The Campbell River Storm are starting November with a decisive win.
The Junior B squad hosted down-Island rivals Victoria Cougars at the Rod Brind’Amour Arena last night. They outshot the Cougars 45-28 to take the win 5-1.
Coach Lee Stone was impressed with the group and said it was a confidence boost for the young team.
“We’ve been playing the right way,” said Stone of recent losing tilts against the north-leading Oceanside Generals. “We’ve come so close.”
The Storm came back from a 1-0 deficit late in the first period to even things up heading into the break. The Cougars had scored 9:27 into the game for the lead, but Jackson Dyke got the home team on the board at 17:27 of the first, with the assist going to Josh Pederson and Jory Swanson.
The Storm kept the pressure in the second frame, with Clayton Bono scoring the go-ahead goal at 6:07 and Pederson and captain Kyle Jennings picking up assists.
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The Storm were one-for-seven on power plays, with that single goal coming at 14:04 in the second as Brendan Murray found the back of the net and Keagen Abbott and Brax Klassen picked up assists.
Campbell River continued to build their lead in the third period as Riley Billy scored at 10:34 (assist to Murray) and Bono added another at 12:20 of the period (Pederson and Dyke picked up the assist).
“With how many injuries we’ve had, guys have really stepped up,” said Stone. “For us to get that win and get rewarded for our efforts, I think that was a huge turning point for us.”
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After Friday’s games across the league, Campbell River (9-7-1) sits second in the north division with 19 points. The Oceanside Generals (13-5-1) are leading the division with 27 points.
The Storm will look to keep the momentum going into tonight’s game against the winless Comox Valley Glacier Kings. It’s the fourth time the teams have met this season.
Including tonight’s game in Comox, the Storm will have four road games before returning to the Brindy on Nov. 15 to host the Oceanside Generals.
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