Salmon Kings beat league champs in hockey season opener
Cleve Dheensaw, Times Colonist
Published: Saturday, October 20, 2007

BOISE, Idaho - The stubborn Kelly Cup championship banner, commemorating the Idaho Steelheads 2007 ECHL championship, refused to unfurl yesterday during pre-game ceremonies last night at Qwest Arena.

But the biggest glitch of the night, as far as Idaho was concerned, was the one in the Victoria Salmon Kings net named Julien Ellis. The Vancouver Canucks-contracted goaltender was nimble, quick and sure - kicking out 35 of 36 Idaho shots - in pacing Victoria to a dramatic 2-1 season-opening overtime victory to spoil the Steelheads big night.

A small, but hardy and devoted band of seven Salmon Kings supporters, who made the ferry ride and then 12-hour drive from Tsawwassen, tried cheering their best against the deafening cacophony of 5,208 Steelheads fans who were fired up for the sold-out season opener.

But you could sure hear the tiny band of Victoria fans in the stillness that followed the winning goal by defenceman Patrick Coulombe, another Canucks prospect, who, from the blue line, found the top right corner behind Idaho goalie John Daigneau on a powerplay at 1:02 of overtime.

It was the four-year-old Victoria franchise's first-ever opening-night victory.

"An Idaho player was about to block the shot where I wanted to take it, so I saw an opening to the net in the other direction and took it and caught the top corner," said the mobile puck-handler Coulombe.

But this night belonged to another graduate of the Quebec Major Junior League - Ellis.

"Julien did an awesome job and made it easy for us to clear the pucks after he blocked them," said the grateful rearguard Coulombe, who played last season with the Salmon Kings, Canucks and Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Ellis is the victim of a crowded crease in the Canucks chain and has something to prove. For one night, at least, he did.

"This is the best way to start a season," said Ellis, in his second year with the Salmon Kings.

"We have a better team than last year and I feel good about that. We did an awesome job killing off that parade of penalties we had in the third period. But it made me a bit tired by the end."

Ellis said he has a new mental outlook this season. He is counting on that, and the loss of weight in the off-season that has put him in trim physical form, to eventually get back to the Moose of the AHL.

"I grew up a bit last season," said the 22-year-old.

"I was frustrated not to make the Moose. But now I don't worry in my head about things like call-ups."

It was ironic that Victoria won it on a powerplay goal in overtime because the team survived a hairy and tense third period in which it was penalized five consecutive times. Victoria's penalty killing was stellar, made all the more impressive because leading penalty killer Kevin Estrada was weakened by the flu.

Ash Goldie, better known as a goal scorer, was also brilliant on the penalty kill for Victoria.

Ash's brother, and fellow Salmon Kings forward Wes Goldie, called it "a dirty road win."

That it was. But it's still two points.

Wes Goldie, the Salmon Kings scoring leader last season, continued where he left off and it didn't take him long. His quick counter at 37 seconds will go into he books as the first Victoria goal of the 2007-08 season. But the going got considerably tougher after that in the grinding affair.

Ellis was denied a shutout by Idaho's opening goal of the season, which was a total fluke after a strange carom off the end glass allowed the puck to find itself on the stick of surprised rookie pro Mark Bomersback. He simply had to nudge it into a gaping net to tie the game 1-1 on a powerplay at 14:59 of the first period. That was all Ellis was willing to allow.

"Julien was phenomenal. He looks like a goalie prepared to move up in his career," said a relieved Victoria GM Dan Belisle, following the game.

Victoria held its own in the scoreless second and third periods, despite a landslide of Salmon Kings players to the penalty box - a recurring theme from seasons past. It seemed as if Victoria players didn't know how to complete simple checks without drawing penalties.

"That was a tight battle and our penalty killers just dug down to clear our defensive zone all night long," said Wes Goldie.

"It feels good to get the first one under our belts. I've been on teams where it's taken quite awhile to get the first win and then that builds on itself in frustration. Once you get the first one off your back, it seems the other ones come a lot easier."

Oh, and the Kelly Cup banner? Arena workers climbed up and rescued it from its bound state midway through the second period, much to the approval of the crowd. But the Salmon Kings quieted the fans, all but seven of them, the rest of the way.

The Steelheads, ECHL farm team of the Dallas Stars, get another shot at the Canucks-affiliate Salmon Kings tonight when the squads close out their season-opening two-game set at Qwest Arena.