Kamloops Blazers Week in Review
Published on November 29, 2010 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kamloops Blazers News Release
Week in Review:
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 vs. Regina Pats - 4-3 Win
With the Blazers missing their top 2 scorers and starting goaltender, the team battled through as they won 4-3 in overtime against the visiting Regina Pats. 15-year-old call up Matt Needham opened the scoring with his first WHL goal after pouncing on a rebound to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. The Pats got their first goal just over 3 minutes into the second period as Chandler Stephensen potted a rebound on the powerplay to tie it 1-1. Carter Ashton showed why he's a 1st round NHL draft pick, as he blew past the Blazers defenders and drove hard to the net eventually scoring his 14th of the year to give the Pats a 2-1 lead. JT Barnett, who finished with a goal and 2 assists, tied the game as he walked out of the corner with a backhand off the post and in for a 2-2 tie going into the final frame. The Pats took the lead though, as Myles Bell snuck in from the point and found himself an open net for a 3-2 lead. Blazers forward Dylan Willick scored a dandy goal as he beat the Pats defender wide and wrapped the puck around the net to send this game to overtime. Dalibor Bortnak was the hero as he put in a rebound in which goaltender Damien Ketlo snapped out of midair. The goal went under review, but Ketlo couldn't grab it on time and the Blazers won 4-3. Cam Lanigan earned the win making some great saves and stopping 30 of 33 shots. Ketlo had the overtime loss despite stopping 38 of 42 shots.
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 @ Spokane Chiefs - 10-1 Loss
It was a night to forget for the Blazers as they were trounced 10-1 by the Chiefs in Spokane Wednesday night. It was a slow start by the Blazers as defenseman Jared Cowen, who had a hat trick on the night, opened the scoring on the powerplay 59 seconds into the game. The Chiefs would score 8 seconds later to make it an early 2-0 lead. The Blazers did push back though, as Brendan Ranford scored his league leading 22nd goal of the year by putting in a rebound after Dalibor Bortnak and Logan McVeigh set him up. The Blazers had a powerplay with an opportunity to tie shortly after Ranford's goal, but Tyler Johnson scored a shorthanded goal and the flood gates opened from there. The Chiefs made it 4-1 to close out the first period as Steve Kuhn rushed in on a breakaway and beat goaltender Cam Lanigan short side. After a docile second period in which little chances were exchanged and no scoring, it was all Chiefs in the third period. The home team scored 6 third period goals and routed the Blazers 10-1. The Chiefs scoring was spread out as they had 8 different goal scorers in the game, and only 4 Chiefs didn't record a point. Meanwhile, every Blazer had a +/- rating in the negative except Brandon Underwood and Aspen Sterzer. Cam Lanigan took the loss in goal making 24 saves on 32 shots, while 16-year-old Troy Trombley made his WHL debut letting in 2 goals on 9 shots. Chiefs' goalie James Reid wasn't tested much stopping 15 of 16 shots for the win
Friday, November 26th, 2010 vs. Spokane Chiefs - 4-3 Win
It was close, but the Blazers squeezed out a 4-3 win on home ice Friday night. Jordan DePape scored the game's first goal as he gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead. The Blazers continued to play strong as DePape tipped in his 2nd goal of the night on the powerplay to give the hockey club a 2-0 lead through the first period. The Blazers had a glorious opportunity in the 2nd period as they were awarded a 5-on-3 powerplay for 2 minutes. The team failed to capitalize and Tyler Johnson broke through and scored on a breakaway to make it 2-1. Chiefs' goaltender James Reid went down with an injury midway through the period and backup Mac Engel was forced to make only his 5th appearance of the year as the game remained 2-1 entering the final frame. The Chiefs scored early in the period to tie it as Tyler Johnson, who was named the 1st star, scored his 2nd goal of the game. Jared Cowen would give the Chiefs the lead after he beat Cam Lanigan short side to make it 3-2 Chiefs. The Blazers didn't give up though, as Dylan Willick forced overtime burying his 6th of the season with 80 seconds to play. Cam Lanigan came up big in overtime with a few outstanding saves, while Brendan Ranford and Austin Madaisky both scored in the shootout, with Lanigan stopping both shooters, and the Blazers won 3-2. Lanigan had a great night in goal stopping 41 of 44 shots he faced. The Blazers were 1-for-4 on the powerplay and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Saturday, November 27th, 2010 vs. Prince George Cougars - 7-5 Loss
The Blazers couldn't get enough goals as they fell 7-5 to the Cougars Saturday night. The Cougars opened the scoring on a 5-on-3 powerplay as Martin Marincin, who had 4 points on the night, blasted a shot past Cam Lanigan for a 1-0 lead. The Blazers responded with a powerplay goal of their own; Jordan DePape was set up beautifully by Chase Schaber and Brendan Ranford for a 1-1 tie after the first period. Brendan Ranford made it 2-1 early in the third after his linemates made a fantastic play to get Ranford the puck and an open net. The Cougars then opened it up as they scored twice on the powerplay, and once more even strength to go up 4-2 with under 5 minutes left in the second period. Again, the Blazers responded as Brady Gaudet scored his first WHL goal and Colin Smith put in a rebound, both goals coming via the powerplay, and it was 4-4 in the final minute of the second period. The Cougars took the lead though with 19 seconds to play with Brett Connolly scoring and a 5-4 lead going into the third period. A costly turnover on the powerplay allowed Cody Carlson to score on a 2-on-1 for a 6-4 lead. The Blazers couldn't recover as Brendan Ranford scored his 24th goal but the Cougars added an empty net goal and won 7-5. Cam Lanigan took the loss as he let in 6 goals on only 25 shots, and James Priestner won stopping 36 of 41 shots. The Blazers were 3-for-8 on the powerplay and only 4-for-7 on the penalty kill.
Streaks and Leaders
Brendan Ranford has 44 points in 26 games so far this year which puts him 2nd in the WHL and his 24 goals lead the league. Ranford has points in 23 of the 26 games he has played this season. His line mate Chase Schaber has 34 points this season which has him in a tie for 12th in WHL scoring. Schaber has points in 11 straight games, including 5 goals and 12 assists for 17 points.
Willick and Smith Rewarded for School Performance
Forwards Dylan Willick and Colin Smith both received $100 from the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society Legacy Fund because of their performance in the first term of the school year. Willick, who is from Prince George, BC, is currently completing English 110 at Thompson Rivers University. The hard working winger has put up 6 goals, 6 assists for 12 points in 27 games this season. Smith, who is in his 2nd season with the Blazers, is enrolled full-time at Valleyview Secondary school currently completing Chemistry 12, English 12, Foods and Nutrition 11 and Peer Helping 12. The native of Edmonton, AB has 5 goals, 10 assists and 15 points this season.
Call ups and Returns
The Blazers will have JC Lipon back in the line up for games coming up this weekend. Lipon was suspended for 4 games following an incident at the end of the 2nd period in Portland on Saturday, November 20th. The hockey club was also without Chase Schaber for 3 games and Brendan Ranford for 1 game after the confrontation. The Blazers called up 15-year-old forward Matthew Needham, 16-year-old forward Aspen Sterzer and 16-year-old goaltender Troy Trombley because of the suspensions. Needham, the Blazers 1st round Bantam pick in 2010, got into one game against the Regina Pats on Tuesday, November 23rd and returned home to Penticton following the game. Sterzer played all 4 games with the Blazers last week, and Trombley backed up Cam Lanigan for 2 games, and saw 14 minutes of playing time in Spokane on Wednesday, November 24th. Sterzer and Trombley were both sent back to their Midget AAA clubs following the weekend games.
Needham, Gaudet Score Their First WHL Goals
The Blazers had both their 1st round picks from the 2009 and 2010 drafts each score their first Western Hockey League goals this past week. The 15-year-old Matthew Needham, who played his 2nd game with the Blazers last Tuesday, put in a rebound for his 1st goal. Brady Gaudet, from Redvers, SK, blasted home a point shot for his 1st goal in his 18th game with the Blazers. The 16-year-old was selected last week to play for Team West at the U-17 World Challenge in Winnipeg at the end of December. He has a goal and 2 assists so far this season.
Two Weekend Home Games
The Kamloops Blazers don't play this week until the weekend when they have two home dates. The Blazers host the Saskatoon Blades (18-6-0-1) on Friday night. The last time the Blades were in Kamloops on December 2, 2008 the Blades won 4-3 in overtime. The hockey club will then host the Calgary Hitmen (6-19-1-0) on Saturday night. The Blazers have won twice in Calgary earlier this year by identical 3-2 scores.
Team Leaders:
Goals - Brendan Ranford (24)
Assists - Chase Schaber (24)
Points - Brendan Ranford (44)
+/- - Chase Schaber (+6)
Rookies - Corey Fienhage (5)
PIM - Ryan Hanes (82)
GAA - Jeff Bosch (3.59)
SV % - Jeff Bosch (.892)
Injury Report
Josh Caron, Broken Collar-Bone, week-to-week
Community Service Monday, November 29th
* Carpet Bowling at Cottonwood Senior Centre 10am * Peter Puck Skate, ISC 3:30pm Tuesday, November 30th
* School visit, Kamloops Christian School 10am * EDGE, Juniper Ridge Elementary 10:15am Wednesday, December 1st
* Kamloops Senior Village visit 10:15am * EDGE McGowan Park Elementary 10:15am Thursday, December 2nd
* Bowling at Bowlertime 10am * EDGE, Summit Elementary 9:15am Monday, December 6th
* Daycare visit 9:45am * Booster Club Christmas Dinner 5:45pm
Western Hockey League Stories from November 29, 2010
- Portland Winterhawks this Week - Portland Winterhawks
- Chiefs News and Notes - Spokane Chiefs
- Calgary Hitmen Movember Campaign Raises Over $12,000 - Calgary Hitmen
- Kamloops Blazers Week in Review - Kamloops Blazers
- Cougars Connolly Invited to National Junior Team Selection Camp, Marincin Named to Team Slovakia - Prince George Cougars
- Four Winterhawks Players Invited to World Junior Camps - Portland Winterhawks
- Weekly Ice Report - Kootenay Ice
- Curtis Hamilton Invited to Team Canada Selection Camp - Saskatoon Blades
- Three T-Birds Heading to National Junior Team Camps - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Cowen Invited to Canada's Selection Camp - Spokane Chiefs
- Blazers Re-Assign 16-Year-Old Aspen Sterzer - Kamloops Blazers
- Broncos' Eakin Invited to National Junior Selection Camp - Swift Current Broncos
- Brendan Gallagher Invited to Canada's World Junior Training Camp - Vancouver Giants
- Carter Ashton Invited to Canada's National Jr. Team Selection Camp - Regina Pats
- Pat Chat - Regina Pats
- 17 WHL Players Invited to Team Canada's National Junior Team Selection Camp - WHL
- Pysyk Picked for World Junior Selection Camp - Edmonton Oil Kings
- Medicine Hat Tigers' Linden Vey Named WHL Player of the Week - WHL
- Raiders on the Road - Prince Albert Raiders
- Warriors Update - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Portland Picks up a Point in 3-2 Shootout Loss to Medicine Hat - Portland Winterhawks
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