They are generally not thought of as super heroes, but the Green Men came to the rescue Sunday afternoon at Rod Brind’Amour Arena.
With the Campbell River Storm slogging through their third game in three days, Sully and Force (aka The Green Men) whipped up the largest crowd of the season (1,075) and helped carry the weary Storm to a 5-1 victory over the Comox Valley Glacier Kings.
“It’s a tough part of the schedule,” said Storm head coach Lee Stone. “We had three-in-three last month and didn’t play very well in the third game (a loss to Nanaimo), so it was nice to win this one. It’s definitely easier now that everyone is healthy – we can roll four lines and three sets of defence, and get everybody into the game.”
Josiah Friesen, one of those who recently returned from the injury list, had his best game of the season. The buzz-saw right winger opened the scoring, snapping home a wrist shot from the left face-off circle at 2:25 of the second period. He also set up Jordan Rauser’s goal late in the period to give the Storm an insurmountable 3-1 lead.
“Freeze (Friesen) is such a big part of our team,” said Stone. “You won’t find many players anywhere that compete the way he does. He’s great on the penalty kill, great on the forecheck, he’s physical – I could honestly go on for ten minutes about how much he brings to our hockey club.”
Colin Blake, Michael Olson, and Kobe Oishie also tallied for Campbell River, which out-shot the visitors 25-16. Former Storm forward Grady McInnes was the only Glacier King to beat goaltender Riley Welyk, who won his six straight start for the Storm.
Kristen Douglas/Campbell River Mirror
Storm left-winger Michael Olson comes in on Comox Valley goaltender Zach Straza.
The victory capped a perfect weekend for the Storm. They squeaked by the Saanich Braves 3-2 Friday night in Victoria with Gavin Rauser scoring the winning goal on a penalty shot. Gage Colpron notched a hat-trick, including his league-leading 40th goal of the season, in a 6-2 triumph over the Oceanside Generals on Saturday.
The Kelowna native, who recently celebrated his 20th birthday, says there are several reasons why he’s enjoying a breakout season.
“You’ve got to come ready to play every night, and you’ve got to have good linemates,” says Colpron. “Me and Mo (Michael Olson) have been together most of the year so that’s helped a lot. Coach (Stone) thought I might get 30 this year but I just wanted to play my best every game.”
Stone says it’s not just the number of goals Colpron has scored this year, but the importance of them.
“When we’re having a tough night and really need a goal to get us going, it’s usually Gage that provides it – either he scores or sets one up.”
The Storm is once again in top spot in the overall VIJHL standings with a record of 38-4-1-3.
They lead Victoria by a single point and host the Cougars in a monster game Friday night at Rod Brind’Amour Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.
