It’s not long now until the Kamloops Storm come raging into Quesnel’s West Fraser Centre to play six regular-season games against 100 Mile House, Osoyoos, Kelowna and North Okanagan.
The first of the team’s games hosted in Quesnel takes place Friday Nov. 17, and tickets are already on sale.
The Storm line-up will feature three Quesnel players who’ve been recruited to the team. Yewta Plamondon, Brett Mero and Chris Thon have been billeted in Kamloops since September, practising and playing for the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) team.
Thon said the schedule has been full-on, but the experience has, overall, been a lot of fun so far.
“We have school in the morning, then we head straight to the rink for practice, then after that we’re in the gym for an hour. Then home, supper, do some homework, and that’s my day.
“We have team activities a couple times a week, but we are on the road on Fridays and Saturdays for games usually.”
Thon said he’s excited to be able to come back to play for a hometown crowd in November.
“It’ll be awesome playing in Quesnel. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Kamloops Storm assistant general manager Matt Kolle said: “The players are coming along nicely. The three players from Quesnel are making great strides. Brett Mero has been in the line-up the whole season so far. As a veteran, he’s taking the next step.
“Yewta Plamondon and Chris Thon both started the season with injuries but they are now in the line-up and showing great growth. Yewta has been on the score sheet regularly. They are all key contributors to the team.”
Kolle said the entire team is excited to come to Quesnel and get out in the community, especially the local players.
“I know they can’t wait to come to Quesnel to show everyone where they are with the training. The local boys are going to have a lot of pride coming to play at home.”
The Storm are playing in Quesnel as part of an initiative to demonstrate to the KIJHL the Quesnel has the facilities and the interest to sustain its own Junior B team.
“People are champing at the bit to get tickets to the upcoming games. The energy is very positive, as is the volunteerism. You can tell the community wants to demonstrate that we want a team here,” Kolle commented.
In September, KIJHL president Bill Ohlhausen told the Observer that there’s a KIJHL membership meeting scheduled for January 2018, and that Quesnel’s expansion bid is likely to come up. Kolle said he will be present at the meeting and plans to put in another application for a team in Quesnel.
Pre-sale tickets are available at West Fraser Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays until Nov. 17, when the first game will be played between the Kamloops Storm and the 100 Mile House Wranglers. For more information, contact Matt Kolle at 250-319-3738 or matt.kolle@parallelwelding.com.
Ticket pre-sale pricing
Single game ticket: $10
Single game ticket six-game pack (1 ticket for 6 games): $50
Single game ticket multi-pack (5 tickets for 1 game): $40
Single game ticket mega-pack (12 tickets for 1 game): $90
Six-game multi-pack (5 tickets per game for 6 games): $210
Six-game mega-pack (12 tickets per game for 6 games): $500
Tickets will be $10 on the door and a single game ticket for Quesnel & District Minor Hockey players who are wearing their team jersey will be $5. Children under 5 are free.
Ticket pre-sale dates and location
Tickets are available at West Fraser Centre ticket booth. Cash sales only.
Thursday Oct. 12: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday Oct. 17: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 19: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday Oct. 24: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 26: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PM & 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday Oct. 31: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday Nov. 2: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday Nov. 7: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday Nov. 9: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday Nov. 14: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday Nov. 16: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday Dec. 5: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday Dec. 7: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday Feb. 6: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday Feb. 8: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Game schedule
Friday, Nov. 17: Kamloops Storm vs 100 Mile House Wranglers.
Saturday, Nov. 18: Kamloops Storm vs North Okanagan Knights.
Friday, Dec. 8: Kamloops Storm vs Osoyoos Coyotes.
Saturday, Dec. 9: Kamloops Storm vs Osoyoos Coyotes.
Friday, Feb. 9: Kamloops Storm vs 100 Mile House Wrangers.
Saturday, Feb. 10: Kamloops Storm vs Kelowna Chiefs.
All games start at 7 p.m. at West Fraser Centre.