Ridge Meadows Flames' 2015-16 Preview, Two NHLer's to Drop Puck in Opener

By Colton Davies

Flames Hoping for a Bounce-back Year

2014-15 was a less than ideal season for Ridge Meadows, who finished last in the Harold Brittain conference, good for second-last in the PJHL. Head coach and general manager Jamie Fiset think his team's struggles last year had a lot to do with their inconsistency.

"There were points where we looked very good and points where we struggled. We had a really good start and a really good finish but we were really inconsistent in October and November, which hurt us", Fiset said. "When you have a good start, you either build off it or get complacent and I think we were all a little complacent".

With graduating junior players and others moving on to Junior A, the Flames will ice a team with 12 new players (11 rookies) on their roster, and only 10 returning players from last season. New faces, greater youth infusion and more experience for returning players gives the Flames a bright outlook to start this season. The Flames will also see all new players in captaincy roles leading the way on this young team.

2014-15 Record: 16-25-3 - 35 points (last in Harold Brittain Conference)

Key Additions:

Jake Holland ('95)
James Peakman ('97)
Nolan Ferguson ('98)
Daniel Kim ('98)
Daniyal Nussipaknyov ('97)
Tristan Tressel ('97)
Quenton Magnuson ('98)
Alex Furlan ('98)
Tyson Talhan ('98)
Jacob Dorey ('98)
Braedon Lau ('97)
Ryan Wellburn ('98)

Jake Holland will be the only new face on the Flames this season not in his rookie year of junior hockey, and should be a huge boost to the Flames offense.

The Maple Ridge native spent 2013-14 with Ridge Meadows, recording 13 goals and 24 points in 37 games. Holland spent all of last year playing junior A hockey in Ontario. He tallied 11 points in 15 games with the Fort Frances Lakers in the SIJHL, and had 55 points in 34 games with the Abitibi Eskimos in the NOJHL. With the departures up front of Danny Wilson, Grant Rostvig (graduated), and Jordan Rendle (junior A), the addition of Holland to the Flames' forward group will offset some of the team's losses.

With four rookie defenseman and 135 combined PJHL games of Flames blueliners, Ridge Meadows will have some learning curves on the back end this season. Nolan Ferguson, Daniel Kim, Daniyal Nussipaknyov and Ryan Wellburn will have their first cracks at junior hockey, while returning players Ben Chipman (46 games) and Cam Alder (89 games) round out the team's blue line. After losing Andrew Castagna and Joe Olson to junior A this offseason, Chipman and Alder will be the more heavily relied on to produce and lead a young cast.

As young as Ridge Meadows' blue line is, their netminders come in with even less junior hockey experience. Jeremy Tamelin, who was acquired in a trade with the Delta Ice Hawks last year and has 11 career games under his belt, will assume number-one duties in net to start the season, and he'll be backed up by rookie James Peakman. This could all change, however, as 16 year-old Langley native Jordan Hollett, who was expected to compete as the Flames' starter, is currently in WHL camp with the Regina Pats for at least the time being.

While the Flames have much less experience heading into the 2015-16 season, they possess loads of potential on their roster and should improve from their 35 point finish a year ago.

Newly-named captain Boston Colley and new assistant captains, Cam Alder, Brandon Inwood and Nick Maydaniuk, will have expanded leadership roles with the club. Returning players such as Andrew Strelezki and Halen Cordoni should bring a lot of energy in their second PJHL seasons and produce at a higher level. 18 year-old Bradley Crompton will likely build on the 15 goals he scored in 36 games with Ridge Meadows last season, and Maple Ridge products Quenton Magnuson and Tristan Tressel are two rookies who Fiset says have worked hard and impressed during the summer.

Skapski and Hunt to be in Attendance

Ridge Meadows Flames alumni Mackenzie Skapski and Maple Ridge native Brad Hunt will be a part of the ceremonial puck drop when the team hosts the Delta Ice Hawks on Friday to open their 2015-16 season.

Hunt is a defenseman in the Edmonton Oilers organization who has spent time between the pro team and their AHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons, over the past two seasons. The undrafted 27 year-old appeared in 11 games with Oilers last season, posting a goal and two assists. He also put up 19 goals and 51 points in 62 games with the Barons.

Skapski was a sixth round draft pick by the New York Rangers in 2013. The netminder appeared in two NHL games last year, going 2-0-0 with a shutout and posting a 0.50 GAA and .978 SV%. Skapski played in 21 games with Ridge Meadows in 2010-11, as well as six playoff games.

2nd Annual Chrohn's and Colitis Charity Classic

This Saturday, June 13^th Maple Ridge Planet Ice will play host to the 2^nd annual Crohn’s and Colitis Charity Classic. This is a hockey game brought together by Maple Ridge locals, Ben Payne and Victor Bartley. The doors open at 7 and ceremonial puck drop at 7:45. There are no tickets for sale, but entry will be by donation with all proceeds going to Crohn’s and Colitis research and education.

Those of you familiar with Bartley will know that he is a defenceman for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League. Bartley and Payne grew up together through the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association and have been best friends ever since. Ben even visited Victor in Nashville when they played host to the Chicago Blackhawks in round one of the NHL Playoffs this year. The two have taken very different paths to their respective hockey careers, but one faced much more adversity.

Ben Payne was diagnosed with fistulizing Crohn’s disease in August 2013. The timing is never good for a scenario like this to occur, but for Ben it was especially bad considering he was just a very short time away from leaving the country to play professional hockey in France. Ben had been feeling a pain inside of his stomach for a few months but thought nothing of it until one doctor pointed out that indeed it was Crohn’s that was affecting him; but that wasn’t going to stop him from pursuing his hockey career abroad.

As any determined athlete would, Ben went on the journey to play hockey in France with Neuilly-sur-Marne in the FFHG Division 1 league. He was never able to reach his full potential on ice though with the ever-lasting pain he was facing. He couldn’t even make it through the season before having to be released from his team to come back home and get healthy again, whatever that may take.

After returning home Ben received surgery. He had to have approximately one foot of his small intestine removed. When diagnosed with fistulizing Crohn’s there is essentially blockages in your system. Food will get caught in crevices of the inside of the body and therefore unable to makes its way out of the body. As soon as Ben got out of surgery, he just wanted to get better and on came the road to recovery.

In talking with Ben he revealed that he’s feeling “better than he’s ever felt”. Just under two years after the original diagnosis he is back on track in life. Sure he has to take medication to keep away the return of the disease, but he is happy with how doctors were able to help him get back to 100%.

Ben has returned home for a little while, as he’s actually made a return to Europe. This past season he lead his team in scoring with EHC Zweibrücken Hornets, a Division Four team, not in France, but this time in Germany.

Not only does he have the opportunity to play in Germany, but he also gets to indulge in German culture. Learning the language, interacting with others, and taking in the surroundings. Luckily in Germany, there is a larger portion of people who speak English in comparison to anywhere in France. He is also getting the opportunity to coach while in Germany, which brought a giant smile to Ben’s face.

His story is one that can provide hope for those facing hardships such as his. His case was one of a quick, yet devastating, threat that could be treated right away, but he showed sincere care for those who have to face it every day of their lives. The way Crohn’s works is, the less severe the case, the less doctors are able to treat it.

This is the major reason why Ben and Victor have come together to try and raise money for research and education of Crohn’s and Colitis. The first annual event held last year brought in close to 300 fans and raised $5,000. With only a few weeks to prepare last year, Ben and Victor were elated with the amount of money they were able to raise, but with more time, organization, and experience this year, the boys hope to surpass that number in donations.

Not only does this event include a hockey game, but a star studded one. It will of course include Victor Bartley of the Nashville Predators, but also Brad Hunt, Maple Ridge native who is part of the Edmonton Oilers system, as well as Mitch Bartley who played four seasons with the Vancouver Giants. Every player on both sides has some sort of junior playing career and most have a local lineage. The Assistant coach of the Junior B Ridge Meadows Flames, Nick Bruns, will be suiting up, as well as Flames player Boston Colley, along with his younger brother Parker. And if you’ve followed the Flames as of late you won’t forget this name as Joe Olson who played the better half of the last two seasons in Ridge Meadows with the Flames will return to familiar territory to play for the good cause.

With a handful of Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Alumni participating in the event, Ben described it as “more than just a game, but also more like a big family reunion.”

After the game there will be a social event with food, drinks, and time to mingle, but also a silent auction which will include signed NHL jerseys and a raffle.

Ben Payne isn’t simply doing this for his own benefit, but he is doing it because he genuinely cares for those who are being affected on a day to day basis. On numerous occasions in my conversation with Ben he brought up how his main goal is to raise funds for those in need, struggling more than he ever had to.

Expect to have a great time at this second annual charity event, but Ben made sure to mention that even though it is for charity, also expect this game to be extremely competitive.  

For full rosters, how to donate if you can’t make it, and any further information, follow this link: http://www.kintera.org/site/c.4nJIJXPrEbKSE/b.9263239/k.6E3B/2015_Golf_and_Hockey_Classic.htm

Keep on Rollin'

After a week off, the Flames look as though they didn't skip a beat. To stick with musical analogies, it is clear that they actually picked up their tempo.

After defeating the tough Abbotsford Pilots last week, the Flames were able to squash the Port Moody Panthers, along with their three game win streak, five to nothing. With the win, the Flames have now won three of their last four games, outscoring their opponents by a total of 16-9. Almost doubling the opposition in goals for.

Tonight the Flames saw five different goal scoring contributors. The scorers, in order, are as follows: Strelezki (PP), Alder (PP), Howell, Rendle, and Crompton. Not to mention a trio of assists from number eighteen, Boston Colley.  It is great to see scoring by committee. There have been a few players that have stood out a little more than the rest, but this is a four line team, and that was proven tonight.

There are two major points that jump out from the game against the Panthers.

1) 100% On the Penalty Kill

The Flames went faced seven occasions of killing off a disadvantage. On all seven penalty kills, the Flames successfully killed it off. One of which was also a five-on-three deficit. If it didn't take hours on end to re watch every game this season, I would rewind and tally how many blocked shots the Flames have this season. It seems like there are at least ten blocked shots a game, and that's a minimal estimate. To go seven for seven chances killed off at any level of hockey is impressive. Coach Jamie Fiset added that "When on the penalty kill, I'm not scared or notice a difference in game play."

If this trend of perfect (or at least close to perfect) penalty killing continues, the Flames have a deadly weapon in their possession.

2) SHUTOUT!

Mr. Kurt Klimek should be more than proud of his performance tonight. Stopping close to thirty shots, facing said penalty kills, and tending a team that lead the momentum for almost the entirety of sixty minutes are not easy things to do. He's agile, he stands tall in the net, even though he stands short at around five feet seven inches on a good day, and he knows how to play his position. Kurt is a feisty guy at times, but as I've referenced previously, sometimes that equals an over empowerment of passion. I'm a superstitious person, and I zipped my lips when saying the word shutout, but when that final buzzer went, it felt great to express my excitement for Klimek's accomplishment. When Kurt is on, he is on, and tonight he flicked the switch, proving why he deserves to be in that net for the Ridge Meadows Flames.

The Flames have a busy week, as they are back on the ice tomorrow night in North Vancouver to take on the Wolf Pack, and look to put a stop to their seven game winning streak.

Ridge Meadows also take on the Sockeyes Thursday at Richmond Arena.

Feel free to dress up if you are visiting the Cam Neely for the next home game, as it will be Halloween Night hockey action against the Grandview Steelers.

The week has a lot to hold, but after the win tonight the Flames jump from fifth to second place in the Harold Brittain Conference, and look to gain some ground on the first place Langley Knights.

Adding Fuel to the Flames,
Tyler Lippingwell

Making the Home Crowd Happy

WEEK IN REVIEW:

After a comeback trailing two goals, the Flames crawled back to tie a game with the Mission City Outlaws, but the rally wasn't enough as Mission finished off the Flames 4-2

Friday, October 17th, the Ridge Meadows Flames played host to third place Abbotsford Pilots of the Harold Brittain Conference.

The first period was all Flames all the time, seeing a goal from seasoned PJHL veteran Grant Rostvig. Tallying an assist on the goal was affiliated player Marshall Skapski. Skapski has ties with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL, so before he gets snagged up by the junior team, look for him to dawn the Flames uniform a few more times, as he was extremely impressive Friday. The Pilots were quick to capitalize as they tied the game with a goal of their own. The first period saw lots of penalties, but again, Flames did seemingly have the Pilots on their heels throughout the first twenty minutes of play.

It was the opposite in the second period as the Pilots controlled puck possession in the second. With their play, they scored an early power play goal to take the lead. What the Flames were able to do though was capitalize on one of the many opportunities they had in the second, as Andrew Strelezki got his name etched into the score sheet to tie the game at two goals a side.

The third period was a completely back and forth battle. The Flames took three penalties, and the Pilots took four themselves. That extra penalty, draining the penalty killers, may have been the dagger to down the visiting Abbotsford team. The Flames did not score on a power play, but they did score deep into the third period. Captain Danny Wilson showed the crowd why he has the "C" on his chest, as he created room through the middle and sniped the rubber top shelf to claim the lead, and the eventual 3-2 victory for the Flames.

Two straight weeks the Flames have impressed fans, coaches and the opposition with their play at home, and is a sweet sight for many. If the Flames continue their winning ways at home, that will only do positive things to their confidence and team moral. With the win the Flames jump from fifth to a tie for second place in the Harold Brittain conference standings.

As the game ended, I made my way to the locker room to chat with the coaches, but before I could get there, Joe Olson stopped me to see if he'd be mentioned in the weekly blog. And without hesitation, I told him we can chat and throw in some comments.

Here is the full conversation Joe and I had:

Joe Olson Post Game Interview: Friday, October 17th 2014

Olson has been a proven leader on this Flames team, and we still haven't seen the best of him in terms of this season. When you are surrounded by team mates like Olson there is no reason to complain, he leads by example and makes others around him feel welcome.


Next week, Ridge Meadows' only game is against the Port Moody Panthers, and that one will be at home on Friday night. Puck drop is at 7:30 as the Flames look to earn more points and take sole possession of second place.

Adding Fuel to the Flames,
Tyler Lippingwell

The Sweet Sound of a Goal Horn

In the most back and forth game of the year, the Ridge Meadows Flames were able to put the nail in the coffin of this game in double over time. The final score being 6-5 over the Aldergrove Kodiaks

Arguably the best all around well played game by the Flames this season.

The Flames had goals from four different players tonight and assists from six different skaters, the scoring is proving to be by committee. 

One thing that was truly noticeable in tonight's game is organization. Whether it be structured offencive breakouts or plays from the back end, the Flames seemed to have a tough time structuring it all together. When the puck is put in play, there lies no issues, it is simply a matter of collectivity of the team starting out a play. 

Looking at what the Flames did well tonight, aside form getting the "W", they played a full, energetic sixty minute game. Now sure there were times were the Aldergrove Kodiaks outplayed the Flames, but that would be an embarrassment for the Kodiaks if they couldn't win a single battle on the ice. The Flames found a way to outplay and out skate the Kodiaks the majority of the game, and that's what mattered. 

Looking at the beginning of the third period, the flames lead disintegrated faster than ice melting on a summer's day. But what highlighted the third period was the Flames fire to jump back into the game. Unlike what Flames fans have seen all season, they did not give up on this bout. After going down 5-3, Ridge Meadows pounced back with two quick goals from veterans Danny Wilson and Dale Howell who both scored two goals in this game, This impressed me because this had unfortunately become a trend this season, for the Flames to play an incredible forty minutes and then a tired final twenty. Tonight proved that the Flames are a hungry team willing to fight to stay within reach of the win the whole way through. 

This was a huge stepping stone in the Flames season, it is still early, but it brings them closer to .500 hockey and within reach of the Harold Brittain Conference lead. It brought huge confidence boosters to at least three players on the team, those being Bradley Crompton, Dale Howell, and Grant Rostvig, all for very similar, yet different reasons. Crompton was acquired by the Flames a few weeks ago, and tonight was his first goal as a Flame. Always special and important to get that goal scoring monkey off your back. As for Dale Howell, he is Mr. Assist, as shown last year, but tonight he was able to put his first pair of goals in the net this season, which will give him more confidence to shoot, rather than always passing. And last, but most certainly not least, Mr. Confidence Grant Rostvig. Every time the gritty assistant captain heads to the broadcast booth for an interview, I tend to always ask him who's scoring the next goal for the Flames, and he always answers with himself. Well tonight he didn't score the next goal, but he DID in fact score the most important goal. That being the game winner in double overtime. Knowing the feeling I had when I called the goal is nothing at all in comparison to the feeling he must have had when he scored the darn thing. Not only was it an important goal, but it was a beauty of a goal.

Nothing like finishing a game off on a breakaway, beautifully stick handling the puck past the goalies pads.

Rostvig mentioned in the intermission interview that the way the Flames have been playing as of late, it simply doesn't get much worse. Tonight is proof that this game was a leap in the right direction for the rest of the Flames season. 

Next stop, Mission City tomorrow night.

After that, Flames host the Abbotsford Pilots at the Cam Neely Arena Friday, October 17th. Puck drop is 7:30!

Back to the Drawing Board

WEEK IN REVIEW:
Flames lose in a 9-3 game to the Langley Knights at the George Preston Arena, one that the Flames were competitive on the scoreboard until the beginning of the third period.

And well tonight, the Flames can say the same,

Ridge Meadows dropped tonight`s game, October 3rd, in a final score of 6-1 against the impressive Richmond Sockeyes. On six goals the Sockeyes got scoring from five different players, and that`s only goals, when it comes to assists, it was a combination of six players. Once again in the 2014-2015 season, teams, and fans around the league should look for this team to finish just as strongly as they did last year.

As for the Flames, well, it`s like a skipping record. The team has been able to stay in games for 40 minutes and then as soon as the final twenty minutes are to be  played, the passion just seems to fade. As a fan in the stands, you likely become frustrated with the finished product after the full sixty minutes has expired, but imagine how the coaching staff and roster feel. They don`t WANT to lose these games, nobody trains or plays to lose.

One thing that both head coach Jamie Fiset, and veteran defenseman Cameron Alder attributed the possible losses to are the lack of determination in games where the team knows, not that they can win, but SHOULD win. The Flames are a competitive team, and do all have passion for the game, otherwise none of them would be where they are. But any athlete has felt what coach Fiset and his player are describing. When you see on the schedule that the Los Angeles Kings are headed to Edmonton to face the Oilers, there is nothing else that anyone expects other than a Kings demolishing of the Oil. And this is why I can understand why this is being said. It is not necessarily an excuse that the team should fall back on, but it can become something that these young men can learn from, Especially when facing either a stronger team or weaker team, no matter what point it is in the season,

You have to battle hard in practice as if it were a game. You have to train in the gym visualising that you are going to be stronger than your opponent, beating him out along the boards deep in their end, It`s a passion that should burn within all your being when a part of a team, or even anything in life that you are passionate about.

I mentioned in the broadcast a specific player tonight that I feel shows passion and emotion night in and night out. That man is Boston Colley. When it is his turn to hit that ice he skates hard every shift, he battles in the corner any chance he gets, and he scores goals because he wants to be a winner. Now tonight the example that I used was that he was involved in a scuffle nearing the end of the game. He was sent off to the dressing room with approximately 8-10 minutes remaining in the game as the Flames were trailing 5-1. That brought up a thought: Was Boston being physical because he was angry or upset, or was he being physical because he is extremely passionate and sometimes it shows a little more than others. As a witness I can confirm this isn`t the only time and it likely wont be the last time that Boston gets into with an opponent.

Now I went with the latter of the two options and I am sticking with my guns. Boston was a mid season pick up last year for the Flames, and I was not sure what to expect of him. Last year he finished fifth in team scoring with twenty-one points in 28 games played. And this year he has three points in seven games played. Of course super early in the season, but looking to soar past his last year totals. When I see a guy stick out like he has, maybe not as much offence as he could have added, but the way he breaks out along the wing and gets open to force the opposing defences to change their game, I can smell that passion from a mile away.

This ties everything together. If every player performed every game as if it were the most important game of their life, to the extent they know they can play, then the Flames wouldn`t be facing the predicament that they feel they are in right now.

The Flames now have a week off to regroup, and recoup after what has happened in the last week of their schedule, and they look to turn things around for their home crowd in one week from today. The Flames look ahead to play the Aldergrove Kodiaks at Cam Neely Arena October 10th.

Two final things:

1) I will be looking to start interviewing players to contribute to my blog, whether it be game talk, or life talk, So in honour of that, I want you to help pick the first person to come on the blog. To make it more fun let`s integrate social media. To pick who you want to be in, tweet the players number with the hashtag #flamesblog to the flames official twitter account and I will tally them up by the end of the week.

(Example: 99 #flamesblog @flamesjunior)
Full Flames roster at ridgemeadowsflames.com

2) The Flames are giving away a trip for two to VIVA LAS VEGAS! Make sure you fill out your ballots at the Flames home games . Winner will be drawn on Friday, February 13th 2015. (Must be 21 years old to enter)

Adding Fuel to the Flames,
Tyler Lippingwell

Put it in the Past

WEEK IN REVIEW:
Sunday September 21: Ridge Meadows defeated the Grandview Steelers 3-2 from a late effort from Grant Rostvig.

For Mission City Outlaw players and fans, this is one to remember, but for the Flames side, it is quite the opposite.

The first period was filled with Flames penalties, as they went down real early. As myself and my colour commentator Bill Reims attested to throughout the game, the left hand boards must have been cursed because the Flames were recipients to about 6 or 7 odd bounces off of said boards. This lead to the first two goals, and more to come, from the Outlaws.

The Flames left the first much less harmed than they could have been, this was due in part of the solid penalty kill and the stand out play form Kurt Klimek. It just turned out not to be Kurt's day. Ending the period 2-0 in favour of the Outlaws.

The Flames lit up in the second though as they controlled most of the play and even scoring an absolutely beautiful goal from number eighteen and Hard Hat award winner, Boston Colley. This was scored on the tail end of a power play, and was the highlight of the second for the Flames. Heading into the third, the Flames now only sdown one, with the score at 2-1.

Cue the third period dramatics. The Flames began on the power play, sounds promising, right? Wrong. The Outlaws somehow picked up 3 goals within one minute and twenty seconds. With more odd bounces and one bad give away, the Flames all of a sudden found themselves down four goals. The Outlaws went on to add one more to put the cherry on top of their away win.

After the fourth goal, head coach Jamie Fiset had to pull Klimek to attempt to save his confidence, because it is not a fun place to be in, stranded in that net, hoping you are going to crawl back to normality. Kurt should know though that what happened tonight at Cam Neely Arena can only be turned into a learning experience, and not to keep his chin down, but to look for the positives.

In a game where the Flames out shot their opponents by a large margin, it should have never been a 6-1 final. There were mistakes made in this game, that had many things factoring in to the final tally. In both of my interviews this evening, Jordan Rendle and Andrew Castagna mentioned the veteran presence in the room this season, and that may play a part in getting this teams chin off the ground after the devastating loss.

There is not much I can say as bystander to watching the game, and nothing that coach Jamie or his staff can give away to say what may or may not help this team, but there are things that need to be looked at when it comes to this Flames team. Whether that be line mixing, shuffling players, or new practice regiments, I trust that it will be reached in a positive manner.

The season is very young, only 6 games have been played and there is a long ladder to climb for every single team in the PJHL. The Flames have potential to be a number one team in this league, it is simply a question of whether or not this team will gel when it has to and when times get tough, this team can pull it together. Tonight is a night to put in the past, and becomes a learning experience for the fans, players, and coaching staff.

The Flames have a few days to recuperate as they do not play until Thursday night against the newly revamped Langley Knights at George Preston Arena.

Adding Fuel to the Flames,
Tyler Lipingwell