The Kamloops IceBreakers went without a win in the Kamloops Female Ice Hockey Tournament at Brock Arena on the weekend, losing 4-2 to the Penticton Firefighters, 11-0 to the Meadow Ridge Barracudas, 15-0 to the Langley Lightning and 4-1 to Penticton Fix Auto.
The atom recreation club had goals from Macie Stankoven, Zoe Steinke and Jadyn Walker. Kate Benastick and Morgan Luce defended the blue paint.
Hurricanes blow past Kaps
The Hurricanes took out the Kapitals in an all-Kamloops bantam recreation contest on the weekend, winning 4-1.
Connor Defoe led the victors with a goal and an assist. Rylen Trent (1G), Josh Rankin (1G), Austin Hammond (1G), Kyle Sandher (1A), Alexis Bishop (1A) and Nicholas Kuhlman (1A) rounded out the scoresheet for the Hurricanes in support of goaltender Bryton Neufeld.
Brooke Cave scored the lone goal for the Kapitals, with Cache Clemitson picking up the helper. Ben Smith was between the pipes.
Split the difference
The Kamloops Junior Blazers were handed their first loss of the regular season on the weekend, dropping a 4-2 decision on the road against the Kelowna Junior Rockets.
But, the peewee tier 1 club bounced back with a 5-2 win the following night at Sandman Centre.
Jacob Hufty, Carter Streek, Zak Anderson, Nolan Viesner, Garrett Martin, Brady Milburn and Matt Ward scored for Kamloops throughout the weekend. Colton Day was between the pipes.
Tough weekend
The Kamloops Blazers posted a 1-3 record at the Salmon Arm Atom Development C Tournament on the weekend.
Kamloops suffered three losses — 4-3 to Vernon, 3-1 to Summerland and 13-0 to Langley — and earned a 6-2 victory over Burnaby Winter Club.
Recording points for the Blazers on the weekend were Carson Sutherland (2G), Luca Cupello (1G, 2A), Jack Smith (1G), Kieran Thibault (1G), Carter Thiessen (1G), Grady Johnson (1G), Jayce Matkowski (1G), Seth Wincott (1G), Jack Smith (1G),
Kieran Milne (2A), Kieran McMillan (1A) and Donnie Andriashyk (1A).
Owen Routhier backstopped Kamloops against Vernon and Langley. Kaiden Goddard was between the pipes against Summerland and Burnaby.
Earning the split
The midget tier 3 Kamloops Blazers split a pair of road games on the weekend, falling 5-1 to Chase at Art Holding Memorial Arena on Saturday before besting 100 Mile House 4-1 at the South Cariboo Recreation Centre on Sunday.
Tallying points for Kamloops on the weekend were Charlie Kinloch (2G, 1A), Jayden Russell (1G, 1A), Zane Ferguson (1G, 1A), Dakota Hofmann (1G), Carter Adams (1A) and Spencer Shyiak (1A).
Colin Clark had a solid performance between the pipes on Saturday. Ashton Vinnie was in net on Sunday.
Kamloops will play host to Clearwater at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre on Sunday. Game time is 5 p.m.
Spreading the scoring
Four players scored for the Kamloops Junior Blazers in a 4-2 victory over Kelowna in bantam tier 1 play in the Little Apple on Sunday.
Notching points for the Blazers were Jarrod Semchuk (1G, 1A), Devin Benson (1G), Peyton Kelly (1G), Owen Barrows (1G), Talon Zakall (1A), Kobe Pavlovich (1A) and Logan Stankoven (1A).
Bailey Monteith was the winning netminder.
Outlaws rob Billionaires
Three players scored for the Outlaws in a 3-0 victory over the Billionaires in bantam recreation play on Saturday at Sandman Centre.
Connor Kennedy (1G), Max Card (1G), Ace Ernst (1G), Jordan English (1A) and Seth Ishikawa (1A) had points for the Outlaws.
Matthew Yon and Zane Rolfsen split time between the pipes for the Outlaws.
The Kamloops Storm will be looking to rebound from a lopsided loss when they return to Memorial Arena on Saturday night.
Kamloops was defeated 9-5 by the hometown Kelowna Chiefs on Friday.
Tre Sales led the Storm with a hat trick and both Brendan Lane and Bryce McDonald had a pair of assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Chiefs’ offence.
Brett Witala finished the night with seven points for Kelowna — four goals and three assists — while Jason Village had a goal and three helpers. Former Kamloops Storm forward Brendan Mongey added three assists and Joel Scrimbit had a goal and two assists. Three other Kelowna players finished with a multi-point night.
Kolby Pauwels made one save on three shots for the Storm before being replaced by Ethan Langenegger who turned aside 22 of 29 shots.
Brandon Gaucher picked up the win between the pipes for Kelowna.
Kamloops will be at home to the North Okanagan Knights on Saturday night. Game time is 7:35 p.m.
Former Kamloops Storm goaltender and Kamloops Minor Hockey Association product Spencer Eschyschyn will be in Leduc from Dec. 5 to Dec. 8, competing for a spot on Team Canada West for the World Junior A Challenge.
The annual challenge is set to take place from Dec. 11 to Dec. 17 in Bonnyville, Alta.
Eschyschyn, who left the Storm earlier this season to play for the English River Miners of Ontario’s Superior International Junior Hockey League, has gone 7-2-1-0 to start his rookie campaign.
The 18-year-old goaltender was one of three players from the SIJHL invited to selection camp last week. Sixty players are vying for roster spots on Team Canada West.
Team Canada West will be selected from players representing the B.C. Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Manitoba Junior Hockey League and Superior International Junior Hockey League.
The World Junior A Challenge will include teams representing Canada West, Canada East, Russia, Czech Republic, Switzerland and the United States.
The Kamloops Junior Blazers won gold at a bantam tier 1 tournament in Vernon on the weekend, going undefeated in five games at the event.
Kamloops won 5-2 against Kelowna, 4-0 against Edmonton, 8-2 against Langley and 8-1 against Port Moody, defeating Vernon 6-3 in the championship game.
Logan Stankoven led the Junior Blazers with four goals and nine assists. Ashton Taylor (6G, 2A), Jarrod Semchuk (5G, 5A), Peyton Kelly (5G, 1A), Keagan Fletcher (3G, 1A) Spencer Vaughn (1G, 9A), Luke Bateman (1G, 4A) and Brendan Kirschner (1G, 2A) tallied throughout the tournament.
Adam Niles backstopped the win in the gold-medal game.
Bantam Winter Classic
The Kamloops Hurricanes went 1-2-1 at the Bantam Winter Classic in Kamloops on the weekend, finishing third in their pool.
The bantam recreation club opened with a 5-1 loss to Quesnel, before defeating North Delta 9-1. The club went on to lose 5-3 to the Kamloops Hooligans and tie Kamloops Team 1, 3-3.
Brooklyn Crawford, Rylen Trent, Connor Defoe and Austin Hammond hit the scoresheet throughout the weekend in support of goaltender Bryton Neufeld.
Winless Elks
The North Kamloops Elks were winless in midget tier 2 action on the weekend, playing against Central Okanagan at Memorial Arena.
The weekend opened with a 4-4 tie, before Central Okanagan secured a 4-2 win.
Trevis John (1G, 2A), Brayden Jensen (1G, 1A), Brendan Much (1G), Thomas Wojak (1G), Lane Gunerud (1G), Cole Howaniec (1G), Connor Milburn (2A), Adam Gammel (2A), Haydan Fidanza (1A) and Joshua Bishop tallied for the Elks.
Spur Reid and Taylor Kaban split goaltending duties.
Hat trick win
The Kamloops Junior Blazers were led by a pair of hat tricks as the club defeated Salmon Arm 6-4 in peewee tier 2 action at Valleyview Arena on the weekend.
Sam Ward and Kyle Sanford both filled the net three times. Ty Horner (2A), Ryan Larson (2A) and Sam Zulyniak (1A) chipped in with assists.
Evan Leggett picked up the win between the pipes.
Atom draw
The Kamloops Junior Blazers played to a 6-6 tie against Sicamous on the weekend.
Noah Paulsen (1G, 1A), Grady Johnson (1G), Luca Cupello (1G), Jack Smith (1G), Jayce Matkowski (1G), Carson Sutherland (1G), Kieran McMillan (2A) and Kieran Milne (1A) had the points for the atom C club.
Owen Routhier was in the blue paint for Kamloops.
Weekend sweep
The Kamloops Junior Blazers won a pair of home games on the weekend, playing host to the Prince George Junior Cougars.
Kamloops won 7-5 on Saturday night and 4-2 on Sunday.
Zak Anderson led the Blazers with two goals and three assists. Reggie Newman, Carter Streak, Matt Ward, Jacob Hufty, Garrett Martin, Nic Leggett, Brady Milburn, Sawywer Mynio and Colton Yawney also hit the scoresheet.
Staying the course
The atom recreation Kamloops IceBreakers posted an 0-4 record at the Penticton Fire on Ice Female Hockey Tournament on the weekend.
Kamloops fell 9-2 to the Surrey Falcons, 3-1 to Penticton Fix Auto and 4-2 to the Penticton Firefighters in round-robin play before the Falcons downed the IceBreakers 5-2 in the playoffs.
Recording points on the weekend for Kamloops were Macie Stankoven (3G), Gracie Soderstrom (2G), Bella McDivitt (1G) and Anya Borowski (1G).
Alina Baltakis, Tayla McMillan, Morgan Luce and and Kate Benastick each played one game between the pipes.
Hat-trick Holmes
Kawato Holmes scored three goals for the Snipers in a 7-2 victory over the Knights in atom recreation play on the weekend.
Also notching points for the Snipers were Casey Wood (1G, 1A), Quinlan Newport (1G), Mason Poitras (1G), Adam Wiebe (1G) and Raine Dirkson (1A).
Tyson von Hollen had both goals for the Knights, who went with Tyson Williams between the pipes.
Money men
The Kamloops Billionaires posted a 2-1-1 record at the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association Bantam Winter Classic on the weekend.
The Kamloops Storm picked up a 4-1 victory against the Revelstoke Grizzlies at Memorial Arena on Friday night, winning their only contest of the weekend.
Nate Pelletier, Hayden Dick, Evan Walls and Tre Sales found twine in the game, which saw Jason Sandhu make 30 saves in his return to the Storm for the victory.
Kamloops was 1-for-6 on the power play and 8-for-9 on the penalty kill.
Jordan Rea scored Revelstoke’s lone marker on the power play. Goaltender Chris Wielenga made 41 saves on 44 shots.
Nate Van Unen led the way with two goals and two assists as the Kamloops Junior Blazers defeated 100 Mile House 6-5 in peewee tier 4 action at Brock Arena on the weekend.
Cohen Drummond (2G), Tyler Rahn (1G, 1A), Wyatt Gowans (1G), Zander Ward (1A) and Kyle Woitas (1A) chipped in with points for Kamloops, in support of goaltender Gavin McLean.
Tight contest
The Kamloops Junior Blazers fell in the final minutes of an atom development game against the West Kelowna Warriors on the weekend, losing 3-2 on McArthur Island.
Despite two goals from Jaxsin Vaughan and an assist from Corbin Vaughan, the Blazers couldn’t overcome a late Warriors’ goal to tie the game for goaltender Luca Woehle.
Doubling up
Kamloops locked up a 8-4 victory against North Okanagan on the weekend, securing another victory in bantam tier 4 play.
Kamloops had points from Matthiew Coxon (3G, 1A), Kalab Rattie (2G, 2A), Mitchell Coxon (1G, 4A), Liam Campbell (1G), Justin Vinterlik (1G), Josh Hamling (2A), Andrew Gemsa (1A), Tyler Fernie (1A) and Bhavin Serown (1A).
Riley McLean was in net for the win.
Exhibition tilts
Carter Streek led the Kamloops Junior Blazers with four points on the weekend as the bantam tier 1 club played a handful of exhibition tilts on the Lower Mainland.
Facing off against two of the Coast’s top ranked teams, the Junior Blazers lost 3-2 and 8-2 to Abbotsford, before beating Samiahmoo 4-2.
Joining Streek on the scoresheet were Brady Milburn, who had two points, and Zak Anderson, Reggie Newman, Reid Gartrell, Garrett Martin, Matt Ward, Nolan Viesner and Sawyer Mynio, all of whom had one point.
Comeback kids
Six goals in the final period of play capped off a successful road swing for Kamloops in midget tier 3 action on the weekend.
The club defeated Merritt in the final contest of the weekend, after winning 6-5 versus Chase and losing 5-2 against Salmon Arm.
The score for the contest against Merritt was unavailable.
Jayden Russell (4G, 2A), Adam Sahaydak (3G, 2A), Zane Ferguson (2G, 2A), Eric Ramsey (1G, 3A), Dakota Hofmann (1G, 2A), Haden Nordick (1G, 1A), Jacob Pilon (1G), Corson Nordick (1G), Spencer Shyiak (1G), Keenan Dabels (1A) and Tyson Smith (1A) all had points throughout the weekend.
Ashton Vinnie and Colin Clark split time between the pipes.
Mark Recchi has been inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
The Hall announced Recchi’s induction on Wednesday, during a ceremony to name the 2017 class.
The Kamloops native, now 48 years old, had a professional career that spanned from 1988 to 2011. He played two seasons with the Kamloops Blazers before being drafted in the fourth round, 67th overall, of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. His No. 8 was retired by the Blazers.
Recchi played 1,652 NHL games with the Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins, amassing 956 points, including 577 goals. He won three Stanley Cups — one each with the Penguins, Hurricanes and Bruins — and was a seven-time all-star.
He is now a part owner of the Blazers and a player development coach for the Penguins.
Joining Recchi in the athlete category was cyclist Roland Green, B.C. Lions’ great Geroy Simon, wheelchair racer Michelle Stilwell and rugby player Mark Wyatt.
Wheelchair basketball coach Tim Frick, UBC Thunderbirds football coach Frank Smith, and George and Diane Tidball, who built the Thunderbird ShowPark equestrian facilities in Langley, were inducted as builders.
The 1969-1970 UBC Thunderettes basketball team was inducted in the team category and Chang Keun Choi, one of 12 original masters of taekwondo, was added in the pioneer category.
Get ready for a little more Kamloops content at the 2017 Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament.
The 49th incarnation of the tournament, which gets underway on Dec. 28 and runs through Jan. 1, will feature three Kamloops teams for what chairman Ted Kowalsky believes is the first time in its history.
“We’ve got 14 tier 1 teams and 16 tier 2 teams, including, for the first time ever, a tier 3 Kamloops team,” Kowalsky told KTW.
“We had one team drop out at the last minute and it was too late to bring someone else in, so we brought the tier 3 team in, which is apparently quite strong. Kamloops is going to have a really strong contingent this year.”
The tier 3 Kamloops Junior Blazers will play in the tournament’s Founders Division.
The tier 2 group also includes the Campbell River Tyees, Lethbridge Hurricanes, West Kelowna Warriors, Williams Lake Timberwolves, Chilliwack Bruins, Cranbrook CPC Hornets, Washington’s Kent Valley Selects, North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks, Quesnel Thunder, Salmon Arm Silvertips, Alaska Grizzlies, Prince George Cougars and Pursuit of Excellence’s Varsity team.
The 16th tier 2 club is the Hong Kong Typhoons, who will be in Kamloops as a part of a North American hockey tour.
In the tier 1 Randy Lindros Division, the Kamloops Junior Blazers will be joined by the Calgary Royals, Chilliwack Junior Bruins, Nebraska’s Omaha AAA Hockey Club, Airdrie Xtreme, Alaska Oilers, Juan de Fuca Grizzlies, Vanderhoof’s Northwest Travellers, Grande Prairie Storm, Semiahmoo Ravens, Vernon Vipers, Saanich Braves and Sherwood Park Flyers.
An international entry, the WSV Sterzing Junior Broncos will represent Italy in tier 1. The club arrives in Kamloops on Christmas Day and will fly out after the Jan. 1 playoffs.
Kowalsky said KIBIHT has benefitted from strong sponsorship this year and established a good volunteer base in early December.
Already the organizing committee has started its work for next year, the 50th anniversary of the tournament.
“Things are just really falling into place,” Kowalsky said.
“I can’t say enough good things.”
Tournament games will be played at Memorial Arena, McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre and Brock Arena.
KIBIHT’s opening ceremony will take place on the Olympic Ice of Mac Isle.
Tournament awards will be handed out at Sandman Centre during the Kamloops Blazers’ Dec. 31 home game against the Victoria Royals, during the first and second intermissions.
In 2016, Hungary’s under-16 national team won KIBIHT’s tier 1 division, while the Vernon Junior Vipers captured the tier 2 title.
Tre Sales had three points and Hayden Dick a pair of goals as the Kamloops Storm defeated the 100 Mile House Wranglers 4-1 on Wednesday night.
The victory was Kamloops’ second of December and third in a row. With the win the club improved to 13-9-1-4 and moved into a tie with the Wranglers for second in the Doug Birks Division.
100 Mile House opened the scoring in their home barn on Wednesday, with Sam Bosek scoring on the power play at the midway point of the first period.
But Kamloops would add three goals before the end of the frame. Sales started the scoring with eight minutes remaining and Dick would add his first of the night a short while later. CJ Corazzin scored with a minute remaining in the period, a shorthanded marker, to put Kamloops ahead 3-1.
In the second, Dick scored again, this one on the power play, to give the Storm the 4-1 lead.
Jason Sandhu made 22 stops on 23 shots for Kamloops, while the tandem of Brendan Henderson and Clay Stevenson made 24 saves on 28 shots.
Kamloops was 1-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
The club will return to Kamloops on Saturday night, taking on the division-leading Chase Heat at Memorial Arena. Game time is 7:35 p.m.
There’s a moment from 2015 that Kyle Panasuk always turns to when asked about Ed Patterson.
It was March 12 and the Kamloops Storm were on the ice at the Osoyoos Sun Bowl, taking on the hometown Coyotes in Game 2 of the 2014-2015 Okanagan/Shuswap Conference Final.
The Storm trailed the contest 1-0 early in the second period, one day removed from a 7-2 beating to open the series.
The Coyotes were the toast of the KIJHL that year, collecting a league-best 87 regular-season points and losing just seven games in regulation the entire season. Osoyoos had scored 123 more goals than it had allowed and cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
In short, the team was a juggernaut and, while the Storm had a good season that year, they were, in reality, heavy underdogs.
So, already down 1-0 and now on the penalty kill, Panasuk, the club’s assistant coach, was flabbergasted when Patterson sent forward Ryan Keis out to take a shift as a penalty killer. Keis didn’t kill penalties and, besides, Panasuk was in charge of the forwards.
Patterson whispered a few words to Keis before turning to Panasuk. “Just watch,” he said.
“He told him to shoot the puck forward and he scored right off the faceoff,” Panasuk recalled.
It was the turning point of the series. Kamloops won that game 4-3 in overtime and went on to win the next three, qualifying for its second league final in as many seasons.
“We talked after and I was like, ‘What were you thinking?’” Panasuk continued. “He said, ‘We needed a goal and most goalies aren’t expecting that, especially on the penalty kill.’
“His brain works so fast and sees situations — it’s unbelievable.”
* * *
Two years later, Patterson still thinks of that series as one of his career highlights.
“Just the belief that Kyle and I were able to instil in the guys was, I think, probably one of my favourite memories,” Patterson told KTW.
Entering Saturday’s contest, his 376th behind the bench in Kamloops, Patterson has amassed a record of 184-83-3-17 in his six seasons in junior B, along with a playoff record of 53-25-2-8. He was voted the Doug Birks Division’s coach of the year the last two years.
Being a part of the Storm has been a special experience for the 44-year-old. It has allowed him the opportunity to run his own team, to impact kids and push them on to the next level. He has seen some of his players move on to the BCHL and WHL, others drafted into the NHL.
KIJHL president Bill Ohlhausen (second from the left) presents Ed Patterson with the Doug Birks Division’s Coach of the Year Award. Assistant coaches Rob Petrie (left) and Kyle Panasuk were also recognized by Patterson. KTW file photo
The friendship he has developed with Panasuk is special, as is his relationship with owners
Barry and Sandi Dewar.
“It has been amazing,” he said. “It has been a great learning experience, for myself. I always aspired to be a head coach somewhere some day.
“It has been a tonne of fun.”
Patterson has a soft spot for kids at the junior B level, those who want to be playing elsewhere, but haven’t yet caught their break or have areas of their games that need some work. He knows all about elitist thinking in hockey — how some believe major midget or hockey academies are the only places players can develop nowadays — but with the Storm, he has shown players they can buck the trend.
Pushing players to the next level as quickly as possible has become Patterson’s philosophy in his second coaching stint with the team, but it’s not just about hockey.
“The main thing is just all the relationships that Kyle, Barry and I have built with all the kids,” he said.
“Guys that have been here for a while, they’re like sons to Kyle and I.”
* * *
On Saturday, the Kamloops Storm will play host to the Chase Heat at Memorial Arena. Puck drop is 7:35 p.m.
There’s no love lost between the divisional rivals. Chase has had the advantage so far this season, winning two of three contests, and won the first-round playoff series between the two clubs last year. But over the years, it has more often been Kamloops in the winner’s circle.
Heat head coach Brad Fox said he has come to expect a few things when facing a team coached by Patterson: It’s going to work hard and it’s going to be well prepared.
While the rivalry is heated and the games can sometimes turn ugly, Fox said there’s a mutual respect between the coaches.
There’s no doubt Patterson knows the game.
Patterson playing in a Kamloops Storm alumni game. KTW file photo
“He’s a very personable guy. I get along well with Ed away from the rink,” Fox said.
“We enjoy each others’ company.
“That’s what you do when you’re in this industry — you take one hat off and you put the other one on. When it’s time to go to battle, you go to battle and when it’s done you forget about it and move on.
“At the end of the day, we’re all still people and we want to treat each other that way. That’s the relationship we have.”
* * *
If Dewar was to use one word to describe Patterson, it would be passion.
The GM has twice brought the head coach into the fold and he has never been made to regret it.
“He’s like one of my sons,” Dewar said.
“I’ve got three sons and he’s sort of No. 4.”
In his five previous seasons coaching the Storm, Patterson has four times brought Kamloops to the league championship. The 2015-2016 season was the first in his tenure that his team fell short of the big dance.
This year, he is 13-9-1-4 behind the bench in Kamloops, heading into Saturday’s game.
“I have a lot of respect for him. His ability is far beyond what junior B coaches are. He has such a remarkable hockey mind,” Dewar said.
“He loves the game so much that it’s infectious for the boys.”
Away from the Storm, Patterson has held posts in the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association, for which he remains a skills coach, and the Kamloops Blazers, for whom he was an assistant coach.
His players often describe him as “the best coach outside of junior A.” He’s often beloved by those who have worn the Storm jersey.
Panasuk traces Patterson’s popularity back to his roots as a player. He played much of his WHL career for the Kamloops Blazers, winning the Memorial Cup with the club in 1991-1992, and went on to play 68 NHL games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also played professionally in Britain and Germany, his career spanning 14 years.
Former Kamloops Storm defenceman Jackson Ross. KTW file photo
He’s a coach who knows when players need a break, when they need to be pushed. He’s up front with his expectations and can be blunt about what it takes to crack the lineup — both remarkably rare traits in junior hockey.
Earlier this season, when former Storm defenceman Jackson Ross was struggling in his first season with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, he called Patterson for some advice. Ross played 51 games for Kamloops last year and his former coach was quick to offer a little coaching to help Ross turn his game around.
“I think it’s his character, his passion,” Ross said, asked what makes Patterson the coach he is. “He not only cares about the game so much, but he really, really shows respect and love for all of his players. I think that goes a long way in hockey and I think you don’t see it enough. It makes me really have an appreciation for how great he was.
“Overall, he cares, way more than anyone I’ve ever been coached by.”
Make it three
Tre Sales had three points and Hayden Dick a pair of goals as the Kamloops Storm defeated the 100 Mile House Wranglers 4-1 on Wednesday night.
The victory was Kamloops’ second of December and third in a row. The club is tied for second in the Doug Birks Division.
Sales, Dick and CJ Corazzin scored and Jason Sandhu made 22 stops on 23 shots.
The Chase heat defeated the Kamloops Storm 4-2 in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Saturday night at Memorial Arena.
Nic Bruyere stopped 36 of 38 shots t secure the win the Chase net, while Storm netminder Jason Sandhu turned aside 43 of 46 shots on goal.
Kaine Comin and Dallas Otto scored for Kamoops, with Mitch Friesen, Evan Walls, Brandon Lawson and Bruce Mcdonald notching assists.
Kolten Moore led Chase with two goals, with Michael Howlett and Kaden Black rounding out the scoring. Travis Beaubien had two assists, with Grady Musgrave, Zachary Fournier and Josh Bourne also adding helpers.
Both teams were one-for-four on the power play.
With the win, Chase remains in first place in the five-team Doug Birks Division in the Okanagan-Shuswap Conference, with 38 points. 100 Mile House Wranglers are second with 32 points, followed by Kamloops (31 points), Revelstoke Grizzlies (23 points) and Sicamous Eagles (14 in points).
Kamloops plays Sicamous in the Shuswap Sunday at 4:15 p.m.
Dylan Fergsuon turned away 36 of 38 shots t help the Kamloops Blazers defeat the hometown Edmonton Oil Kings 3-2 Saturday night as the Blazers began a six-game road trip through the WHL’s Central Division to take them into the Christmas break.
Ferguson has claimed the crease for the trip now that starting goalie Connor Ingram is in Quebec at Canada’s World Junior Hockey Championship selection camp.
In Edmonton, the Blazers’ win came during the Oil Kings’ annual Teddy Bear Toss night which attracted a massive crowd of 18,000.
Colin Shirley scored twice for Kamloops, with Erik Miller — who had friends and family at the game from nearby Sherwood Park — adding a third.
Garrett Pilon had three helpers.
Kamloops had 37 shots on goal. The win keeps the Blazers in third place in the B.C. Division with 37 points, two points ahead of Victoria and two points behind Kelowna. Prince George is atop the standings, with 46 points, while Vancouver is at the bottom with 25 points.
Kamloops visits Calgary Sunday at 3 p.m.
TRADE WINDS
On Sunday, the Blazers acquired 19-year-old forward Nic Holowko from the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for a sixth-round WHL draft pick in 2018.
Holowko has played 161 career games in the WHL. He has 13 goals and 36 points over two-and-a-half seasons split between Seattle and Prince Albert.
“Nic adds some depth and experience to our forward group,” Kamloops general manager Stu MacGregor said. “He plays a fast game and we are happy to add him to our line up.”
The Burnaby native will join the Blazers in Alberta on Monday and is expected to make his Blazers debut in Red Deer on Tuesday night.
The club’s roster now sits at 25 players (three goaltenders, eight defenceman and 14 forwards).
ON THE MEDICAL FRONT
Matt Revel suffered an upper-body injury in Edmonton and will be unavailable the rest of the road trip.
The atom C Kamloops Junior Blazers were handed a 3-1 loss in a contest against the Kamloops pee wee girls on the weekend, with Noah Paulsen scoring the lone goal for the Blazers.
Owen Routhier played goal for the atom club.
Statistics for the pee wee girls were unavailable.
Knights come out on top
The Kamloops Knights took out Team 1 in atom recreation action on the weekend, with the victors scoring a 6-1 victory at Valleyview Arena.
AJ Killam (2G, 1A), Hukam Dhaliwal (1G, 1A), Owen McMillan (1G), Adam Anderson (1G) and Hunter Harnett (1G) hit the scoresheet for the Knights, who had Tyson Williams in the blue paint.
Hudson Klassen scored the lone goal for Team 1, which had Karmveer Chahal between the pipes.
Hurricanes in Williams Lake
The Kamloops Hurricanes finished fifth in the Williams Lake Recreation Tournament on the weekend, going 2-1-1 in the Cariboo locale.
Kamloops opened the tournament with a 5-2 loss to the hometown Williams Lake Red Bulls, but rebounded with a 4-3 win against the Williams Lake Green Team and a 4-4 tie against the Williams Lake White Knights. The Hurricanes closed out the tournament with a 6-5 win over Quesnel.
Connor Defoe led the way with six goals. Mathew Rowand (3G), Austin Hammond (3G), Chase Bodger (2G), Rylen Trent (1G), Colton Daniels (1G) and Hunter Coleman (1A) rounded out the scoring for the Canes in support of netminder Bryton Neufeld.
Shutout victory
Jacob Patton, Mike Hutchinson and Frankie Bruno had goals for the Hooligans in a 3-0 victory over the Outlaws in bantam recreation play on McArthur Island on Sunday.
Patton, Tate Jones and Arjun Brar pitched in with assists in support of goaltenders Rebekah Schmutz and Zach Kohurst, who shared the shutout.
Zane Rolfsen and Matthew Yon shared time between the pipes for the Outlaws.
Peewee champs
There are few things nicer for a Kamloops team than beating Kelowna in the final.
The Kamloops Predators completed an undefeated weekend with a victory over Kelowna in the Kamloops Winter Classic Peewee House Tournament on McArthur Island on the weekend.
Goaltender Dylan Cruickshank posted three shutouts at the tournament and had one Game MVP performance.
Also earning Game MVPs were Micah Brownlee, Jaden Donchi, Connor Guenther and Ryan Petrie.
Jarrett Dumais, Petrie, Donchi, Guenther, Brownlee, Damien Coates, Logan MacLaughlin and Adam Haines had goals for the Preds.
Nathan To, Zackery Denis and Jake Bean had assists.
The team’s coaches said the Kamloopsplayers saved their best game for the final.
Scoring a pair
Matthiew Coxon had a pair of goals in a losing effort for bantam tier 4 Kamloops, which lost 6-2 to Winfield’s tier 3 bantam squad in exhibition play on the weekend.
Mitch Friesen scored with seven seconds left in the third period to lead the Kamloops Storm to a 2-1 defeat of the Revelstoke Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
With the win, Kamloops trails the division-leading Chase Heat by three points.
The Grizzlies opened the scoring at Memorial last night, with Tyler Chavez Leech scoring on the power-play with two minutes remaining in the first period to put his club ahead 1-0.
Revelstoke held on to its lead for much of the game, before Nate Pelletier scored with five minutes left in the third period to even the score at 1-1. Friesen’s game-winning marker sealed the victory for the Storm.
Jason Sandhu picked up another win in the crease, his fourth in five games since coming to Kamloops via trade, making 25 saves on 26 shots.
Kamloops was 0-for-2 on the power play Wednesday and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
The Storm will be home to the Summerland Steam on Friday before heading to Chase on Saturday for their final contest of December.
The Kamloops Blazers have added 16-year-old forward Ryley Appelt to the roster for the week.
Appelt joined the Blazers on Wednesday in Lethbridge and is expected to make his WHL debut on Saturday against the Kootenay Ice.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound forward has been playing for the Northern Alberta X-Treme Midget Prep team this season and has 13 points, including three goals, in 14 games.
Appelt will be returned to the X-Treme following Saturday night’s game.
Devin Leduc’s (23) shot from behind the goal line rolled over Mathew Huber’s (31) blocker shoulder into the net for the overtime winner Friday night as the Kamloops Storm defeated the Summerland Storm 4-3 at Memorial Arena. Allen Douglas/KTW
The Kamloops Storm defeated the visiting Summerland Steam 4-3 at Memorial Arena on Friday night, with Devon Leduc scoring the winner at 2:43 of overtime in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey league game.
After a scoreless opening period, Kamloops tallied three times in the second frame — Evan Walls scoring twice and Bryce Mcdonald adding one — to take a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Summerland rallied in the third, scoring twice to send the game to overtime, setting the stage for Leduc’s winner, in which he squeezed the puck past Summerland netminder Matthew Huber from behind the goal line.
Summerland outshot Kamloops 40-37, with Storm goaltender Jason Sandhu recording the win in net.
The win left Kamloops in second place in the five-team Doug Birks Division of the Okanagan Shuswap Conference, with 37 points, three points behind the Chase Heat and five points clear of the 100 Mile House Wranglers.
Kamloops and Chase meet on Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Shuswap town in the final game for both teams before the Christmas break.
Kamloops’ next game is Jan. 6 in Revelstoke. The Storm are next at home on Jan. 8 when 100 Mile House comes to town.
The Kamloops Storm just weren’t ready for the Christmas break to come.
The Storm needed extra time to settle both of their contests on the weekend, winning 4-3 in overtime against both the Chase Heat and Summerland Steam.
Kamloops enters the holiday break on a four-game winning streak and winners of six of seven games in December.
The break extends to Jan. 6, when the Storm will visit the Revelstoke Forum to take on the hometown Grizzlies.
Kamloops is 17-10-1-4 through 32 games and is ranked second in the Doug Birks Division, two back of the first-place Heat.
The Storm will play nine times in January and six times in February, with the playoffs to get underway after the conclusion of the 47-game regular season.
Dawson Davidson is moving from Kamloops to Regina. Allen Douglas/KTW
Depth at forward was a concern for the Kamloops Blazers, even before the injury to Matt Revel.
General manager Stu MacGregor did something about it when the WHL’s holiday trade moratorium lifted on Tuesday morning.
Kamloops shipped 18-year-old defenceman Dawson Davidson to the Regina Pats in exchange for 18-year-old forward Luc Smith.
“They wanted a defenceman and Dawson was not a piece we really wanted to move, but sometimes you have to pay a price,” MacGregor said.
Smith, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound centre from Stony Plain, Alta., is expected to be the Blazers’ third-line centre and is capable of playing on the power play and penalty kill.
The sizeable right-hand shot has six goals and 11 points in 29 games this season, bringing his WHL career regular-season totals to 12 goals and 26 points after 154 games.
“His numbers aren’t what you’d call dramatic, but he’s already surpassed what he’s done in the last two years,” MacGregor said.
“I like his effort and his character, his desire to improve every day. He plays a good, solid two-way game and wins face-offs.”
Davidson, from Moosomin, Sask., joined the Blazers in 2014-2015 midway through his 16-year-old campaign and never relinquished his roster spot, stealing ice time from elder D-men Travis Verveda and Cam Reagan and garnering more minutes when Josh Connolly and Connor Clouston were jettisoned in trades.
He racked up 12 goals and 63 points in 124 games with the Blazers and joins the Pats with a WHL career plus-17 rating.
Smith was playing in Regina behind two of the leagues best centres in Sam Steel, 18, and Adam Brooks, 20, while Davidson, who endured rough patches in the first half of the 2016-2017 season, was among the glut of defencemen on Kamloops’ blue line.
Seven D-men remain on the Blazers’ roster — Dallas Valentine, 20, Joe Gatenby, 19, Ondrej Vala, 18, Dan Gatenby, 18, Nolan Kneen, 17, Conner McDonald, 17, and Luke Zazula, 16.
Earlier this month, MacGregor acquired 19-year-old forward Nic Holowko from the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, a trade that attempts to address the lack of depth up front.
When Revel, 20, injured his collarbone on Dec. 10 in Edmonton, his future with the Blazers came into question, as the club might have added another overage forward before the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
It appears the Abbotsford product will return to the lineup in late February or early March to occupy one of three 20-year-old spots, along with Valentine and forward Collin Shirley.
“We respect Matt and what he’s done and how hard he’s worked and you don’t want to just cast a guy aside, but I’m not doing it for sentimental reasons,” MacGregor said.
“He’s a quality player and will be a good addition to our team.”
Both Davidson and Smith were picked in Round 3 of the 2013 bantam draft, Davidson by the Blazers and Smith by the Pats.
Regina entered the Christmas break with the WHL’s best record (22-3-6), while Kamloops (21-13-1-1) has the fourth-most points in the Western Conference.
• The Blazers have recalled 16-year-old forward Brodi Stuart from the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League’s Fraser Valley Thunderbirds.
Stuart is pointless in two regular-season games with Kamloops this season. In 19 games with the Thunderbirds, he has nine goals and 11 assists.
• After the 10-day Christmas break, Kamloops returns to action Tuesday night in Kelowna to face the Rockets. The two clubs will meet again Wednesday night at Sandman Centre, with faceoff set for 7 p.m.
Tickets are available at the Sandman Centre box office or online through Ticketmaster.
While the NHL played its Winter Classic yesterday afternoon, Sun Peaks Resort was having an outdoor hockey game of its own.
The new outdoor ice rink at Kamloops’ nearby mountain resort is open for business and the holiday season has seen a flood of skaters utilizing the NHL-sized sheet.
Sun Peaks Mayor Al Raine said he’s happy with how the project has turned out.
“I haven’t seen the numbers, but the people who have been following it from last year to this year are saying we’ve at least doubled the number of people who have been skating and playing hockey,” he said.
The new rink has been a long time in the making, with KTW reporting in May of 2015 the resort’s intent to build the new venue at Sun Peaks, replacing the worn-out sheet measuring 50 feet by 100 feet, just steps from the Morrisey Express chairlift.
But the project faced a number of delays, with indecision about its location and poor weather pushing back the opening date. The resort eventually settled on a site east of the village, behind the Sports and Aquatic Centre.
The rink opened for business shortly before Christmas, though there are still a few finishing touches in the works. Lines for hockey will be painted in the near future and, though the ice is currently being frozen by atmospheric temperatures, a refrigeration plant purchased from a disassembled arena in Indiana will be installed toward the end of January.
The ice plant will allow the rink to stay open, with a consistent surface, through the end of March.
“We don’t need it right now,” Arne Fevang, public works and special projects assistant, said of the plant.
“The ice conditions are really good.”
The new surface measures 85 feet wide and 200 feet long — the size of a rink in the NHL — and is enclosed by boards purchased from Portland’s Moda Centre (formerly known as the Rose Garden), the primary home of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.
Lights come on at 4 p.m. and the surface remains lit until close. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
The most popular ice times have been those reserved for public skating.
“It just builds. Tons of people come,” said Fevang, who also noted organizers are working to start the inaugural Sun Peaks Hockey League in January.
“Drop-in hockey hasn’t been as busy, but that’s a day-to-day thing, too. Some days, there’s 30 people out there, other days there’s five guys out there. But public skating has been really consistent.”
Financially, Raine said the cost of the project, including the land purchased to house the rink, totals a little more than $1 million, with between 85 and 90 per cent of the bills paid for by government grants and funds.
For a complete schedule of ice availability, click here.
Both skating and drop-in hockey are $7 per person and rentals are also available.
Elsewhere at the resort
Christmas is making up for an odd start to the 2016-2017 ski season.
Aidan Kelly, Sun Peaks Resort’s chief marketing officer, said that after a November that was unseasonably warm and a December that was unusually cold, the last few weeks have been just right.
“We’re making up for it over the Christmas period,” Kelly said. “The weather co-operated a lot better, the temperature is perfect for skiing right now, the snow conditions are great.”
The resort is full, Kelly said, which is generally the norm over the holiday season.
This year, however, the boon is expected to last a little longer, given some fortunate Christmas schedules in other school districts.
