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.
The Storm to a man need to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves if taking an unnecessary penalty at key times is helping their team out. It's been prevalent since the Victoria loss 3 games ago, incidentally the beginnings of this 3 game slide they are on. It won't get much easier the next two games. They host Kerry Park tomorrow before facing the ever improving Oceanside Generals in Parksville saturday.

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.

As you also heard, I also had a chance to catch up with one of the unsung heroes on this year's Storm team, Ryan Fairgray. I think that he's shown improvement every game and has made some very big saves this season. When Tyler Bachmeier returns from his injury, goaltending should be one of the areas of strength for the boys in green, gold and red.





The game time has changed from what was posted on the vijhl.com website. It's a 7:30 start, not 6:30, so Joe and I will have the pregame for you at 7:15 on http://www.997theriver.ca/page.php?pageID=174&parentID=173

Yeti freeze out the Storm at the Brindy

The Storm wrapped up a tough 4 game set against the 3 best teams in the VIJHL Friday with a 3-2 loss to the Comox Valley Glacier Kings. The Storm were missing Jordan Suzuki, who was nursing an injury, so it would fall on some of the young defenseman to shoulder the load and log some extra ice time.

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.

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.

Giving back

Yesterday was one of those special days for myself as a broadcaster. The Tour de Rock rolled in to Campbell River Common in the afternoon, with bagpipes playing in front of the Tour Riders all clad in red, as a jam-packed section of the mall cheered on these remarkable RCMP members that were biking 1,000 km to raise money for Camp Goodtimes. I was honored to do part of my afternoon show from right behind the stage.

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

Here's Jim Revenberg's thoughts on sunday's win, along with comments from Andrew Gaiga, who scored his first goal as a member of the Storm.

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.

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.

After the game, Steven Schmidt talked about playing along-side of Captain Clutch.




Only one game tonight in the VIJHL, as the Stingers will look to avoid allowing double digits against for the third straight game. They're coming off of 14-2 and 10-1 losses. They host the Oceanside Generals.

The Storm are off until thursday, when they face the red-hot Victoria Cougars at the Archie Browning Arena. The Cougars have won 4 straight.

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.

Corey MacLauchlan

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.