Cleve Dheensaw
Two coaches trying to right ships is a fitting metaphor for teams on the West Coast. That’s what veteran B.C. Hockey League mentors Rylan Ferster and Mike Vandekamp will be attempting to do when the Victoria Grizzlies and Cowichan Valley Capitals meet in a home-and-home set over the Malahat tonight in Duncan and Saturday night at The Q Centre in Colwood.
Teams get a spike sometimes with a coaching change and Vandekamp is undefeated in regulation at 1-0-1 since returning to the bench of the Capitals (6-11-2) last week as head coach and GM following the dismissal of Brian Passmore, the latter who has taken over the reins of the Kerry Park Islanders of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.
“We know the Capitals are going to be ready and prepared like Mike Vandekamp’s teams always are,” said Fester, head coach and GM of the Grizzlies (7-10-3).
“But we’re focusing on ourselves. We have dropped four games in a row and are looking to turn this ship around.”
Although his BCHL coaching experience is extensive, including a previous stint in Victoria, Ferster is in his first season with this edition of the Grizzlies.
“It’s still a learning process between me and the group and we’re figuring it out on a day-by-day basis,” said Ferster, who has produced NHL first-round draft picks, and won a championship, in a BCHL coaching and managing career dating to 2003-04.
Vandekamp is in his 25th season of coaching and managing junior hockey in the BCHL, WHL and Alberta Junior Hockey League, including seven seasons with the Nanaimo Clippers and two previous seasons with the Capitals. Vandekamp’s Capitals were about to play the Nanaimo Clippers in the 2020 Island Division playoff final in March of that year when the world shut down due to COVID-19 and the remainder of the BCHL playoffs were cancelled.
Taking over a team on the fly has its challenges.
“The guys work hard, play with passion and we are learning together as we go,” said Vandekamp.
“Their attitude and spirit is the biggest positive as we figure out our identity.”
The Capitals have the additional task of a Sunday game as well, taking on Coastal Conference-leading Nanaimo (16-4) at the Cowichan Community Centre.
Cowichan Valley has six NCAA Div. 1 commits with Jackson Morehouse (Dartmouth), Luke Lavery (Providence), Massimo Lombardi (Vermont), Luke Strickland (Long Island), William Elias (Holy Cross) and Aaron Brown (Quinnipiac).
Nathan King this week committed to Merrimack College near Boston to become the seventh Grizzlies player this season to earn an NCAA Div. 1 commitment, joining NHL draft-pick Eli Barnett (Vermont), Jack Gorton and Tim Busconi (both Boston University), Luc Pelletier (Princeton), Ansel Holt (Army) and Owen Bohn (Augustana).
Victoria-product King, a six-foot-one defenceman, has a goal and four points in 16 games and a big upside as an 18-year-old.
“His ceiling is high. [King] has offensive instincts and shoots the puck as hard as anyone I have coached,” said Ferster.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
