Image Credit: Anthony Corea/CFJC Today

By Marty Hastings

Storm Playoff Hockey

Retooled Storm rolling into playoffs; series against River Rush includes ownership intrigue

Feb 28, 2025 | 4:32 PM

KAMLOOPS — Roster shuffling throughout the campaign and a mid-season coaching change brought turbulence to the Kamloops Storm.

Head coach Andrew Fisher said his Storm have settled and recent form suggests they are peaking in time for the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League playoffs.

Kamloops is riding a five-game winning streak and has won eight of its last 10 contests.

“It took a little while,” Fisher said. “Part of that was sort of my fault. I was sitting one day at practice going over the board asking what I thought were fairly simple, system-type questions and I said, ‘You know, guys, this is stuff we’ve been talking about since the start of the year.’ I kind of paused and was like, ‘Okay, how many were here at the start of the year?’ It was only about half.”

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Kamloops (25-18-10-0) and the Quesnel River Rush (19-19-3-3) will square off in Round 1.

Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-seven series are slated for Friday (Feb. 28) and Saturday, respectively, at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. both nights.

“It’s a business and you’re trading your friends and buddies that you’ve gotten to know and pretty much restarting with new guys,” said overage Storm forward Ryan Larsen, who has 37 points in 37 games. “It just all takes time and once you figure all that out, you get to know each other on the ice and you start gelling and it leads to pretty good things.”

Fisher, who took the reins this season from former bench boss Jan Ludvig, has been hammering home lessons on structure on defensive soundness.

In net, 18-year-old Kamloops backstop Brenner Fyfe posted a 16-12 record and .923 save percentage this season to pick up top goaltender honours for the Doug Birks Division.

“It just goes back to my habits,” Fyfe said. “Stay consistent before every game, same routine. The team is playing well in front of me and I’m just clicking with the D right now.”

The Storm finished second in division standings, three points behind the 100 Mile House Wranglers and seven points ahead of the third-place River Rush.

Tracy Mero owns the expansion River Rush and was formerly principal owner of the Storm.

Matt Kolle, now the sole owner of the Storm, said barbs have been exchanged with Mero ahead of the series and Fisher noted the relationship adds intrigue to the series.

“We want to beat them and they want to beat us,” Fisher said. “Tracy was great for us here when he owned the team and Matt did a great job this year taking over. There has been some fun banter back and forth between the two of them and it’s going to transfer over to the ice a little bit.”