy way as a junior player with Windsor Spitfire team that went undefeated in the OHL playoffs on their way to the Memorial Cup final final against the Medicine Hat Tigers. And chances are, he won't take the easy way out with this young group he's committed to developing for the future, regardless of how the present might feel.
The Storm get Peninsula in a home and home starting friday at the Panorama Recreation Center.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Here comes the calvary
Like the Cinderella song from 1988, Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone, the Storm discovered life without defenseman Jordan Suzuki and goalie Tyler Bachmeier can be a bit rocky for this fresh-faced line up. Suzuki does so many things well for this team, when he's not trying to carry it on his back. He adds size to the blue line along with terrific mobility, gives the power play a legitimate quarterback and provides leadership to a green blue line.
Ditto for Tyler Bachmeier when he's on his game. Last season he showed when he is confident and mentally sharp, he can not only keep his team in games they have no right being in, he can also steal two points. This year we've seen flashes, like the first period of the Kerry Park game on October the first, where his team was out shot 21-5, yet led 1-0. Injuries have played a role in stalling his progress, but a healthy, dominant Bachmeier could do wonders for this team's psyche moving forward.
I mentioned a few days ago that the Storm could use some more beef up front to off set a smallish, yet gritty line up. They have added 6'2 Kurtis Bond, who is a 17 year old from Williams Lake who was toiling for a struggling Kamloops Storm franchise this season. He thinks he can play the role of power forward and put some pucks in the net. We'll get our first glimpse tomorrow when the Storm host the Victoria Cougars.
Ditto for Tyler Bachmeier when he's on his game. Last season he showed when he is confident and mentally sharp, he can not only keep his team in games they have no right being in, he can also steal two points. This year we've seen flashes, like the first period of the Kerry Park game on October the first, where his team was out shot 21-5, yet led 1-0. Injuries have played a role in stalling his progress, but a healthy, dominant Bachmeier could do wonders for this team's psyche moving forward.
I mentioned a few days ago that the Storm could use some more beef up front to off set a smallish, yet gritty line up. They have added 6'2 Kurtis Bond, who is a 17 year old from Williams Lake who was toiling for a struggling Kamloops Storm franchise this season. He thinks he can play the role of power forward and put some pucks in the net. We'll get our first glimpse tomorrow when the Storm host the Victoria Cougars.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Growing pains for young Storm team continue
Unlike the 80's sitcom featuring Kirk Cameron, the growing pains the Storm are experiencing are no laughing matter. A combination of factors led to a pair of unflattering results this weekend. They were beaten 7-1 by an Oceanside Generals team at home on friday that appears to have the Storm's number this season.
Then saturday, in a game that featured two penalty shots for the Kerry Park Islanders, the Storm lost 8-3. It would be easy to point the finger at the lack of experience in the line-up with only Andrew Gaiga, Dylan Budgell and Corey MacLachlan the ones with any junior experience. Even Westshore has a dozen players with a few years under their belts.
You could easily fault special teams as a big contributor in both losses.
Heck, you could credit bad luck amongst the reasons the Storm seem to be struggling, as every mistake they make seems to result in a red light going off behind their keeper.
It's sometimes much harder to examine the positives. Bear with me, but there are some rays of light peering through the black clouds of Storm land.
Some of the young forwards are finally scoring some goals. Two weekends ago, it was Robo Eliason who scored in back to back games. This past weekend, Chase Haley got his first junior goal in 3 games.
Look at Alex Benjestorf, who had markers in both games this weekend. Matt Tilton was finally rewarded for the opportunites he's given himself by firing one home saturday night.
You would be more worried about this team if they weren't generating any sort of chances. On the contrary. The kid line of Tilton, Wade Bartlett and Brandon Tidy had a bunch of chances, especially in the Oceanside game to score. You hope with experience that they'll put some pucks past the blue-ice instead of onto the goalies pad as this season progresses.
Look at some of the reasons why the boys are struggling at this point of the season.
The Storm play an aggressive forecheck as part of their system, bringing multiple bodies up high. Sometimes all 3 forwards can be found behind the opposition net. This creates a big problem when they don't come away with the puck and the Storm defense are often left to contend with odd-man rushes.
The Storm also try to employ a physical game plan and hit at every opportunity. While each player wearing green, gold and red may have a giant heart, their frames don't match, and so an undersized Storm team often find themselves searching the services of Hawkeye Pierce.
Boston McNeill is the latest to join the ranks of Jordan Suzuki, Rob Iszak, Tyler Bachmeier and the now-retired Jesse Bachmeier on the M.A.S.H unit after McNeill went down hard behind his own net in the Kerry Park game. The young players on this team are having to eccelerate their learning proccess and play bigger roles than were maybe anticipated at the start of the season.
I know some Storm fans lump this year into the past 4 or 5, but that's unfair to this year's group. They've faced more adversity early in this season than any other I can remember in 8 years of calling games for this organization. As you'll hear from Brandon Tidy and starting with Alex Benjestorf, they will continue to improve themselves.
Some good news comes in the form of Mike Alexander helping the team until Christmas.Mike's a veteran of the WHL and a guy that helped La Range of the SJHL reach the Royal Bank Cup. He's coaching the powerplay in practice, an area the Storm desperately need some help in. It's a shame we can't modify his birth certificate and just put him back there. So you may see special teams improve throughout the year, which could lead to more W's in the standings.
Despite some early season woes, this Storm team is determined to see this through and will not pack it in. Let's hope you the fan follow their lead. Remember, you have to go through a lot of dirty coal before you can make that diamond shine. Continue to come out and support this team that represents Campbell River, the best hockey city on Vancouver Island. That's what being a true hockey fan is all about!
Then saturday, in a game that featured two penalty shots for the Kerry Park Islanders, the Storm lost 8-3. It would be easy to point the finger at the lack of experience in the line-up with only Andrew Gaiga, Dylan Budgell and Corey MacLachlan the ones with any junior experience. Even Westshore has a dozen players with a few years under their belts.
You could easily fault special teams as a big contributor in both losses.
Heck, you could credit bad luck amongst the reasons the Storm seem to be struggling, as every mistake they make seems to result in a red light going off behind their keeper.
It's sometimes much harder to examine the positives. Bear with me, but there are some rays of light peering through the black clouds of Storm land.
Some of the young forwards are finally scoring some goals. Two weekends ago, it was Robo Eliason who scored in back to back games. This past weekend, Chase Haley got his first junior goal in 3 games.
 |
| Alex Benjestorf |
You would be more worried about this team if they weren't generating any sort of chances. On the contrary. The kid line of Tilton, Wade Bartlett and Brandon Tidy had a bunch of chances, especially in the Oceanside game to score. You hope with experience that they'll put some pucks past the blue-ice instead of onto the goalies pad as this season progresses.
Look at some of the reasons why the boys are struggling at this point of the season.
The Storm play an aggressive forecheck as part of their system, bringing multiple bodies up high. Sometimes all 3 forwards can be found behind the opposition net. This creates a big problem when they don't come away with the puck and the Storm defense are often left to contend with odd-man rushes.
The Storm also try to employ a physical game plan and hit at every opportunity. While each player wearing green, gold and red may have a giant heart, their frames don't match, and so an undersized Storm team often find themselves searching the services of Hawkeye Pierce.
Boston McNeill is the latest to join the ranks of Jordan Suzuki, Rob Iszak, Tyler Bachmeier and the now-retired Jesse Bachmeier on the M.A.S.H unit after McNeill went down hard behind his own net in the Kerry Park game. The young players on this team are having to eccelerate their learning proccess and play bigger roles than were maybe anticipated at the start of the season.
I know some Storm fans lump this year into the past 4 or 5, but that's unfair to this year's group. They've faced more adversity early in this season than any other I can remember in 8 years of calling games for this organization. As you'll hear from Brandon Tidy and starting with Alex Benjestorf, they will continue to improve themselves.
Some good news comes in the form of Mike Alexander helping the team until Christmas.Mike's a veteran of the WHL and a guy that helped La Range of the SJHL reach the Royal Bank Cup. He's coaching the powerplay in practice, an area the Storm desperately need some help in. It's a shame we can't modify his birth certificate and just put him back there. So you may see special teams improve throughout the year, which could lead to more W's in the standings.
Despite some early season woes, this Storm team is determined to see this through and will not pack it in. Let's hope you the fan follow their lead. Remember, you have to go through a lot of dirty coal before you can make that diamond shine. Continue to come out and support this team that represents Campbell River, the best hockey city on Vancouver Island. That's what being a true hockey fan is all about!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Eight point weekend awaits the Storm
Back to business for the Storm with a pair of important games early in the season. The Storm hope to prove something different to both teams. Against Kerry Park saturday, they'll try and show that they can skate with the Islanders in the third period, after last week's meltdown where they allowed 4 goals in the final frame.
Against the Oceanside Generals tomorrow, they'll just try to show they can skate with them at all. Last saturday the Generals came into the game with a purpose, and they never allowed the Storm to get into a rhythm.
Two Gens in particular impressed me. Big Josef Chase on the blue-line does a lot of stuff behind the play that seems to rattle the opposition. One sequence in particular stands out. Away from the play, he cross-checked Corey MacLachlan from behind, then as Corey got up, he punched him in the back of the helmet. That led to Corey skating into the Gens' goalie without the puck and a game ejection.
The other Gen that stood out was #23 Brent Baltus. He seemed to always be around the puck and has a terrific shot. That might explain why the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL have listed him.
The Storm will have to do more of what worked monday against Westshore. Getting pucks in deep and grinding down the defense.When rolling the Storm have 3 very capable lines in the Bartlett, Hall and Spooner units.
The defense needs to do 2 things to be successful in my opinion. They've been exposed when they've backed off of opposing forwards and allowed them to gain the blue-line the way France allowed Germany in during WWII.
They also need to find the timing to jump into the rush. One play that re-enforces this is during the Westshore game, when the Storm had the power-play. One d-man had jumped way up deep on the near boards, the other d-man was playing point on the same side, and no-one had the other point covered. A good team can make that mistake a costly one.
The Storm have played pretty well at home, with a 2-2 record. They're tied with Kerry Park in points with 6, however the Isles have 3 games in hand. The Generals are just 3 points up with 2 games in hand. It's a great chance for the Storm to gain some ground in the standings, while growing as a team. We've got the pregame starting at 7:15, sponsored by Work World in the Tyee Plaza and Home Depot.
Nice to see some former Tyees doing well in Junior A.
Derek Hills, who also played defense for the Storm in '07, now the Captain of the Amarillo Bulls of the NAHL. They lead their division with a 7-1-1 record in just their first year of operations, thanks in part to Hills 8 pts on the blueline.
We'll speak with Hills next week and have that for you during one of the games.
Another Campbell Riverite with a good start is Zac Ashdown of the Coquitlam Express. He's got 3 goals and 5 assists in 8 games, as the Express are 5-3-1. I caught up with Ashdown and you can hear that interview during the first period intermission of tomorrow's Storm-Oceanside game (Oct 8).
Against the Oceanside Generals tomorrow, they'll just try to show they can skate with them at all. Last saturday the Generals came into the game with a purpose, and they never allowed the Storm to get into a rhythm.
Two Gens in particular impressed me. Big Josef Chase on the blue-line does a lot of stuff behind the play that seems to rattle the opposition. One sequence in particular stands out. Away from the play, he cross-checked Corey MacLachlan from behind, then as Corey got up, he punched him in the back of the helmet. That led to Corey skating into the Gens' goalie without the puck and a game ejection.
The other Gen that stood out was #23 Brent Baltus. He seemed to always be around the puck and has a terrific shot. That might explain why the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL have listed him.
The Storm will have to do more of what worked monday against Westshore. Getting pucks in deep and grinding down the defense.When rolling the Storm have 3 very capable lines in the Bartlett, Hall and Spooner units.
The defense needs to do 2 things to be successful in my opinion. They've been exposed when they've backed off of opposing forwards and allowed them to gain the blue-line the way France allowed Germany in during WWII.
They also need to find the timing to jump into the rush. One play that re-enforces this is during the Westshore game, when the Storm had the power-play. One d-man had jumped way up deep on the near boards, the other d-man was playing point on the same side, and no-one had the other point covered. A good team can make that mistake a costly one.
The Storm have played pretty well at home, with a 2-2 record. They're tied with Kerry Park in points with 6, however the Isles have 3 games in hand. The Generals are just 3 points up with 2 games in hand. It's a great chance for the Storm to gain some ground in the standings, while growing as a team. We've got the pregame starting at 7:15, sponsored by Work World in the Tyee Plaza and Home Depot.
 |
| Derek Hills |
Derek Hills, who also played defense for the Storm in '07, now the Captain of the Amarillo Bulls of the NAHL. They lead their division with a 7-1-1 record in just their first year of operations, thanks in part to Hills 8 pts on the blueline.
We'll speak with Hills next week and have that for you during one of the games.
Another Campbell Riverite with a good start is Zac Ashdown of the Coquitlam Express. He's got 3 goals and 5 assists in 8 games, as the Express are 5-3-1. I caught up with Ashdown and you can hear that interview during the first period intermission of tomorrow's Storm-Oceanside game (Oct 8).
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
It might be a little early to plan the parade route for the Patterson Memorial Trophy celebration, but last night's 4-2 win over the Westshore Stingers proved to be a huge confidence booster for this young Storm team.
First off, it showed them that they could win without Steven Schmidt and Jesse Bachmeier in the line-up. Secondly, it showed them they could also win away from Rod Brind'Amour arena.
Granted, it was not the prettiest of games, but every line and every d-pairing stepped up at one point during the game to make a contribution.
The "Kid line" of Wade Bartlett, Mat Tilton and Brandon Tidy played with lots of energy and showed enough flashes to get Storm fans excited for the remainder of the season.
Danny Hall and Corey MacLachlan each scored, but the best player on their line might have been Andrew Gaiga, who showed great jump through-out the contest.
Robo Eliason scored his second goal in as many nights on a line with Jesse Spooner and Rob Iszak, who also scored, while the Chase Hailey, Alex Benjestorf and Tyler Bachmeier line provided an aggressive spark when called upon.
Next up is a rematch with the Oceanside Generals at 7:30 friday, Rod Brind'Amour arena.
First off, it showed them that they could win without Steven Schmidt and Jesse Bachmeier in the line-up. Secondly, it showed them they could also win away from Rod Brind'Amour arena.
Granted, it was not the prettiest of games, but every line and every d-pairing stepped up at one point during the game to make a contribution.
The "Kid line" of Wade Bartlett, Mat Tilton and Brandon Tidy played with lots of energy and showed enough flashes to get Storm fans excited for the remainder of the season.
Danny Hall and Corey MacLachlan each scored, but the best player on their line might have been Andrew Gaiga, who showed great jump through-out the contest.
Robo Eliason scored his second goal in as many nights on a line with Jesse Spooner and Rob Iszak, who also scored, while the Chase Hailey, Alex Benjestorf and Tyler Bachmeier line provided an aggressive spark when called upon.
 |
| # 5 Boston McNeill |
The defense continues to evolve. There were moments where they made some excellent decisions, while other times showed their lack of experience. I thought Boston McNeill had his best game in a Storm jersey, with a couple of assists and a big hit.
Nice to see Taylor Scott get a game in after being the third goalie the past few weeks. Had decent rebound control and couldn't be faulted on either goal that beat him. He was one of four players we caught up with after the 4-2 win over the Stingers.
Next up is a rematch with the Oceanside Generals at 7:30 friday, Rod Brind'Amour arena.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
3rd period meltdowns lead to pair of losses
After 3 very physical games in 4 nights, the Storm may want to replace the Thunderbolt in their logo with an icepack. After the hit-fest in the sardine can known as George Pearkes arena Wednesday, the Storm faced a much bigger Kerry Park team at the Brindy friday.
Despite being out-shot 21-7, the Storm actually had a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes, thanks to goals by Danny Hall (shorthanded), Mat Tilton and Brendan Enns. The Islanders could only muster a goal in the second, so the Storm still had a slim 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. The Islanders would come out fired up in the third, score less than a minute in. Then former Storm player Trevor Burnett would give the Islanders the lead for good 30 seconds later. Cole Thomson had the hat-trick, scoring the final goal with the Storm net empty. 6-3 Kerry Park. As it has been for most of the season, lack of productivity from special teams would haunt the Storm on this night, as they went 0-7. Tyler Bachmeier with 39 saves.
The following night, Saturday, the Storm would face the Oceanside Generals at the Howie Meeker arena. Traditionally, Dave Johnson coached teams are aggressive and physical, and this year's edition of the Generals continues in that mold.
The Generals would strike for three in the first, while holding the Storm off the score sheet. Neither team scored in the second, and in fact the next goal wouldn't come until 5 and a half minutes had transpired in the third.
Andrew Gaiga broke in short handed after an Oceanside defender lost his footing at the Storm blue-line. Gaiga would beat Kolding Larson with a terrific shot, and I thought that might give the Storm some momentum, now only down a pair.
Boy, was I wrong!
Catlin McLeod scored his second of the game one minute later, which opened the floodgates. 3 goals in 2 minutes for the homeside, en route to an 8-2 win. Robert Eliason would score the other Storm goal. Tyler Bachmeier with 30 saves, Ryan Fairgray 11 in relief. I had a chance to talk with Jesse Spooner after the Oceanside loss. I also spoke with Andrew Gaiga after the Kerry Park game, along with Danny Hall who you'll hear first.
The Storm are at Bear Mountain arena to face the Westshore Stingers tomorrow (monday, Oct 4). Storm won 5-4 in their previous meeting, the second game of the season. Pregame show at 7:15, brought to you by Work World in the Tyee Plaza and Home DEpot.
Despite being out-shot 21-7, the Storm actually had a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes, thanks to goals by Danny Hall (shorthanded), Mat Tilton and Brendan Enns. The Islanders could only muster a goal in the second, so the Storm still had a slim 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. The Islanders would come out fired up in the third, score less than a minute in. Then former Storm player Trevor Burnett would give the Islanders the lead for good 30 seconds later. Cole Thomson had the hat-trick, scoring the final goal with the Storm net empty. 6-3 Kerry Park. As it has been for most of the season, lack of productivity from special teams would haunt the Storm on this night, as they went 0-7. Tyler Bachmeier with 39 saves.
The following night, Saturday, the Storm would face the Oceanside Generals at the Howie Meeker arena. Traditionally, Dave Johnson coached teams are aggressive and physical, and this year's edition of the Generals continues in that mold.
The Generals would strike for three in the first, while holding the Storm off the score sheet. Neither team scored in the second, and in fact the next goal wouldn't come until 5 and a half minutes had transpired in the third.
Andrew Gaiga broke in short handed after an Oceanside defender lost his footing at the Storm blue-line. Gaiga would beat Kolding Larson with a terrific shot, and I thought that might give the Storm some momentum, now only down a pair.
Boy, was I wrong!
Catlin McLeod scored his second of the game one minute later, which opened the floodgates. 3 goals in 2 minutes for the homeside, en route to an 8-2 win. Robert Eliason would score the other Storm goal. Tyler Bachmeier with 30 saves, Ryan Fairgray 11 in relief. I had a chance to talk with Jesse Spooner after the Oceanside loss. I also spoke with Andrew Gaiga after the Kerry Park game, along with Danny Hall who you'll hear first.
The Storm are at Bear Mountain arena to face the Westshore Stingers tomorrow (monday, Oct 4). Storm won 5-4 in their previous meeting, the second game of the season. Pregame show at 7:15, brought to you by Work World in the Tyee Plaza and Home DEpot.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Young guns fire blanks at the Pearkes
As a Storm fan, you knew goals would be hard to come by going into the game against the Saanich Braves when you found out that Steven Schmidt had been called up to the Nanaimo Clippers and Jesse Bachmeier was unavailable.
The Storm would missing two guys that had scored 14 of their 24 goals in the first 6 games. They would also be facing a physical Braves team that might not score a whole bunch, but also don't give up many. That was definitely the case wednesday night.
Matt Chester shut the door on any opportunities the Storm generated with their 25 shots, and the Braves defense did a nice job of not allowing many chances off of rebounds. They also capitalized on two of their power-play chances, while the Storm did little to generate much offense when they had the man advantage. The result was a 3-0 loss at the George Pearkes arena.
There were some positives to take from the game. Danny Hall and Jesse Spooner received praise from Coach Jim Revenberg after the game for the solid games they played. Also, Tyler Bachmeier made his return to the net after missing the last 5 with an injury. He says it was good to get back between the pipes.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Storm hoping for a Brave start to busy week
The Storm play the first of four games in six nights tomorrow at venerable George Pearkes arena in Saanich. They will face a team standings-wise that mirrors them. Both teams at 2-4, both teams trying to prove something in a big game early on. For the Storm, they'll look to snap out of a 2 game slide and grab their first win away from the Brindy this season. For the Braves, they'll try to show they can beat someone other than the Westshore Stingers.
It seems apart from the standings, these two teams are very different. The Storm have shown in at least half of the games, they are capable of scoring with anyone. The biggest problem might be a lack of discipline at key times, and the eery ability of their opponent to capitalize on every minuscule mistake they make, while showing an inability to do the same.
In the Braves case, it seems that getting someone other than captain Trevor Yee on the score sheet with any consistency has been a big challenge under first year coach Robin Gomez. A hard-nosed, gritty veteran of 6 seasons in the ECHL, including a season with the Victoria Salmon Kings, it's been a transition from playing just last season with the Bloomington Prairie Thunder to mentoring a group of teenagers. I spoke with Robin today about that transition, along with his thoughts on this year's Braves team.
It seems apart from the standings, these two teams are very different. The Storm have shown in at least half of the games, they are capable of scoring with anyone. The biggest problem might be a lack of discipline at key times, and the eery ability of their opponent to capitalize on every minuscule mistake they make, while showing an inability to do the same.
In the Braves case, it seems that getting someone other than captain Trevor Yee on the score sheet with any consistency has been a big challenge under first year coach Robin Gomez. A hard-nosed, gritty veteran of 6 seasons in the ECHL, including a season with the Victoria Salmon Kings, it's been a transition from playing just last season with the Bloomington Prairie Thunder to mentoring a group of teenagers. I spoke with Robin today about that transition, along with his thoughts on this year's Braves team.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Yeti freeze out the Storm at the Brindy
 |
Before the game started, the Storm honoured last year's captain Gavin Bergey with a surprise ceremony, presenting him with a jersey and a framed picture of him and his team mates. I spoke with him during the intermission and he said he had a suspicion that something was up when he saw all of his family at the game, along with some of his former team mates from last year's squad. Gavin was slated to rejoin the Storm this year before he got a call from the RCMP, letting him know he was accepted and would head to Regina for training late September. I thought last night was a nice gesture to a classy captain that represented the Storm well both on and off the ice.
From the opening faceoff on it was a tentative start for the Storm, who seemed to be struggling with their passes in the first period, which was magnified by an aggressive Kings forecheck.
There was no score until midway through the opening frame, when at 11:55 CMX’s Kelin Hrycuik scored on a terrific solo rush, driving around the defense wide left, then cutting to the net and beating Storm goalie Ryan Fairgray on a back-hand glove side to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Fast forward less than 2 minutes, with the Kings on the power-play, rookie Max Mois tipped a Brian Rideout point shot and Comox Valley would hold a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission, also out-shooting the Storm 6-5.
In the second, the Storm got on the board early in the period. Steven Schmidt on the power play at 4:55 wristed a shot from the right boards just inside the Kings blueline, fooling Cam Waddington short-side and pulling the Storm to with-in 1. Corey MacLachlan the lone assist.
The jubilation inside Rod Brind’Amour arena would be short-lived. At 6:50, Kelin Hrycuik on the power-play scored his second of the game, restoring the Kings two goal lead after 40 minutes. Comox out-shot the Storm 17-10 in the middle frame.
Only one goal in the third. Corey MacLachlan with 5 minutes remaining tipped a puck past Waddington on the power play to score his second goal this year. Brandon Tidy and Steven Schmidt with the helpers, 3-2 Comox Valley.
Jim Revenberg would pull Ryan Fairgray, and the Storm would press, but couldn’t find the equalizer. The Storm with the 11-5 edge in shots in the third.
Despite the loss, there were once again some positives. Andrew Gaiga and Mat Tilton did a nice job forechecking for the Storm, while on the blueline, Jordie Eliason and Kiefer Rivington rewarded Coach Revvy's decision to give them more minutes by playing solid games. Post game I caught up with both of them, along with Steven Schmidt. He credits King's keeper Cam Waddington, who made some terrific saves in the 3rd and 26 overall, in helping the visitors win, along with the Kings ability to stick to their game plan.
It's been a tough 4 game stretch, where the Storm have faced the team with maybe the most talent in the league in the Peninsula Panthers, the team with the best defensive corps in the Victoria Cougars, and perhaps the team who play their system better than any other in the league in the Comox Valley Glacier Kings. Each game, we've seen growth from this young Storm team, as they learn what it takes to compete at this level and should benefit them later in the season, when it's most critical.
The Storm now off until Wednesday, when they face the Saanich Braves for the first time this year. The Braves blanked Westshore 2-0, Connor Stephens with a goal and an assist, Eric Brabander 26 saves in recording the shutout. Both Braves wins this year have come over the Stingers.
The other game last night a bit of an upset, as the Peninsula Panthers lost their second straight, 3-1 at home to Oceanside.
Nice to see former Tyee Josh Caron ink a 3 year deal with the Minnesota Wild. A 6'2'', 200 lb heavyweight with the WHL Kamloops Blazers, from all accounts more than held his own at the Wild's prospects camp.
Here he is taking on Cameron Abney of the Edmonton Oil Kings last year.
Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted: “Kamloops D Josh Caron is heavyweight, trying out for MIN. Curious to see if Wild sign. Toughness is duly noted. Takes punches, throws bombs.”
Caron did play a handful of games for the Storm in 2008.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tough night at the Arch
Coming into the season, there were those who were of the mind that the Peninsula Panthers were the team to beat in the VIJHL, while others held the Victoria Cougars in high regard. After seeing both teams first hand this past week, I give a slight edge to the boys from Esquimalt.
The Storm fell 4-1 tonight to a Cougars team loaded on the blueline. Despite not scoring in 9 chances on the man advantage, the Cougars quite ofter kept the Storm hemmed in their zone for extended periods of time, thanks to great work by point men such as Jusin Sotkowy and Adam Seenbergen.
The Cougars jumped in front 2-0 in the first off of goals by Clark Anderson and Trevor McNeill. Shots were pretty even, 11-8 in favour of the Cougars. Jesse Bachmeier created a breakaway with some great speed in the first, but young Corey Koop in net made a brilliant save on the deek to preserve the goose-egg after 20 minutes.
In the second, the Cougars would widen the gap to 4 goals after Josh Wyatt and Adam Steenbergen on a wonderful shorthanded effort, before Rob Iszak scored on the power play, putting one in short side on the back hand past Koop. 4-1 after 40 minutes, with Fairgary making 14 saves, Koop with 5.
In the third no goals, but the Cougars put the clamp down defensively, along with the Storm taking some undisciplined penalties to snuff out any comeback thoughts. Credit the Cougars for sticking with their game plan and chalk this up as a learning experience for this young Storm team.
I thought Jordie Eliason had his best game on the blueline, logging a lot of ice time and deserving every minute of it with a simple hardnosed game.
Up front, Danny Hall and Andrew Gaiga had solid efforts and maybe generated the most opportunities for the Bolts.
Not much time to rest, as the boys host the North division leading Comox Valley Glacier Kings tomorrow (friday) at 7:30. Pregame show at 7:15 on 99.7 the River.
The Storm fell 4-1 tonight to a Cougars team loaded on the blueline. Despite not scoring in 9 chances on the man advantage, the Cougars quite ofter kept the Storm hemmed in their zone for extended periods of time, thanks to great work by point men such as Jusin Sotkowy and Adam Seenbergen.
The Cougars jumped in front 2-0 in the first off of goals by Clark Anderson and Trevor McNeill. Shots were pretty even, 11-8 in favour of the Cougars. Jesse Bachmeier created a breakaway with some great speed in the first, but young Corey Koop in net made a brilliant save on the deek to preserve the goose-egg after 20 minutes.
In the second, the Cougars would widen the gap to 4 goals after Josh Wyatt and Adam Steenbergen on a wonderful shorthanded effort, before Rob Iszak scored on the power play, putting one in short side on the back hand past Koop. 4-1 after 40 minutes, with Fairgary making 14 saves, Koop with 5.
In the third no goals, but the Cougars put the clamp down defensively, along with the Storm taking some undisciplined penalties to snuff out any comeback thoughts. Credit the Cougars for sticking with their game plan and chalk this up as a learning experience for this young Storm team.
I thought Jordie Eliason had his best game on the blueline, logging a lot of ice time and deserving every minute of it with a simple hardnosed game.
Up front, Danny Hall and Andrew Gaiga had solid efforts and maybe generated the most opportunities for the Bolts.
Not much time to rest, as the boys host the North division leading Comox Valley Glacier Kings tomorrow (friday) at 7:30. Pregame show at 7:15 on 99.7 the River.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Giving back
It was a festive atmosphere complete with a Bounce-a-rama for the kids, manned by none other than some of the Storm players. About a dozen of the boys took part in a variety of ways, including 4 of them that shaved their heads to honour the young,brave cancer patients that Camp Goodtimes benefits. Among them was Danny Hall, who's family has been impacted by Cancer, and Steven Schmidt, who joined me on my show along with a very special young man named Trevor, as you'll hear on this clip.
So far, Campbell River has raised over $70,000 dollars this year. Amazing.Great to see Revvy's boys there giving back to the community. Yet another reason I bleed green, gold and red.
As for the Storm on the ice, two more tough games in two nights. First up is a showdown at the Arch against one of the best teams in the 'V' the past 7 years, the Victoria Cougars, who are loaded at the backend and are riding a 4 game winning streak. Then friday, they face the Comox Valley Glacier Kings at the Brindy. That's a game you need to buy tickets for, as they are always intense.
The Storm will look to use the momentum they gained in the home and home against the Peninsula Panthers, where they proved they could play with the defending champions. The Panthers didn't have an answer for Jesse Bachmeier, who scored 7 goals in 2 games.
 |
| #9 Jesse Bachmeier and # 21 Brandon Tidy |
If you want a preview of the Storm and Cougars game thursday, Peter Kung has done a nice job on the Cougars website. Here's a link to that story.
http://www.victoriacougars.com/2010/09/game-preview-campbell-river-storm-victoria-cougars/#more-1412
We have the pregame show on 99.7 the River
http://www.997theriver.ca/page.php?pageID=174&parentID=173
It begins at 7. Rob Iszak will be featured first period, and we'll also be joined by a member of the Cougars play-by-play team in the second.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Captain Clutch scores 5 as the Storm claw the Panthers
 |
| Storm captain Jesse Bachmeier |
If you only looked at the scoresheet from the Storm's 8-6 win over the Peninsula Panthers, you would have seen Jesse Bachmeier and Steven Schmidt combine for 7 goals and 13 points.
You would have also seen that goalie Ryan Fairgray made 50 saves in getting his second win of the season. But you wouldn't know the whole story.
What the stats don't tell you is that Dylan Budgell quietly went about his business breaking up 2 on 1s, clearing pucks from in front of the net and winning battles in the corners.
You would have missed the fact that while Jordan Suzuki, Brendan Enns and Boston McNeill were jumping up in the rush, Jesse Spooner and Corey MacLauchlan were back on the blueline covering for their team mates.
You wouldn't know that the Danny Hall-Andrew Gaiga-Rob Izsak line did a magnificent job of wearing down the Panthers defense with an aggressive forecheck.
In fact, it was an entire team effort to saw the Storm jump out to an 8-3 lead before holding on as the Panthers scored three in the last three minutes.
Granted, we'd be remiss to not talk about the scoring clinic put on by Jesse Bachmeier. He scored a variety of ways, and to prove it, here's the call on all 5.
You would have also seen that goalie Ryan Fairgray made 50 saves in getting his second win of the season. But you wouldn't know the whole story.
What the stats don't tell you is that Dylan Budgell quietly went about his business breaking up 2 on 1s, clearing pucks from in front of the net and winning battles in the corners.
You would have missed the fact that while Jordan Suzuki, Brendan Enns and Boston McNeill were jumping up in the rush, Jesse Spooner and Corey MacLauchlan were back on the blueline covering for their team mates.
You wouldn't know that the Danny Hall-Andrew Gaiga-Rob Izsak line did a magnificent job of wearing down the Panthers defense with an aggressive forecheck.
In fact, it was an entire team effort to saw the Storm jump out to an 8-3 lead before holding on as the Panthers scored three in the last three minutes.
Granted, we'd be remiss to not talk about the scoring clinic put on by Jesse Bachmeier. He scored a variety of ways, and to prove it, here's the call on all 5.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
All that was missing from this win was 2 pts
As a broadcaster, friday's game between the Storm and Peninsula Panthers was one of those games that was a ton of fun to call. With goaltender Tyler Bachmeier on the injured reserve with a broken finger, the Storm switched their goalies up in the first period more frequently than Van Halen changes it's lead singer.
We'll get to that in a moment. Let me set the stage first. With Tyler out, the Storm signed a new goalie the night before the game in Dom Travaloina, and he would play a big role in this game in his brief appearance. There were more changes to the line-up at forward, too. The Storm finally secured the rights to forward Brandon Tidy from Alberta hockey, and he too would play a significant role in this game with 3 points, along with fellow newcomer Mat Tilton.
It was one of those games that started with a bang. The Storm got a power-play 17 seconds in, and Rob Iszak scored his first goal in green, gold and red for River City a minute 45 in.
From there, the Panthers scored a pair on starter Ryan Fairgray, who got hooked a'la the Gong Show. That seemed to temporarily spark the team, as Tidy scored on the power-play just 2 minutes later and it was all tied at deuces a piece.
Two minutes after that, Travaloina would see his first shot on net. Or should I say not see. Panthers Ryan Bradley scored to give his team the lead. The next shot Travaloina faced, once again 2 minutes later, had the same result with Porteous giving the Panthers a 4-2 lead, and that also spelt the end of the night for Travaloina, who was playing his first game in a year, due to an injury last year.
So Fairgray got another chance, and he settled down after that and made some big saves, especially in the third. Corey MacLauchlan would score for the Storm 4-3 after 20 minutes.
The Storm played with purpose in the second. Starting with a Jesse Bachmeier goal, then one from Mat Tilton and suddenly the Storm had a lead, if only for just under 5 minutes. Cole Peterson tied the game at 5 after 40 minutes.
In the third, the Panthers woke up and pinned the Storm for long periods of time in their own end. Players like Evan Campbell, Joe Densmore and Michael Scarborough seemed to own the puck at times, and it resulted in the Panthers striking twice courtesy of Corey Allen to open up a two goal lead. I have to admit, it did not look promising. That is, until the Captain pulled his team to with in one. Here's the call on the goal.
Late in the game, with the Storm net empty, and the boys up high on the forecheck, a careless penalty by Andrew Gaiga snuffed out any chance of a come back for CR and also resulted in Allen's 3rd of the third period, into an empty net. 8-6 Panthers, who move to 4 and 0.
After the game, coach Jim Revenberg said they may not have won, but a lot of good came out of this moral victory.
These two teams hook up 7:30 tomorrow (sunday) at the Brindy. Come out and support your team. You can also catch all the action on 99.7 the River, with the pregame show at 7:15. Brought to you by Work World in the Tyee Plaza.
We'll get to that in a moment. Let me set the stage first. With Tyler out, the Storm signed a new goalie the night before the game in Dom Travaloina, and he would play a big role in this game in his brief appearance. There were more changes to the line-up at forward, too. The Storm finally secured the rights to forward Brandon Tidy from Alberta hockey, and he too would play a significant role in this game with 3 points, along with fellow newcomer Mat Tilton.
It was one of those games that started with a bang. The Storm got a power-play 17 seconds in, and Rob Iszak scored his first goal in green, gold and red for River City a minute 45 in.
 |
| Corey MacLauchlan |
Two minutes after that, Travaloina would see his first shot on net. Or should I say not see. Panthers Ryan Bradley scored to give his team the lead. The next shot Travaloina faced, once again 2 minutes later, had the same result with Porteous giving the Panthers a 4-2 lead, and that also spelt the end of the night for Travaloina, who was playing his first game in a year, due to an injury last year.
So Fairgray got another chance, and he settled down after that and made some big saves, especially in the third. Corey MacLauchlan would score for the Storm 4-3 after 20 minutes.
The Storm played with purpose in the second. Starting with a Jesse Bachmeier goal, then one from Mat Tilton and suddenly the Storm had a lead, if only for just under 5 minutes. Cole Peterson tied the game at 5 after 40 minutes.
In the third, the Panthers woke up and pinned the Storm for long periods of time in their own end. Players like Evan Campbell, Joe Densmore and Michael Scarborough seemed to own the puck at times, and it resulted in the Panthers striking twice courtesy of Corey Allen to open up a two goal lead. I have to admit, it did not look promising. That is, until the Captain pulled his team to with in one. Here's the call on the goal.
Late in the game, with the Storm net empty, and the boys up high on the forecheck, a careless penalty by Andrew Gaiga snuffed out any chance of a come back for CR and also resulted in Allen's 3rd of the third period, into an empty net. 8-6 Panthers, who move to 4 and 0.
After the game, coach Jim Revenberg said they may not have won, but a lot of good came out of this moral victory.
These two teams hook up 7:30 tomorrow (sunday) at the Brindy. Come out and support your team. You can also catch all the action on 99.7 the River, with the pregame show at 7:15. Brought to you by Work World in the Tyee Plaza.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The three main ingredients to a successful hockey team
There are so many factors that can help a team be successful. Creating turnovers on the ice and then capitalizing on those chances is something that often separates the good teams from the bad, or unlucky ones. Goaltending is always paramount. Just ask the Buffalo Sabres who made the playoffs many years that they probably shouldn't have because number #39 was guarding the crease.
Another big factor is leadership, which can manifest it self in a variety of ways on a team. There a vocal, bigger-than-life leaders like Mark Messier, who have that look in their eyes that gives confidence to their team mates and puts fear in the opposition. There are quiet leaders, like Joe Sakic, who let their play on the ice do the talking for them. Sometimes, it's a guy that isn't the most talented on the team, but he's the one who plays with his heart on his sleeve and will do whatever is necessary to guide his team through the highs and lows. I don't know if one type of leadership is better than the other, but I do know it's an integral part of any team that hopes to achieve great things.
This friday, there will be some good leaders on the ice for both the Storm and Panthers. Campbell River's new captain, #9 Jesse Bachmeier is a guy that could just let his play on the ice do the talking for him, but according to his team mates, he isn't afraid to hold them accountable in the dressing room.
The Panthers have a guy very similar it seems in #11 Evan Campbell. After a pair of seasons in the KIJHL with the Nelson Leafs and Creston Valley Thundercats, where he put up 90 points in 99 games, last season the speedy forward took his game to another level, leading the team in assists, while posting 65 points in 46 games. His attention to both ends of the ice, though, is what had new Coach Jackson Penny anoint him captain of the reigning league champs.
I talked with Evan today about the pressure of leading a team that every other team is gunning for. I also wanted to know, as a player that's played in both the KIJHL and VIJHL, along with facing the PIJHL champions in last year's Cyclone Taylor Cup, where does he think the VIJHL ranks in comparison to the other two.
The Storm have more than just Jesse Bachmeier as their new leader. For the second straight year, Steven Schmidt wears an 'A'. As a clutch player that seemingly does it all, it's a no-brainer.
Another is Jordan Suzuki.
A smooth skater that can play forward and defense equally well, I asked him about adapting to his new role as mentor to a young Storm blueline, and how he's been able to help quarterback the powerplay, which was a weakness last season.
You can listen to full length interviews with both players during the broadcast friday night during the intermissions. The pre-game show with myself and Joe O'Shea gets underway around 7:15.
Another big factor is leadership, which can manifest it self in a variety of ways on a team. There a vocal, bigger-than-life leaders like Mark Messier, who have that look in their eyes that gives confidence to their team mates and puts fear in the opposition. There are quiet leaders, like Joe Sakic, who let their play on the ice do the talking for them. Sometimes, it's a guy that isn't the most talented on the team, but he's the one who plays with his heart on his sleeve and will do whatever is necessary to guide his team through the highs and lows. I don't know if one type of leadership is better than the other, but I do know it's an integral part of any team that hopes to achieve great things.
This friday, there will be some good leaders on the ice for both the Storm and Panthers. Campbell River's new captain, #9 Jesse Bachmeier is a guy that could just let his play on the ice do the talking for him, but according to his team mates, he isn't afraid to hold them accountable in the dressing room.
The Panthers have a guy very similar it seems in #11 Evan Campbell. After a pair of seasons in the KIJHL with the Nelson Leafs and Creston Valley Thundercats, where he put up 90 points in 99 games, last season the speedy forward took his game to another level, leading the team in assists, while posting 65 points in 46 games. His attention to both ends of the ice, though, is what had new Coach Jackson Penny anoint him captain of the reigning league champs.
I talked with Evan today about the pressure of leading a team that every other team is gunning for. I also wanted to know, as a player that's played in both the KIJHL and VIJHL, along with facing the PIJHL champions in last year's Cyclone Taylor Cup, where does he think the VIJHL ranks in comparison to the other two.
 |
| #28 Jordan Suzuki (L), with #15 Robert Eliason |
Another is Jordan Suzuki.
A smooth skater that can play forward and defense equally well, I asked him about adapting to his new role as mentor to a young Storm blueline, and how he's been able to help quarterback the powerplay, which was a weakness last season.
You can listen to full length interviews with both players during the broadcast friday night during the intermissions. The pre-game show with myself and Joe O'Shea gets underway around 7:15.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)