By Earl Seitz

Storm owner suspended one year, team fined, coach suspended 20 games

Sep 13, 2018 | 2:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — In late August Kamloops Storm owner Barry Dewar announced that he would be stepping back as the general manager of the team, handing those duties over to Matt Kolle.

In late July Dewar was suspended for one year by the KIJHL, a suspension that league president Larry Martel says was upheld by B.C. Hockey.

“What the Kamloops Storm were accused of is tampering on two players,” says KIJHL President Larry Martel. “Both players were carded with another junior team and they skated with the Kamloops Storm.They were offered roster spots and everything that goes along with playing with the new team. There was no discussion with the team that they were already playing for and that’s called tampering under Hockey Canada rules.”

Question: How to you plead to the charges of tampering?

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“Not guilty,” says Storm owner Barry Dewar. “It’s a bogus charge that was laid by the Chase Heat. They can’t beat us on the ice, so they want to beat us off the ice — which is fine. It’s a crazy situation —- really lost a lot of respect for the people in Chase when they did this. But they have the right, and I’ll get my day in court.”

In addition to the one year suspension to Barry Dewar, Larry Martel says the Storm have been fined $10,000, have been stripped of four player cards, and the head coach is suspended for 20 games.

This is where the intrigue in this story deepens. Last month it was announced that former Storm player Jassi Sangha was taking over as the new head coach, replacing Ed Patterson. Knowing that a tampering charge was going to be laid when the Storm was still without a head coach, Barry Dewar appointed his son Johnathan as head coach.   

KIJHL president Larry Martel says on the official Hockey Canada Storm roster Johnathan Dewar is listed as head coach, with Jassi Sangha as the associate coach. The suspension doesn’t affect Barry Dewar’s position as the owner of the team, he just can’t be involved in the day to day operations of running the team.That will now be done by genral manager Matt Kolle.