The Oceanside Generals are putting their stamp on the VIJHL this season, including on their mid-island rivals the Nanaimo Buccaneers. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Dan Marshall

ISLAND RIVALS

Mid-Island VIJHL rivalry sees tide turn

Oct 17, 2019 | 4:44 PM

NANAIMO — The rivalry between the Oceanside Generals and the Nanaimo Buccaneers has always been spirited, and until this year it had been the Gens looking up at the Bucs in the standings.

Through a quarter of the VIJHL season, Oceanside is the number one team in the North Division with a 9-4 record.

The start is a big improvement from the pace they’ve set the last two seasons, both 18 win campaigns.

Meanwhile the Buccaneers have had a slower start at 4-8.

The head to head matchups to date mirror the overall season success.

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The Generals have won the first three games against Nanaimo with the next one scheduled for Halloween night at the Nanaimo Ice Centre.

In a ten game season series during the 2018-19 campaign the Buccaneers went 7-3 versus their rivals to the north.

Oceanside head coach Dan Lemmon has coached both teams at points over the past few years.

Lemmon said the close proximity helps create a great rivalry.

“When you have all these kids that know each other and have grown up playing with each other it leads to exciting games. There’s a lot of competition, a lot of extra curricular stuff on the ice whether it’s the chirping or the physicality.”

Nanaimo is in a state of change with former head coach Curtis Toneff moving to Humboldt of the SJHL.

Several players also moved on last season including top scorer Billy Walters and VIJHL Rookie of the Year Riley Gannon.

Buccaneers head coach Clayton Robinson said the rivalry extends into recruiting with only so many mid island players to go around.

“We’re selling what we’ve done in the past here too. We’ve moved lots of kids on to Junior A, we’ve got nice facilities, and we’ve got a school (Vancouver Island University) right here too.”

Robinson noted his team did some recruiting in Alberta ahead of the 2019/20 season, a spot where a lot of other VIJHL teams aren’t mining for talent.

The Generals are an older team with a lot of veterans coming back.

Lemmon said the Generals have struggled in the past with kids eligible to return not coming back for various reasons, but that’s not the case now.

“There’s a lot of pride wearing the colours for both of these teams. With recruiting some kids want play at home, sometimes work schedules dictate who players want to play for, Nanaimo practices in the morning and Oceanside practices at night – sometimes that’s a difference maker.”

In junior hockey success is often cyclical. Very few programs maintain position at the top of the standings year after year.

According to Robinson recruitment is the key for those top end teams.

“It’s about development, getting these kids to Junior A and then recruiting new guys that want to do the same thing. Obviously you’ve got to have some older guys that bring that leadership and work ethic to the room but I think if you have a team full of 17 and 18-year-olds you’re doing a good job and you have a good program.”

The importance of recruiting is echoed by Lemmon.

“It’s hard to be good year in and year out. It’s about way you treat the kids, the way your organization is run, winning, all those things matter.”

Nanaimo is looking for it’s first ever VIJHL title since joining the league in 2012, while Oceanside is aiming for its fourth championship, and first since 2009.

dan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On twitter: @danmarshall77

–with files from Kyle Ireland and Alex Rawnsley