Tag Archives: Landon Morris

Comox Wins Again

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The red-hot Comox Valley Glacier Kings were down early but came back and handed the Lake Cowichan Kraken a 6-2 loss on Friday. The win is the 4th in the Glacier Kings last 5 contests and they also have points in 5 of their last 6. It was a good 60 minute effort for the road side who moved up into sole possession of 4th place in the North Division.

The scoring started early but it would be the Kraken who would get on the board first. Iaroslav Morozov stole the puck on a sloppy clearing attempt by the Glacier Kings at their blue line. Morozov skated down the right side, cut towards the net and beat Anthony Ganoung from a bad angle in close.

The game stayed 1-0 until the later stages of the opening period. Logan Walz shot the puck around his own net but a great job by defenceman Landen May to pinch and get to it first. Despite being double-teamed, he managed to get the puck to the the top of the circle to Leon Mikhalchuk who walked right to the faceoff dot and fired a shot past goaltender Evgeni Tkachenko.

Then just 1:11 later Comox would take their first lead of the game. Maxim Lefebvre banked a pass back to the point to Kyle Mayenburg, his shot was stopped by Tkachenko but Zaya Morro was on the doorstep to tap it in. Ethan Gobel got credit for the assist instead of Mayenburg however. And they weren’t done there. With just 16 seconds left in the period, the Glacier Kings would get a 2 on 1 with Cameron Collins sliding it over to Landon Morris who made no mistake to make it 3-1.

That’s how the period would end. Shots were 11-10 for the Kraken.

Just like in the first period, the Kraken would score first in the second stanza. Toby Johnson carried the puck over the blue line and took a shot from the slot that was stopped by Ganoung’s pad but was poked in by Kieran Prichett and it was suddenly 3-2. Unfortunately for Lake Cowichan, that would be the last time that they score. Late in the second frame, Lefebvre gave a beautiful pass in front of the net to Morris to make it 4-2.

The road team made it 5-2 with 1:26 left and it was on another 2 on 1. Cameron Collins fed it to Ethan Gobel who buried it. Somehow Collins never got an assist on the play. The middle frame ended with shots 12-11 for the Kraken.

There was just one goal in the third period. That happened early when Cohen Kallin stole a bad pass inside his own line while shorthanded and had a breakaway the whole way down the ice and beat Tkachenko to make the final 6-2.

Shots were 12 apiece. The Glacier Kings were outshot for the game but had the better chances throughout with multiple odd man rushes.

The win improves the Yeti’s record to 7-7-2-1 and play at home to Peninsula on Saturday. Both of those teams are just 2 points out of first place in their respective divisions. The Kraken drop to 5-10-0-0 as they went winless in October. They host Campbell River on Sunday.

  • The 6 goals were the most Comox Valley has scored this season.
  • The loss extended Lake Cowichan’s losing streak to 9 games.
  • Oddly enough, the Glacier Kings did not have a PP in the game. That breaks their streak of at least 1 PP goal in 3 straight matches.
  • Talk about scoring in bunches. Comox scored 3 goals in a 2:41 span late in the 1st period, then scored 2 goals in 51 seconds late in the second.
  • Leon Mikhalchuk has now scored a goal in 5 of his last 6 games.
  • The Kraken’s PP goal came on a 5 minute penalty during the second period.
  • Despite not scoring a PP goal, Comox did convert on a short-handed goal and a 4 on 4 marker.
  • Kieran Prichett’s goal was his first point in 8 games. He put up 4 points (2G, 2A) in his season opener.
  • The Yeti are now a perfect 6-0-0-0 when leading after the first period.
  • The second period mandatory timeout never took place until there was 3:19 left on the clock.
  • Etan Gobel has 2G, 5A in his last 4 games.
  • The GKings are at .500 for the first time this season.
  • And finally, don’t forget to turn your clocks back tonight before you go to bed.

Darryl Skender

Faceoffs & Unsung Heroes

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The Comox Valley Glacier Kings started the season losing their first 4 games, 3 in regulation for a variety of reasons. There’s a lot of little things in a hockey game that can mount and become bigger things and eventually will decide if you win or lose. Faceoffs can be that important and in some of the Glacier Kings losses did have a big impact. They were losing the majority of the draws. Sometimes it can stand out brightly if you lose a faceoff in your defensive zone and get scored on immediately. But it can also be a lot more subtle than that. Every time you lose a faceoff, you lose a chance at possession of the puck. It can also be a lost chance if you’re at the offensive zone dot. It is especially key after you take a penalty. The faceoff is in your own zone and if you can win it and clear the puck down the ice, you’ve just killed 20 seconds of being shorthanded before the opposition can get control inside your own blue line so the power play goes from being 2:00 to 1:40.

Since the very start of the season, faceoffs have gotten significantly better and so has the team’s play. It has meant more possessions in a game and they have actually scored a few times right from winning the draw in the offensive zone. A glaring example was in the club’s last game. Westin Churchill won the faceoff back to Leon Mikhalchuk, his shot was stopped but Churchill buried the rebound. That’s just one instance. I asked Head Coach/GM Curtis Toneff if his team has been practicing that art, “Ya we actually do. We’ve worked on it, we’ve talked about it. One night we were in Saanich in Game 2 or Game 3 of the season, I actually brought in my old assistant coach Sam Waterfield and he brought all the centers in because he was always good on faceoffs when we were in Merritt. It’s maybe one of my weaknesses as a coach. I am not an expert so I figured I’d bring in someone that knows more than I do to help the boys. They’ve all seemed to take a thing or two that he said and use it to their advantage. That’s kudos to the players to take it all in seriously and take pride in their faceoffs. I know (Isaac) Dunsire has come a long way, (Ethan) Gobel’s good, (Landon) Morris has been good and then (Weston) Churchill has shuffled back to center for now so same thing for him.” If that trend can continue, more wins should be on the horizon.

Something that separates good teams from not-so good teams are star players obviously. However, if you look deeper into a roster, good teams will also have players who are not talked about as much as the stars that score a lot of goals or the goalie that has a great Goals Against Average. In hockey we call them Unsung Heroes. They are guys that don’t get a lot of attention because they are good at their job. The old saying goes that an official is good in a football game if nobody notices them. They are not stealing the show, the players are. Well, in hockey you need players that aren’t in the spotlight but are very effective at what their job is. That’s how you win games, especially if you’re not an offensively gifted team like Comox. The Yeti rely on guys like this to help win games. Coach Toneff talked about it, “Two guys kind of come to mind that don’t get a lot of credit since I’ve been here. Haden Parker and Landen May are hard to play against. They’re not guys that as an opposition, are a lot of fun to go on a rush against. They have long sticks, Landen can bully guys a little in the corner and get in their heads. Just their little bit of extra length I think. It helps us defend. It (shots) sometimes goes off their toe or their butt in the corner and we live to fight another day. I think that when we were missing Landen last Wednesday in the third period, it became noticeable on the scoreboard. With Parksie, he’s been pretty consistent all year. Those are guys that don’t jump off the screen. Maybe me being an ex-defenceman, you appreciate them more. I think we do as coaches and I think our team does as well.” It is not by accident that he named a couple of defenceman. May has 2 assists in 15 games while Parker has 1 helper in 15 games. They are both big bruising defencemen that keep opposing forwards honest and are not afraid to get in the dirty areas. That doesn’t show up on the score sheet but does score points with teammates and the coaches.

That’s it for today. I’m about to turn the Blue Jays game on. I love texting back and forth with owner Marsha Webb during the games. She loves the Jays as much as I do and we are both quite opinionated lol. As for the Glacier Kings, they’re next action is next Friday night in Lake Cowichan.

Darryl Skender

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