MJCO5
02-11-2007, 11:52 PM
Kamloops Pulls Away in Third Period for 8-0 Win over Portland
Dean Vrooman - February 11, 2007
Kamloops team captain Reid Jorgenson scored 3 goals in the first 7:50 of the game and then his Blazer teammates rolled up 5 third period goals to complete an 8-0 blowout win over the Portland Winter Hawks Sunday at the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops British Columbia.
It was Portland’s third shutout loss in 4 games on their B.C. swing.
Jorgenson is now tied for the league lead in goals with 39.
Linemates Juuso Puustinen had a goal and 3 assists and Brock Nixon had 4 assists as they combined for 11 points.
Portland, (15-40-1-1), returns home to play the Kootenay Ice for the only time this season on Valentine’s Day, Wednesday, at 7:30 in the Coliseum. (No TV). The 26th annual Fred Meyer $10,000 Dash for Cash is next Saturday at 7:30 in Memorial Coliseum (TV on Comcast CNW-14, Audio Webcast at winterhawks.com, In-Arena Audio at 96.5 FM). The Lethbridge Hurricanes make their only visit on Monday February 19 for a special 2:00 President’s Day afternoon matinee.
Kamloops, (37-15-2-1), came into Sunday’s game in a foul mood. They lost in Vancouver 5-1 on Friday, a game that was a battle for first place in the B.C. Division. The two teams combined for 256 penalty minutes in the testy affair. Then, they traveled to arch-rival Kelowna, losing 4-2 to the Rockets, who trail them by 35 points in the standings. The Blazers boast of three of the most gifted defensemen in the league in Ray Macias (4th round, Colorado), Victor Bartley (first round bantam pick – tryout Vancouver Canucks) and Keaten Ellerby, likely top ten pick in the first round of the upcoming NHL draft. Captain Reid Jorgenson, one of the league’s best two way forwards, leads the team in goals with 36. Brock Nixon and Finland flash Juuso Puustinen (5th round, Calgary) also have been high end offensive impact players on the forward lines. Even with the two-game losing streak, Kamloops is just 2 points behind Vancouver with a game in hand in the race for the B.C. Division regular season pennant.
Kamloops is missing forward Alex Rogers (shoulder). Portland scratched Colton Sceviour for the 19th straight game, still out for 2-3 weeks as he recovers from a broken foot, and defenseman Stefan Langwieder, who is out day to day with a head injury suffered in Friday night’s loss in Prince George.
Goaltender Kurtis Mucha, who has started 47 of 56 games for Portland this season, got the night off Saturday so he was back between the pipes for Portland. The Hawks still have not faced their old teammate, Dustin Butler, who was rested for back-up 16-year-old Dayln Flette. Butler joined his teammates in having a not-so-good weekend. He was pulled after allowing 5 goals on 24 shots in the Vancouver loss, Flette stopping 9 for 9 in relief. And, Saturday, Kamloops outshot Kelowna 34-20 in the 4-2 loss with Butler going all the way. The Blazers turnaround this season started right after they acquired Butler from Portland as they immediately had faith in his abilities after Mike Maniago had struggled in nets for the team. Butler has already set the franchise record for shutouts this season with 7, but Kamloops also only allows and average of 22 shots on net per game.
After two road losses, Kamloops was happy to be back in the Interior Savings Center, the old Riverside Coliseum, where they came into Sunday’s game (24-4-1-0). They looked like a white tornado in their Blazer-white jerseys smothering the back-clad Winter Hawks in their zone. Portland did not cross the Blazer blue line for the first 9 minutes of the game as Kamloops took out their frustrations of their lost weekend on the youngest team in the WHL. Jorgenson opened the scoring on the power play at 1:47 on an easy one. Portland penalty killer Matt Sokol got a piece of Puustinen’s stick as he shot the puck from the low spot, but the puck slid right to Jorgenson on the back door for a gimme. Jorgensen got a little lucky on the next one, banking a shot in off a defender in front from behind the net to make it 2-0 at 4:51. Then, on the power play again at 7:50, Jorgenson had all day to pick his spot from the right face off circle. Portland kept hustling in spite of the score though. Matt Betker finished a few checks, and the rookie line of Sokol, Thomas Frazee and Tristan King had some good action with two extended shifts in the Blazer end. Nick Hotson and Frazer McLaren were both in front of the net, but could not re-direct a centering pass from Teegan Moore after he won a board battle for possession. And, Flette made a huge save on Frazee’s shorthanded breakaway. He went to the forehand slam, just like the one he scored on Saturday in Prince George, but Flette was up to the task. Meanwhile, Mucha made an enormous save on Brock Nixon late in the first period, among his 17 saves, most difficult, as Kamloops outshot Portland 20-7.
Portland played a pretty solid second period. They had to kill a couple of penalties, which reduced the opportunities to forecheck, as the Hawks only generated 2 shots on net in the period, but they did not allow the high quality chances that Kamloops had in the first period. The defense pair of Luke Alexiuk and Bo Montgomery continues to play beyond its experience level and Portland got a couple of blocked shots from Frazer McLaren and Matt Sokol on the penalty kill. Max Gordichuk broke up a good scoring chance in front of Mucha, who probably had his toughest challenge on a shot he did not have to face. Kamloops did get a 2-on-1 and the trigger man was Puustinen. Cameron Cepek did a good job of getting back and denying the passing option while Puustinen kept waiting for Mucha to commit and give him some net to shoot at. Mucha never did, and Puustinen wound up just stickhandling the puck right into Mucha’s pad. Portland created a glorious chance late in the second period when Moore won a battle on the end wall and whirled a perfect behind the back pass to Hotson, alone in front. Hotson got off a quick, hard shot, but Flette got most of it, the puck laying behind him right on the goal line. Portland could not get there in time to nudge it in before it was blown down. Shots were 10-2 Kamloops in the scoreless second period.
Kamloops blew the Hawks away in the third period. Terrance Delaronde scored his first of two in the period right at the front of the net, a shot that hit Mucha’s stick, went straight up in the air, over his shoulder and in. Then, after Thomas Frazee hit the right post after intercepting Flette’s clearing attempt, Hawks’ forwards Matt Sokol and Tristan King were slow to get back, allowing Ivan Rohac to score on a 2-on-1 to make it 6-0. Puustinen beat Mucha on a wicked backhand from the left circle on the rush at 12:07. Chris Ward relieved Mucha in goal at that point and Delaronde scored his second of the period, set up in front by Tyler Shattock’s pass out of the corner. Travis Dunstall completed the scoring, roasting the Portland defense with his speed and scoring on a partial breakaway.
www.winterhawks.com
Dean Vrooman - February 11, 2007
Kamloops team captain Reid Jorgenson scored 3 goals in the first 7:50 of the game and then his Blazer teammates rolled up 5 third period goals to complete an 8-0 blowout win over the Portland Winter Hawks Sunday at the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops British Columbia.
It was Portland’s third shutout loss in 4 games on their B.C. swing.
Jorgenson is now tied for the league lead in goals with 39.
Linemates Juuso Puustinen had a goal and 3 assists and Brock Nixon had 4 assists as they combined for 11 points.
Portland, (15-40-1-1), returns home to play the Kootenay Ice for the only time this season on Valentine’s Day, Wednesday, at 7:30 in the Coliseum. (No TV). The 26th annual Fred Meyer $10,000 Dash for Cash is next Saturday at 7:30 in Memorial Coliseum (TV on Comcast CNW-14, Audio Webcast at winterhawks.com, In-Arena Audio at 96.5 FM). The Lethbridge Hurricanes make their only visit on Monday February 19 for a special 2:00 President’s Day afternoon matinee.
Kamloops, (37-15-2-1), came into Sunday’s game in a foul mood. They lost in Vancouver 5-1 on Friday, a game that was a battle for first place in the B.C. Division. The two teams combined for 256 penalty minutes in the testy affair. Then, they traveled to arch-rival Kelowna, losing 4-2 to the Rockets, who trail them by 35 points in the standings. The Blazers boast of three of the most gifted defensemen in the league in Ray Macias (4th round, Colorado), Victor Bartley (first round bantam pick – tryout Vancouver Canucks) and Keaten Ellerby, likely top ten pick in the first round of the upcoming NHL draft. Captain Reid Jorgenson, one of the league’s best two way forwards, leads the team in goals with 36. Brock Nixon and Finland flash Juuso Puustinen (5th round, Calgary) also have been high end offensive impact players on the forward lines. Even with the two-game losing streak, Kamloops is just 2 points behind Vancouver with a game in hand in the race for the B.C. Division regular season pennant.
Kamloops is missing forward Alex Rogers (shoulder). Portland scratched Colton Sceviour for the 19th straight game, still out for 2-3 weeks as he recovers from a broken foot, and defenseman Stefan Langwieder, who is out day to day with a head injury suffered in Friday night’s loss in Prince George.
Goaltender Kurtis Mucha, who has started 47 of 56 games for Portland this season, got the night off Saturday so he was back between the pipes for Portland. The Hawks still have not faced their old teammate, Dustin Butler, who was rested for back-up 16-year-old Dayln Flette. Butler joined his teammates in having a not-so-good weekend. He was pulled after allowing 5 goals on 24 shots in the Vancouver loss, Flette stopping 9 for 9 in relief. And, Saturday, Kamloops outshot Kelowna 34-20 in the 4-2 loss with Butler going all the way. The Blazers turnaround this season started right after they acquired Butler from Portland as they immediately had faith in his abilities after Mike Maniago had struggled in nets for the team. Butler has already set the franchise record for shutouts this season with 7, but Kamloops also only allows and average of 22 shots on net per game.
After two road losses, Kamloops was happy to be back in the Interior Savings Center, the old Riverside Coliseum, where they came into Sunday’s game (24-4-1-0). They looked like a white tornado in their Blazer-white jerseys smothering the back-clad Winter Hawks in their zone. Portland did not cross the Blazer blue line for the first 9 minutes of the game as Kamloops took out their frustrations of their lost weekend on the youngest team in the WHL. Jorgenson opened the scoring on the power play at 1:47 on an easy one. Portland penalty killer Matt Sokol got a piece of Puustinen’s stick as he shot the puck from the low spot, but the puck slid right to Jorgenson on the back door for a gimme. Jorgensen got a little lucky on the next one, banking a shot in off a defender in front from behind the net to make it 2-0 at 4:51. Then, on the power play again at 7:50, Jorgenson had all day to pick his spot from the right face off circle. Portland kept hustling in spite of the score though. Matt Betker finished a few checks, and the rookie line of Sokol, Thomas Frazee and Tristan King had some good action with two extended shifts in the Blazer end. Nick Hotson and Frazer McLaren were both in front of the net, but could not re-direct a centering pass from Teegan Moore after he won a board battle for possession. And, Flette made a huge save on Frazee’s shorthanded breakaway. He went to the forehand slam, just like the one he scored on Saturday in Prince George, but Flette was up to the task. Meanwhile, Mucha made an enormous save on Brock Nixon late in the first period, among his 17 saves, most difficult, as Kamloops outshot Portland 20-7.
Portland played a pretty solid second period. They had to kill a couple of penalties, which reduced the opportunities to forecheck, as the Hawks only generated 2 shots on net in the period, but they did not allow the high quality chances that Kamloops had in the first period. The defense pair of Luke Alexiuk and Bo Montgomery continues to play beyond its experience level and Portland got a couple of blocked shots from Frazer McLaren and Matt Sokol on the penalty kill. Max Gordichuk broke up a good scoring chance in front of Mucha, who probably had his toughest challenge on a shot he did not have to face. Kamloops did get a 2-on-1 and the trigger man was Puustinen. Cameron Cepek did a good job of getting back and denying the passing option while Puustinen kept waiting for Mucha to commit and give him some net to shoot at. Mucha never did, and Puustinen wound up just stickhandling the puck right into Mucha’s pad. Portland created a glorious chance late in the second period when Moore won a battle on the end wall and whirled a perfect behind the back pass to Hotson, alone in front. Hotson got off a quick, hard shot, but Flette got most of it, the puck laying behind him right on the goal line. Portland could not get there in time to nudge it in before it was blown down. Shots were 10-2 Kamloops in the scoreless second period.
Kamloops blew the Hawks away in the third period. Terrance Delaronde scored his first of two in the period right at the front of the net, a shot that hit Mucha’s stick, went straight up in the air, over his shoulder and in. Then, after Thomas Frazee hit the right post after intercepting Flette’s clearing attempt, Hawks’ forwards Matt Sokol and Tristan King were slow to get back, allowing Ivan Rohac to score on a 2-on-1 to make it 6-0. Puustinen beat Mucha on a wicked backhand from the left circle on the rush at 12:07. Chris Ward relieved Mucha in goal at that point and Delaronde scored his second of the period, set up in front by Tyler Shattock’s pass out of the corner. Travis Dunstall completed the scoring, roasting the Portland defense with his speed and scoring on a partial breakaway.
www.winterhawks.com