Bombers Weather Storm for Victory

The Port Alberni Bombers evened their 2025-26 Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) record at three wins, three losses and one overtime loss, with a 5-2 victory over Campbell River Storm on Wednesday night at the Alberni Valley Multiplex.
The Bombers scored first when Kaydin Halladay potted his fourth of the season, scoring off a rebound of a Owen Heidecker shot, giving the locals a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes.
The second frame proved to be the difference as the Bombers scored three goals in the last five minutes of the period. The first coming on a scorching wrist shot off the stick of Kash Nicklin, followed by two from Malik Oliva, the first on the power play, the second, at even strength, coming with less than one second remaining in the period as the teams went into the second intermission with the Bombers leading 4-0.
The Storm had a resurgence of sorts, scoring eleven seconds into the third frame as the puck stopped dead after hitting a puddle near the Bombers goal on the freshly-cleaned ice, catching the Bombers off guard as the Storm pounced, with Theo Munroe scoring to make the score 4-1.
Elliot Turgeon scored later in the period to get the Storm within two goals, but Nicklin scored his second of the night, into an empty net, again, with less than a second remaining on the clock.
Nicklin’s goals were his fourth and fifth of the campaign, while Oliva’s were his first and second of the season.
Halladay added two assists to go along with his goal, while Quinn Bouchard added two assists as well. Mason Smith, Wyatt Wright, newcomer Justin McKay, Heidecker and Ethan Unger also added helpers.
Ryan Burroughs picked up the win between the pipes for the Bombers, stopping 38 of 40 Campbell River shots.
The Bombers continue their VIJHL schedule on Friday night when they travel to Lake Cowichan to face the Kraken, hoping to avenge a 6-3 season opening loss in Lake Cowichan. They return home on Sunday evening, welcoming Oceanside Generals to the Alberni Valley Multiplex. Opening face-off for that contest is 6:00 pm, one hour earlier than usual.