Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP staff

By Shaun Penner

One Goal Games

“These games were awfully close”: Storm come up just short on weekend road swing

Nov 8, 2021 | 3:51 PM

It was by the narrowest of margins, but the Grande Prairie Storm were only able to escape a three-game road trip through the Capital Region with one point in the standings.

The Storm played three games in as many days, falling 4-3 to the Sherwood Park Crusaders Friday, 6-5 to the Spruce Grove Saints on Saturday and 5-4 in overtime against the Drayton Valley Thunder on Sunday.

“It was a tough weekend when it came to the heartbreak side of things,” said Head Coach and General Manager Mike Vandekamp. “These games were awfully close.”

On Friday, the Storm tied the game late in the third period, only to have the Crusaders claim victory by scoring the game-winner with just 39 seconds left on the clock.

“That was a tough one. We were shorthanded for the better part of the last 10 minutes of the game,” said Vandekamp. “It was a tough way for the game to end.”

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Following another one-goal loss Saturday, the Storm were able to send Sunday’s game to overtime.

“We had five or six shots on goal in overtime ourselves, but they ended up making one play and scored,” Vandekamp said.

“So, it was definitely a tight weekend, but we played pretty well overall.”

After opening the season with just two wins in their first 17 games, the Storm have turned a corner on their campaign, picking up points in three of their last five contests.

Vandekamp credits a number of factors for why his team has been able to right the ship, chief among them being some consistent goaltending from newcomer Aidan Feddema.

Feddema, a 17-year-old from Bowmanville, Ontario, has appeared in 14 games this season, and seemingly halted the five-goaltender carousel the team had to open the season.

“You can’t play at this level if you don’t have confidence in your goaltender,” said Vandekamp. “You get a little bit afraid to make a mistake and the puck might end up in the net. It just sort of snowballs on you.

“I think when you can play a little bit more freely and play with some confidence and know that you got a goalie that can make some saves for you when you need him to, I think you can play just a little bit more loose and not be so afraid to make mistakes, and I think that had really helped the psyche of our team overall.”

While they have a lot of ground to make up, currently sitting in last place in the AJHL North Division with a record of 4-14-4, Vandekamp says with the progress his group has made he has a hard time believing his team would not be capable of catapulting themselves into a playoff spot by the time the season is over.

“It’s a process. Our record isn’t as good as we want it to be right now for sure, but there is a lot of season left to play,” said Vandekamp. “We really like the way that our players are coming together as a group, they are working hard every day, and the chemistry on our team has been very good.”

The Storm will play at home for their next three, beginning Wednesday night as they host the Lloydminster Bobcats. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.