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.

# 7 Jesse Spooner

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.