TATAMAGOUCHE: The North Shore Storm Junior C hockey travelled to Chester last Saturday to play the Chester Clippers in an evening contest. The last time the two teams met the Clippers won 8-4 in an Oxford game.
The Chester Clippers currently has a record of 18-4, and are trailing the Yarmouth Clippers by four points for the pennant race in the Central Division. The Clippers have scored 140 goals and allowed 58 goals in. The Storm has a 4-17 record, have scored 44 goals, and have allowed 148 goals against.Both teams play a rugged game. The Storm have 524 penalty minutes, the Clippers have 468.
Heading into the weekend, head coach for the Storm Paul Atkinson said the team is hoping to gain some respect from the Clippers. He wants the Storm to travel to Chester and provide the Clipper fans with a good hockey game. Atkinson says the players did not play hard enough last Sunday in Oxford as the first place Yarmouth Mariners blasted them 10-1.
Although this season has been a learning process, Atkinson said the Storm have 18 players that can return for next season and they now have several teams supporting them during their return to the Junior C Hockey League.
“We definitely want to thank the support from the Brookfield Elks, Pictou Subways, and the Sackville Blazers as well as the Bridgewater Lumberjacks Junior A team as our Junior C team continues to build for the future,” said Atkinson. “Considering that our organization only had four players return after a year’s leave of absence, the Storm will be a much improved team in the future.”
Atkinson said the goal for their team will be to win three or four remaining games and to finish the season on a positive note.
The Storm has a pair of weekend games ahead of them. The team will travel to Oxford to battle the River Rats on Friday, Jan. 22 in an afternoon contest. The Storm will then host the Jets in an evening game on Saturday, Jan. 23.