<img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/07/salmonprospects.jpg" class="imageFloatRightFramed">As a coach would say, the Victoria Salmon Kings "took it right to" the Stockton Thunder "from the get go" as they won their fourth straight game. Just twenty seconds in, Adam Taylor's faceoff win led to a quick opening goal by Scott Howes. A Thunder response came via a defensive zone coverage breakdown that enabled Stockton captain #12 J.F. Caudron to make it a 1-1 game.

"With a flick of the stick" winger Randall Gelech was credited with a goal off a scramble with helpers from Olivier Latendresse and Patrick Coloumbe.

Another coaches addage is "don't stand still." At 9:34 of the opening frame, Thunder blueliner Kenny McAualay sent a whistler into the home net on a play where the Thunder had caught the Salmon Kings motionless. Ten minutes later, Thunder goalie Andrew Perguni made the kind of diving save that oftens sparks his team.

On this night fate was unkind to the Californians as Dirk Southern, with assists from Randall Gelech and Chad Painchud scored, allowing the home side to regain the lead. After one period, with a 3-2 lead, the Salmon Kings had a 14 to 9 shot advantage.

Would this remain the titanic struggle of two teams battling for sole possesion of 6th place before the Christmas break. Perhaps it was the overconfidence from a historic sweep of the Aces in Anchorage that explained what happened next. An alternative would be the adjustment that the Thunder had to make from a series on the Olympic ice surface of the Sullivan Arena to the regulation 200 by 85 feet of SOFMC.

Dominance would aptly describe the play of Coach Morrison's crew in the second period. Four unanswered goals gave the Salmon Kings a 7-2 lead, shot advantage 29 to 16. First Olivier Latendresse steals the puck and rifles it in from the slot. Second, displaying nice puck control, Jimmy Sharrow and Randall Gelech, allowed Chad Painchuad to score. Third, at 16:43, lulling their visitors to sleep, Adam Taylor and Olvier Latendresse passed to a patient Wes Goldie, and in the phrase coined by Foster Hewitt, "he shoots, he scores."

Hockey can be a game of bounces but sometimes you get officating breaks. On a play that appeared should have result in a double minor, the Thunder found themsleves shorthanded. On the ensuing power play, Scott Howes and Wes Goldie assisted on a Olivier Latendresse shot that made it a 7-2 score. Tom, the music man at SOFMC played the lyrics "welcome to the junge" as both teams came out for the final frame.

Despite outhooting Victoria 13 to 7, the central California squad was once again shut out for a second consecutive period. Most of these shots came from power play oppurtunites. Midway into the last period, David Shantz made a "Danny Gallivanesque scintiallating save." Former BCHL All-Star Steve Van Oosten then found himself staring at his stick in disebelief after, with seemingly little efforrt, Shantz snared a "cannonading" shot.

Two periods of shutout hockey, seven goals in two period;that made it an excellent night for all the Victoria Salmon Kings, coaches, players, and training staff.

UNSUNG HEROES...Gary Gladue and Tim Wedderburn, who when called upon to work as a shutdown team, they continuosly derailed the oncoming Thunder express.

ORNAMENT SILENT AUCTION continues through the Stockton series. Stop by the Booster Club table on the concourse to make a bid on a unique form of hockey memorabalia. Bids open at $10. In February picture frames painted by the players on craft day will be availabe, also by silent auction.

BCHL ALL-STAR CONNECTION...On January 13th Nanaimo's Frank Crane Arena will host the fourth BCJHL/BCHL All-Star Game held on Vancouver Island. At Bear Mountain Arena, two defenders the Salmon Kings are getting to know, represented their respective Divisions. Las Vegas Wrangler #5 Chris Frank, a Washingon State boy, then with the Cowichan Valley Capitals scored the winning goal for the Coastal Stars. Lining up with the Interior stars, then with the Williams Lake Timberwolves was current #4 Steve Van Oosten of the Stockton Thunder.

WORLDS..Did you know that four British Columbia teams have won the World Hockey Championships. In 1937, the Kimberley Dynamiters brought glory to the Sullivan Mine town. Two years later, the Trail Smokeaters would delight the Cominco smelter town in the fateful spring of 1939. Led by the rambunctous Warwick brothers, the Penticton Vees journeyed to Germany. Before a crowd that included many Canadian soldiers and airmen stationed in West Germany, the Vees dominated the USSR with a 5-0 shutout in the final. From the southern shores of Lake Okanagan, Canada had avenged the 1954 final loss to the USSR by a Senior B Toronto area team. Today, in the Pentciton Arena, the 1955 beautiful Word Trophy sits proudly behind a glass case. Six years later, led by future Canadian National Team and St.Louis Blue goaltender Seth Martin, a team from Trail did it again. This 1961 victory would be Canada's last World title until 1994. Gone are the glory days of Senior Hockey, although today teams at that level still compete for the Allan Cup. British Columbia contributed to those glory days with four of her teams achieving planetary hockey supremacy.

Tommorow we will look at a particular league's draft that has a direct connection to the current edition of the Victoria Salmon Kings.