Tag Archives: Geon Park

Glacier Kings Lose In A Shootout

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The Comox Valley Glacier Kings came close again but ended up dropping their 4th straight game, a 2-1 shootout decision to the Port Alberni Bombers on Saturday. It was a fun game for the fans to watch but will have head coach/GM Curtis Toneff scratching his head. That’s because Comox had too many scoring chances to count but didn’t score. That’s been the story for them since the beginning of the season. Despite the loss, they do pick up a very important point.

The scoring started early, in fact just 41 seconds into the game. Bomber forward Malik Oliva carried the puck over the blue line and dropped it back for McCall Nault whose shot from well out beat Timothee Fengos glove side. Not the start Comox wanted to have. They did play much better after that goal and Fengos was solid. That’s how the period ended. Shots were 10-10.

In the second period, the Glacier Kings really picked up the pace and outplayed Port Alberni. Landon Morris had a few really good chances but was stopped by goaltender Joseph Naccarato each time. He did end up on the stat sheet later after delivering an open ice hit that was a little high and received a roughing penalty. Cohen Kallin also came close with some nice stickhandling inside the visitors blue line and took a wrist shot that rung off the inside of the goal post but stayed out. About two minutes later Mateo Morro also hit the post on a one-timer from the slot. Despite all the chances for the Yeti, there would be no scoring by either side. The GKings outshot the Bombers 21-7.

There were some good chances in third by both clubs. Comox easily could have had 4 or 5 goals if it weren’t for Naccarato. The home team would finally tie it up late. Ethan Gobel cycled it down low for Cameron Collins who brought the puck back to the blue line and took a shot that went off a Bomber defenceman, then off the glove of the goaltender and into the back of the net. That goal would force overtime.

There were plenty of opportunities in the extra period as you might expect when it’s 3 on  3 play. Once again both goalies were outstanding and nothing was decided after 10 minutes of the 4th period. So off to the shootout they went. Port Alberni’s Joel Dorn was the only goal scorer out of the 6 shooters and was credited with the game winner on a shot that went off the post and in. Declan Johannesen also pinged the inside of the post that ricocheted out the other side of the net but did not cross the line.

With the shootout loss, the Yeti have now lost 4 in a row (0-2-2) to start October. Despite the point, they remain in the basement in the North Division with a 3-6-2-1 record while the Bombers are 6-6-1-0 which is good for 2nd place, just 1 point behind Campbell River. The Glacier Kings are now off until Friday when they travel to Lake Cowichan. The Bombers next action is Saturday when they host Nanaimo.

Other Observations

  • Before the game, Comox released Joel Schmidt and moved Geon Park to Port Alberni for a “Playoff Development Fee.”
  • The nets continue to be a problem as they come off their pegs way too often. How hard can it be to fix this issue?
  • Speaking of which, the Glacier Kings did put the puck in the net just after the net was pushed off. After a meeting with the 4 officials, the goal was waved off.
  • The 60 shots Comox put on the board breaks their season high which was 57 against Kerry Park on September 20th.
  • What a game by Port Alberni goalie Joseph Naccarato making 59 saves. That equals a .983 save percentage and doesn’t even count the saves he made in the shootout.
  • Cohen Kallin had his 3-game goal streak broken. As mentioned earlier, he came close to making it 4 games in a row but hit the inside of the goal post.
  • Comox hit 3 goal posts and had nothing to show for it. Port Alberni hit 1 and it was the game winner.
  • Ethan Gobel now has 6 assists in his last 4 games.
  • The GKings are 0-3 in games that have been tied after regulation time (0-2 in OT & 0-1 in shootouts).
  • Obviously scoring is an issue. The Yeti have scored just 4 goals in their last 4 games.
  • Bombers forward Malik Oliva now has 2G, 2A in his last 4 games.
  • Comox has not scored a PP goal in 4 straight games.

Darryl Skender

Game 4 Preview Vs. Gens

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The Comox Valley Glacier Kings will make another attempt tonight to get their first win of the season. They’ve started 0-2-1 after a 3-2 OT loss in their home opener to Campbell River on Saturday. It’s the first time they haven’t recorded a win in their first 3 games since 2019 when they started the season 0-12.

Things have been trending upwards from game to game for the GKings. A big reason is because of their recent acquisitions. Head coach & GM Curtis Toneff talked about how they are settling in, “Real well, I think this week of practices has really helped. They are starting to fit in. They are all quite different players and they all compliment our team in different ways. Leon Mikhalchuk has the big shot, a long reach, puck protection skills and has an ability to beat guys one on one which is pretty rare at any level. Geon Park has a good low base to him, he has a good shot, plays with his head up, likes the puck on his stick and likes to make plays. He can fit anywhere in the line up on any given night. Tommy Scobie-Gyug had a real good weekend. He’s obviously had a great summer as far as his training. His conditioning is elite. He found himself with his first goal after a great shake of a d-man at the point, had a great shot and got his first junior goal in his second game. He’s going to make our D better and Anthony Ganoung obviously had a great game on Friday.” Scobie Gyug took a big hit on Saturday and hit the ice pretty hard. The book on him has always been he plays bigger than he is and he has definitely shown that so far. He’s listed at just 5’7″ and 155 pounds but has been a big pickup for his squad.

Both teams have struggled to find wins to start the season. The Generals have been scoring at a higher rate but also giving up more goals than the Glacier Kings. Toneff said the simple things can give his club their first win, “We need to be making plays when they’re there with the puck, being a hockey player not a robot. If there’s not a play there, play a man’s game, whether it’s having a battle in the corner, or protecting the puck or simply seeing the other D’s number turning to go get pucks all night. That’s kind of the difference where these guys come from in Midget. Certain plays they’re taught are bad plays. Buying into simplicity, you can always build on simple but when you try and do too much it’s tough to get on the same page.” 

Meanwhile for the Oceanside Generals, they’ve had an up and down start to their season. Play by Play broadcaster Kyle Ireland said he was impressed with the season opener against Campbell River where they downed the Storm 5-2. He said there is a youngster on the team that has impressed him, “Braeyen Newans, a 17 year old Parksville product has been a huge bright spot for them with 4 points in his first 4 games. Goals in back to back.” A cool story about Newans is that he scored his first VIJHL goal last Saturday on his 17th birthday. The 4-time VIJHL Broadcaster of the Year also let us in on a recent trade yesterday, “The Gens have made a huge move just minutes ago sending forward Jasper Fellbaum to Westshore for forward Jacob Leamy.” Fellbaum had a goal and an assist in 2 games for the Generals while Leamy potted 1 goal and 2 assists for the Wolves before the trade. Ireland said he thought his club played well against Victoria 5 days ago but special teams hurt them, “The Gens looked good on Sunday at moments against the Cougars but could not get anything going on the power play going 0 for 6.” Oceanside and Comox Valley are currently sporting the worst 2 PP’s in the league. The Generals are at 4.3% (1 for 23) and the Glacier Kings are 5.9% (1 for 17).

Oceanside comes into the game on a three game losing streak. although they deserved a better fate against Port Alberni where they outshot the Bombers 45-24 but lost 4-2 thanks to an empty net goal at the end by Joel Dorn. The same could be said about their 5-3 loss to the Westshore Wolves where the Gens jumped out to a 3-1 lead midway through the game but allowed 4 unanswered goals including another empty netter.

Game time tonight is at 6:30 pm at the Sports Centre. Either Rob Hudson or Matt Parnell will have the play by play on FloHockey (Matt has a new baby on board, congratulations!) while Kyle Ireland will do the honors on the radio at 88.5 The Beach. Go Glacier Kings!

Darryl Skender

Glacier Kings Add 5 Players

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The Comox Valley Glacier Kings have bolstered their roster by adding key players in key positions. In Game 1 in Nanaimo, the team was short-handed dressing 5 true-defencemen and having players fulfilling in unfamiliar positions. The club looks more rounded after moves Head coach/GM Curtis Toneff made this week. Here are the additions:

 

Kyle Mayenburg – Defenceman (6’1″ 175lbs)

Kyle played 10 games with the Powell River Kings of the BCHL last season but didn’t get into any playoff action as the team failed to qualify for post-season action.  In his 10 games with Powell River, the rearguard went pointless and was on a tryout this season. He played in 1 exhibition game on September 6th wearing jersey #3. He did not play in their second exhibition game and was released back to the Glacier Kings. The Powell River native had 2 goals and 9 assists in 33 games with Comox Valley last season. Mayenburg previously comes from the Delta Hockey Academy U17 Prep and did play 1 game for the Campbell River Storm on December 22, 2023.

 

Thomas Scobie-Gyug – Defenceman (5’7″ 157 lbs)

Tommy has spent the past 3 years in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) with the North Shore Warriors.  In the 2022/23 season, he advanced from the U16 to the U 18 team.  The Drumheller-born blue liner has 1 career goal and 12 assists in 74 games for the Warriors. He also netted a goal and an assist in 3 games at the 2024 U18 Prep Western Championships.

 

Geon Park – Forward (5’9″ 174 lbs)

Geon spent last season playing in the the CSSHL for the Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy U18 Prep where where he tallied 10 goals and 12 assists in 33 games. That included a 2-goal performance against RHAK (Kelowna). At the 2025 U18 Prep Division II Western Championships, the South Korea native had 5 points in 4 games including 2 goals. Park finished 4th in scoring for the Wild and most likely would have finished 2nd if he hadn’t missed games. In total in U18 AAA, he amassed 15 goals and 34 points in 51 games which was also 4th on the team. The high scoring winger was one of only 3 South Koreans to play CSSHL U18 hockey last season.

 

Leon Mikhalchuk – Forward (6’3″ 181 lbs)

Leon committed to the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL back in July and had a tryout with them. He played in both pre-season games going scoreless and 2 PIM’s. Mikhalchuk played in Belarus last year for the Yunost Minsk U17 team where he scored 25 goals and 42 points in just 39 games. He then got bumped up to the Yunost Minsk U18 team in the Belarus U18 league where he gathered an assist in 2 games. Prince George General Manager Mike Hawes said, “Leon is a young player with great size and tremendous skill who has a huge upside and loads of potential.” He is still young being a 2008 and will most likely be back in the BCHL next season after getting more experience in the Canadian game.

 

Anthony Ganoung – Goaltender (5′ 10″)

Anthony played for the Wenatchee Wild last season along with Geon Park. Ganoung played well despite the team not not faring so well. The Vancouver, WA native ended the year with a 10-15 record and a 4. 20 GAA with a .887 save percentage. In his previous season with the U16 squad, he was very impressive. Despite only having a 4-12 record, the backstop collected an impressive .898 save percentage and a .927 in the playoffs.

Needless to say, Curtis Toneff is excited about this past week’s additions. He said, “For now, adding those 5 guys and when Cameron Collins gets healthy, we’ll be looking at getting guys into their proper spots starting this weekend.” In case you were wondering, Collins is a Comox native who played for the Pacific Coast Academy U18 Prep team in the CSSHL last season but has yet to an exhibition or regular season game with the Glacier Kings.

Have a good Thursday. On tomorrow’s post, I’ll preview the Glacier Kings game tomorrow night in Saanich. 

Darryl Skender