Image credit: CFJC Today/Anthony Corea

By Marty Hastings

KIJHL PLAYOFFS

Storm primed for Wranglers in Doug Birks Division Final

Mar 13, 2025 | 4:39 PM

KAMLOOPS — No Kamloops Storm team has reached the third round of the playoffs since 2015.

The 10-year hiatus can end with a victory over the Wranglers in the Doug Birks Division Final, which gets underway on Friday (March 13) in 100 Mile House.

“That was a long time ago,” Storm Head Coach Andrew Fisher said. “That’s our goal here, but it’s going take seven strong games from us and I’m excited for the battle here.”

The Storm steamrolled the Quesnel River Rush in Round 1, a four-game sweep that included a stellar comeback in Game 3, with Kamloops recovering from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 on the road.

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“We stuck to our guns,” Fisher said. “There were a few moments throughout the series when we weren’t playing our best or we were down a few and we kind of just stuck with it and kept going and kept going and it paid off for us.”

The Wranglers won five of six games against the Storm during the regular season and outscored Kamloops 24-16 in those contests.

“We’re a fast team,” 100 Mile House Head Coach and General Manager Levi Stuart said. “We were able to have success in all of our games in Kamloops this year on the big ice.

“Just after Christmas is when we really started to click. From January onward, this group has been really tight.”

(CFJC Today will have more on Stuart — the brother of former Kamloops Blazers’ forward Brodi Stuart — on Friday).

The Storm’s roster changed significantly throughout the campaign and the club is confident there is more room to grow and gel.

“We haven’t really faced the team they have right now,” Stuart said. “We haven’t seen them since all the moves they made at the deadline and they’re definitely a different-looking team now then they were.”

The Storm acquired defenceman Ben Filippone in December and he pitched in offensively in Round 1, with two goals and four points.

“I think just being super simple, not trying to overdo anything in the D-zone and just playing the simplest D game I can and that our group can will help us,” Filippone said when asked about strategy for curtailing Wranglers’ offence.

“We have huge potential to go pretty deep in the playoffs.”

Luca D’Amore led the Storm in scoring in Round 1, notching four goals — two of them game-winners — and seven points playing alongside Hayden Selin and Luke Rothfos.

“When I got my opportunities, I put them away,” said D’Amore, a 17-year-old rookie from Kamloops. “It helps when my linemates are hitting me in the slot and giving me the easy goals.”

The ascension of 18-year-old Storm netminder Brenner Fyfe continued in the first round of the post-season, with the Doug Birks Division goaltender of the season posting four wins and a .954 save percentage.

“We’re still growing every game,” Storm forward Nikolas Dimopoulos said. “I think we’re getting better every game and that series proved it to us.”

Games 1 and 2 will take place on Friday and Saturday, respectively, in 100 Mile House.

The series will shift to Kamloops for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre.

Game time is 7:00 p.m. both nights.

In 2014-2015, the Storm posted a 4-1 victory over the Wranglers in the Doug Birks Division Final before knocking off Osoyoos 4-1 in the conference final.

The Kimberley Dynamiters bested the Storm 4-2 to win the league title.

“We took another step forward, for sure, and we really want to keep going here,” Fisher said.