Curtis Skip had never played in the Encana Arena in Camrose until Saturday night.
Chances are if the Storm return to the building for the playoffs Skip will be in net against the host Kodiaks.
The 18-year-old was brilliant, but it was in a losing effort.
Camrose defeated the Storm 2-1.
“Curtis made some great saves when he needed to,” said Storm coach/general manager Blaine Bablitz, “especially late in the third period. He gave us an opportunity to tie the game.”
End the end it was a goaltending battle between Skip and Kodiaks keeper Devin McDonald . . . with some offence tossed in by Kodiak forward Brett Njaa.
Skip had 30 shots fired his way stopping at least a half dozen that should have gone in.
His best two game in the third when he foiled Kodiak forward Jonathan Lashyn and then Camrose forward Connor Mailey from sure-thing shots from just outside the crease.
Njaa, however, spoiled the Skip party.
He opened the scoring at 6:58 of the third – after Skip had made two saves – lifting the third shot over the Storm netminder.
At 10:00 he stole the puck from a Storm defenceman and raced into to deke Skip for Camrose’s fourth shorthanded goal in two games.
Gus Correale, with his first of the season, made a game of it when he scored at the 12:50 mark to make it 2-1 on the powerplay and give the Storm some hope.
It was another loss putting the Storm 0-2 on the weekend after losing 5-3 to the Sherwood Park Crusaders on Friday, but a better effort.
“It was a more consistent effort,” said Bablitz. “We did many things so much better tonight. We have to try and build on that.”
The Storm penalty kill was probably the highlight of the weekend allowing just one goal in nine PPs for the Crusaders on Friday and none after seven Camrose powerplays on Saturday.
“That (the penalty kill) is a positive, but at the same time we can’t be shorthanded that many times,” said Bablitz.
Storm fans will get a chance to see the new and improved Storm Friday and Saturday when the Lloydminster Bobcats visit the Canada Games Arena.
