WHL Kamloops Blazers

Blazers Weekly

Published on January 26, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kamloops Blazers News Release


BLAZERS FINISH WEEK 1-1-0 – Oklahoma City played two games last week, both against the Wichita Thunder. The teams split the home-and-home series, with the road team winning each game. The Blazers won 4-2 in Wichita on January 23, while the Thunder won in Oklahoma City on January 24 by the score of 2-1. The Blazers is 21-17-5, with 47 points and in second place tie in the Northwest Division of the CHL.

WEEKEND STARTS STRONG – Oklahoma City began its home-and-home series with the Thunder in nice fashion posting a 4-2 win in Wichita on January 23. Marty Standish paced the Blazers with three points (1-2-3). Boyd Ballard was solid in net stopping 27 of 29 shots for the win.

WEEKEND ENDS ON A SOUR NOTE – Oklahoma City skated at home on January 24 against the Thunder. A Doug Sheppard goal in the first period was all the offense the Blazers could generate. Two Thunder goals in the last half of the third period propelled Wichita to a 2-1 come from behind win. Blazers netminder Boyd Ballard played well in net, stopping 28 of 30 shots.

STANDISH PICKS UP 300TH POINT – Blazers centerman Marty Standish's three-point night on January 23 pushed him past a significant milestone. The feisty centerman eclipsed the 300-point mark in his professional career. Entering this week's games, Standish is one of five players on the Blazers roster with 300-or-more points as a pro. He has also accumulated points in three of his last four games.

LARGEST CROWD OF THE YEAR – The Oklahoma City Blazers played before a CHL season high 13,751 on January 24. The large crowd pushed the Blazers season attendance average to 8,265. That is the largest crowd for the Blazers since the team established the CHL record of 16,870 on January 10, 2003.

HERAUF ESTABLISHES NEW SEASON PIM HIGH – Feisty Blazers forward Brad Herauf picked up a Blazers' season high 32 penalty minutes in the game at Wichita on January 23. His 32 penalty minutes is the highest single-game PIM total for a Blazer since March 26, 1999 when Craig Johnson established the Blazers individual single-game penalty minute total with 53 minutes against the Wichita Thunder. Four of the eight high individual single-game penalty minute totals in Blazers history are against Wichita.

SAUTER & FLECK SKATE IN ALL-STAR GAME – Blazers defensemen Hardy Sauter and Tyler Fleck participated in the Dodge CHL All-Star Game in Albuquerque, New Mexico on January 22. Neither player registered a point in the 12-9 win by the Northern Conference All-Stars.

OSU JERSEY NIGHT – The Blazers teamed up with Oklahoma State University for OSU Night with the Blazers on January 24. The Blazers wore special OSU style jerseys for the home-and-home series with the Wichita Thunder. The jerseys were auctioned in a silent auction during the game. Over $8,500 was raised by the Blazers' auction Saturday night. The Wichita Thunder wore Kansas State style jerseys for both games.

WARMTH 4 WINTER – January 24 was Oklahoma's Newschannel 4's Warmth 4 Winter campaign. The Blazers and KFOR teamed with the Salvation Army to collect coats. Nearly 1,100 coats were donated by Blazers fans, eclipsing last season's mark of 900 coats. The coats will be dry cleaned and donated via the Salvation Army.

NORTHERN CONFERECNE PLAYOFF UPDATE – The Oklahoma City Blazers are one of seven teams in serious contention for one of four playoff spots in the Northern Conference. If the playoffs started today, the Blazers would be on the outside looking in for the first time since the revival of the CHL in 1992.

BLAZERS WITH MANY HOME GAMES – The Blazers have 13 games between January 30 and the end of February. Nine of those 13 are at the "friendly" confines of the Ford Center. This season, home ice has not been an advantage for the Blazers. The team is 9-8-3 at home and 12-9-2 on the road. The eight regulation and three shootout losses already equal the total from last season. The Blazers' franchise record for home losses in a season is 11 set during the 1999-00 season.

Check out the Kamloops Blazers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central