
Kamloops Storm celebrate after Game 7 victory over Sicamous/via Larry Read
If you were near the McArthur Island Sports Center on Monday night, and felt a cold breeze: It wasn’t the weather.
It was the rush of ghosts from the past.
Just over a year after they were eliminated by the Sicamous Eagles in the seventh game of the 2023 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League first round playoffs, the Storm turned the table on Sicamous.
They sent the Eagles on their summer vacation after beating them 1-0 before over a thousand fans, taking Doug Birks Division semi final 4-3.
The lone goal of the game came at the 13:42 mark of the first period, with Logan Lake native Nathan Bohmer, whom Kamloops picked up at the trading deadline from the 100 Mile House Wranglers, scoring on a power play. It was Bohmer’s third goal of the series.
The Storm then rode the solid goaltending of Colton Phillips-Watts to the shutout victory, facing 32 shots including 14 in the second period. He played the entire seven game series for Kamloops.
The Storm saw the return over overage defenseman Devin Benson of Kamloops from the injury list, with limited ice time. Kamloops also inserted affiliate player Luca D’more, also a Kamloops native, at forward.
Kamloops now meets up with the Birks Division regular season champs, the Revelstoke Grizzlies beginning Friday at the Revelstoke Forum.
Game two will be Saturday, also in Revelstoke before the series shifts to Kamloops for games three and four on Monday and Tuesday.
Both home games have 7pm start times.
Kamloops and Revelstoke met five times during the regular season, with Revelstoke winning four of the five.