Tag Archives: Curtis Toneff

Comox Valley – Victoria Preview

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The Comox Valley Glacier Kings are coming off disappointing results last weekend accumulating just one out of a possible four points. To be fair they were missing 3 key players due to injuries and a suspension. However it was still a let down after their previous weekend against two of the top teams in the league. The consistency is still a work in progress. Head coach/GM Curtis Toneff said his club didn’t come out of the gates as quickly as he would have liked last Friday and Saturday, “It was kind of the opposite from the weekend before, like our starts. I thought we got better in both games as the they dragged on. It just shows our team that we have to be ready for every shift. We have to be prepared when that puck drops, be ready to compete because we aren’t a team that can throw on a jersey and have success, and there are a couple teams in this league that can do that. We aren’t one of them.” The better starts are key as they aren’t a great ‘come from behind team.’ Their record when trailing after 2 periods is 1-4-1.

But this is a new game tonight. One of the issues for Comox will not just be a better start but they also need to start scoring more goals. It seems to me like they are creating a ton of scoring opportunities but not putting the puck in the back of the net. I asked Toneff about that, “You know what, as for scoring chances, I’m happy, the execution, maybe not so much. I don’t know if we’ll ever be a team that’s going to blow the brakes off another team but the fact that we’re getting the chances is a good sign. We just gotta bear down and put it in the net. Sometimes maybe that’s another pass across the crease or just get a stronger bottom hand on the stick, maybe a little bit of practice habits. There are highs and lows during the season. The weekend before we had no problems scoring goals so hopefully we can get back to that.” To put in perspective, the Glacier Kings are ranked 10th in scoring out of the 11 teams. On the opposite side, the Cougars lead the lead in goals per game averaging an impressive 5.7 tallies per contest.

It was a short practice week this week as the Glacier Kings are in action tonight. Special teams has been part of the focus. I asked Curtis what else they have been working on, “A lot of passing, a little bit of system play, breaking out the puck and a little bit of ‘compete’ as well. As you know, I used to coach the Bucs, they played Thursdays. I love it personally. Four days in a row of practice can get a little bit long. I love how these mid-week games break up the league to be honest with you. And then a day off tomorrow and back it Saturday.” The task that he is talking about on Saturday isn’t a whole lot easier as they will host the Port Alberni Bombers for the first time this season.

The Victoria Cougars are a perfect 2-0 to start October and have won 3 in a row heading into tonight. In their 8 games in September, their results didn’t have any winning or losing streaks… L-W-L-W-L-W-L-W. With that being said, the Yeti have lost both games in October after winning 3 of their last 4 games in September. I asked the GKings bench boss what to expect tonight and what his squad needs to do to be successful, “With any Mike Vandekamp coached team you’re going to get effort, physicality and tough hockey. I feel that we built a roster that should be able to play up to that. Just your classic, simple road hockey game, kind of back to how we were playing Peninsula. That ‘feeling good about yourself’ after every shift in the first ten minutes and just go from there.” The good news is that all 3 players that missed the last game in Westshore should be back in the lineup tonight which includes Haden Parker who was suspended for one game for his 5-minute boarding major against Campbell River.

Comox comes into tonight with a 3-5-2 record which is tied for last place in the North Division with Oceanside who plays in Saanich tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Cougars are 6-3-1 and comfortably sitting in third place in the South. One player I’m looking forward to seeing tonight is Joseph Melichar. The 20 year old is lighting it up this season. He is currently second in the league scoring. The 6’0″ 186 pound forward from the Czech Republic has amassed 11G, 15A in just 10 games. He should be fun to watch. Anthony Ganoung has been named as the GKings starter in between the pipes and deservedly so with the way he has been playing. He is 4th in the VIJHL in save percentage (.924) and 2nd among goaltenders who have played more than 3 games. Puck drop is at 7:00 pm at the Archie Browning Arena. Comox Valley’s official line up for tonight will be posted on the “Gameday Lineups” page of this blog in a few minutes.

Darryl Skender

Wolves Down Glacier Kings

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I apologize for this being late but I got called into work for a very long day and was unable to get to create the post. It’s not going to be a very good one as the game was a stinker. The Westshore Wolves started strong and coasted to a 5-1 victory over the Comox Valley Glacier Kings on Saturday proving they are the top team in the VIJHL.

Just 2:36 into the game, Rowan Brodie-Rafuse took a wrist shot from the blue line that snuck between the arm and waist of goaltender Timothee Fengos. One that I’m sure that Fengos would like to have back. Then 2:14 later, Kansys Seney gave a nifty pass behind the Comox net to Jasper Fellbaum who one-timed a backhand pass into the slot to Parker Atkinson and he made no mistake putting the puck up high to make it 2-0 before the game was 5 minutes old. The Glacier Kings did play better as the period wound down and it finally paid off. Landon Morris lost an offensive zone faceoff but Kaden Ryan had his clearing attempt blocked by Cohen Kallin who took the puck to the faceoff circle and ripped a wrist shot past Ander Reyes with 1:16 left on the clock. That’s how the period ended, shots were 25-10 in favor of Westshore.

Best chance of the second period came for Zaya Morro when he had a shorthanded breakaway from center ice but was stoned by Reyes. Westshore scored the only goal of the middle frame. On the power play, the Wolves won the draw and the GKings would never touch the puck until it was in the back of their net after a goal by Kansys Seney. For a second period in a row, both goalies were outstanding. Shots were 15-13 for the the Wolves.

In the third, Jasper Fellbaum scored on a rebound to make it 4-1 and an empty net marker by Owen Hentschel rounded out the scoring on a frustrating night for Comox. It was redemption for Westshore after losing 7-1 in Peninsula one night earlier. Shots on goal favored the Wolves by a count of 14-8.

Westshore continues to be the top team in the VIJHL with a record of 8-2-1, three points ahead of the Panthers in the South Division. They host Kerry Park on Wednesday. As for the Glacier Kings, their record drops to 3-5-2 and remain tied for last place in the North Division with Oceanside. They will be off until Thursday when they travel south to Victoria.

Other Observations

  • Despite giving up 4 goals, Timothee Fengos was superb.
  • The 54 shots Comox gave up were the most they’ve allowed all season.
  • After going scoreless in his first 8 games, Cohen Kallin has scored in 2 straight and has a 3 game point streak.
  • It’s been frustrating for so many years seeing how easily the net comes off at the Sports Centre. Especially the one to the broadcasters left. It seemed like 10 times in the 1st period alone.
  • Parker Atkinson’s goal and 2 assists has him sitting in 2nd place in the VIJHL scoring race (9G, 17A).
  • The score sheet is very inaccurate for anyone looking at it. The goals and penalties are reversed with time left instead of time that has expired in the period, Cohen Kallin’s goal was at 18:54 not 10:10, Christophe Giguere’s penalty was in the 2nd period not the 1st etc.
  • Kansys Seney’s PP goal took just 11 seconds to score after the faceoff.
  • To start the month of October, the GKings have only scored a total of 2 goals in 2 games and have scored the 2nd fewest goals in the VIJHL.
  • Maybe it’s just me but I wish the broadcasters (who are very good at play by play), would not cutout sound when the national anthem starts. I’ve heard the broadcasts cutout for both heavy metal music before and yesterday was just silence despite there being a live singer. The national anthem should be heard (even if it’s quiet), it’s a part of hockey and a part of our national pride. What I use to do is turn up both microphones on the headsets to full and hang them outside the open window and ensure everyone in the booth stayed quiet.

As I mentioned to start the post, I was in a negative mood after being called into work and then watching the hockey game so I apologize for the negativity. I’ll get head coach/GM Curtis Toneff’s thoughts on the game next week. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday everyone.

Darryl Skender

Chance To Climb In The Standings

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It might be a little early to call this weekend’s games “big games” but when you look at the standings, a case could be made. If things go right today and tomorrow, Comox could find themselves moving up in ranks. They currently sit in 5th place in the North Division, just one point behind Campbell River who they play tonight. A win this evening will put them in a tie for 3rd place as they would jump over the Storm and be tied with the Port Alberni Bombers who are idle. That’s because the Bombers lost two nights ago in Westshore. The problem for the Glacier Kings is that they have already lost to Campbell River twice this season and that they play the top team in the South Division tomorrow night (Westshore).

Head to head this season against the Storm, the Yeti lost 3-2 in overtime on September 13th and then dropped a 4-2 decision last Friday. The good news is the GKings are on a bit of a roll right now having won 2 in a row and 3 of their last 4. I asked head coach/GM Curtis Toneff if he thinks his club has turned the corner, “We hope so. To be completely honest with you, we asked for a completely boring 60 minutes last Sunday and we ended up scoring 4 goals against the best team in the league so they say. It’s a good sign for the league as well I think with the parity in it. Back to us I thought we played simple for the most part, played pretty steady in our end, had good sticks, had good box outs and it helped us.”

This squad is playing so much better right now than they did at the start of the season. Remember they lost their first 4 games of the year (one in OT). I asked Toneff about what has changed since the beginning of the campaign. He says it’s been the addition of key personnel, “To be honest I don’t think there is one. We came together late. After out first regular season game, it was still kind of like an exhibition game. We picked up 7 guys after that game, 5 of which I kind of knew were coming back at some point. We’ve picked up a couple more since. I think it’s just us just starting to gel, starting to understand how we want to play, how we think we have to play to win. It may not always be the flashiest game. By some of our verbiage on the bench, I can hear what the players are saying. There’s some contagiousness there. They understand how we have to play to have success.” 

Campbell River has always been a thorn in the Glacier Kings side and it has been a great rivalry for many years. It should only intensify as this is the third meeting already in just 20 days. They also played them 3 times in 5 days during exhibition. Curtis talked about why Comox has had trouble with getting points against the Storm so far, “I couldn’t tell you. They’ve all been kinda close games. I’ve thought that we have played fine against them, we just haven’t got the results against them. At some point, we’ll have to take a few points. Since I’ve been here (Luc) Gravel has had our team’s number. He’s from Comox and he gets up for theses games so we need to find a way to get in his kitchen a little bit more.” Gravel has been really good this season and has the stats to show it. He has accumulated a 3-1 record with an impressive 2.35 GAA and a .922 save percentage. The 19 year old has also come into 2 other games in relief of Matteo Scotto Di Pompeo.

The Glacier Kings head into tonight’s contest having outscored their opponents 16-11 in their last 4 contests and sport a 3-4-1 record while Campbell River has only given up 3 goals total in their last 2 matches and carry a 4-4-0 record. Game time tonight is 7:30 at the Rod Brind’Amour Arena. I’ll have Comox Valley’s official roster posted up on the “Gameday Lineups” page of my blog later today. Enjoy the game everybody!

Darryl Skender