It turned out to be a bit of a rowdy affair between the Save-On-Foods Oceanside Generals and the Campbell River Storm Saturday night.
Tempers flared on both benches as coaches Brad Knight of the Generals and Lee Stone of the Storm had a war of words in the third period of a game that was well out of reach, with the Storm winning 8-2.
The loss pushes the Generals losing streak to 11 games, but it’s not the losing that coach Knight had an issue with Saturday evening.
“I can handle losing games,” Knight said. “It’s the way a team like Campbell River carries themselves when they’re up 8-2 and expected to win a game like that.”
“They’re out there laughing at my players, who are working hard and doing what they can to make a game out of it and they’re (Campbell River) acting like they’ve got no class,” he said.
“A team that’s loaded with 19 and 20 year olds and they carry themselves like that, it’s disrespectful to my team, to our fans and I’m just tired of it. I’m tired of seeing garbage like that.”
Newcomer Quinlan Moore got the Generals off to a quick start, putting the puck past Storm goaltender Matt Kostiw on the power play to make it 1-0.
But Campbell River would score seven unanswered goals before the Gens would find the net again, with another newcomer Phillip Lam putting one in the back of the net on the power play, giving them their second and final goal in the game.
Lam and Moore, along with Bobby Love, all made their debut for the Generals on Saturday night as the team continues to look for help up front.
“We’ve got to start scoring goals,” Knight said. “I think we’re fine defensively for the most part, Moore helps us out on the back end there, he brings a steady presence and has a good shot that’ll give us some better looks on the power play.”
“Lam’s a smart player; he’s got a good mind for the game and puts the puck in the right places. Love’s a great player to have on the team too; he’s a straightforward guy who isn’t afraid to use the body,” Knight said. “But we’ve still got to find a few more players up front to balance things out, we need some more scoring.”
Defenseman Wyatt Meiers is back on the ice with the Generals, coming off hip surgery in the off-season, and is hoping to resume contact within the next two weeks.
It’s just the lone game again this week for the Generals, as they’ll travel north to take on the Comox Valley Glacier Kings on Friday night.
In the four games between the two teams this season, the Generals have one win and three losses against the Kings.
You can hear the game live on 88.5 The Beach with Dominic Abassi, live from the Comox Valley starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
