Blazers/Americans

[scamperdog]

Well here we go again, will it be another early exit for the Blazers or will they come up with the BIG upset, Boogaard'd only time will tell. so what do you think? vc119

[WestLEAFfan]

I'm calling for a Tri-City American WHL championship, and I think the Blazers will be extremely lucky to even win one game of this series. The Americans have been the class of the league for pretty much the entire season. I'll say the Americans in 5 games.

[scamperdog]

I'm calling for a Tri-City American WHL championship, and I think the Blazers will be extremely lucky to even win one game of this series. The Americans have been the class of the league for pretty much the entire season. I'll say the Americans in 5 games.
Americans are a very good team, as for the first round it a case of just coming out with no injuries, as for the team to win it all, I would not count out Vancouver, they have been there and no what it takes to win, as of now they are my pick

[Jimmy]

Ams in Six
Though I'd just be happy with either team that wins the series coming out as banged up as possible. clrkth

[Pete76]

if kamloops has a shot they have to win game 1 in tri ... if tri wins game 1 I think it will be over in 5, if tri looses game 1 I will take kamloops in 7

[TwoBits]

Tri-City just has to make sure they don't take any team too lightly, including Kamloops. Look what happened to Everett last year. Nothing like stating the obvious but, Kamloops needs to come out with all guns blazing.

[Ams4life]

Im going to have to say Ams in 5! We are poised to win the WHL championship or at least I would like to believe that! Spokane is lurking right in there and yea Vancouver is good but I don't think they will match up against us or the Chiefs! GO AMS GO

[scamperdog]

Blazers and Americans set to renew playoff rivalry
by Gregg Drinnan www.kamloopsnews.ca

The Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans aren’t playoff strangers to each other, although they haven’t met in the second season since the spring of 1999.

In fact, when the two teams open a best-of-seven first-round series Friday in the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash., it will mark the fifth time the two have clashed in a WHL playoff series.

Nine years ago, the Blazers opened a march to the WHL championship final by taking out the Kelowna Rockets in six games. The Blazers then swept the Americans, winning 4-3 and 6-0 (Kenric Exner put up an 11-save shutout) at home. In Kennewick, the Blazers won 3-2 in overtime (Konstantin Panov got the winner at 11:39) and 4-3.

The Blazers went on to lose in five games to the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL final.

In the spring of 1996, the Blazers, who were the defending Memorial Cup champions, opened the playoffs with a 4-1 series victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds and moved into a best-of-five Western Conference semifinal against the Americans.

The Americans, with Brian Boucher making 38 saves, took the opener, 2-0, in Kamloops, with the Blazers coming back the next night for a 4-3 victory on Jarome Iginla’s goal at 13:23 of OT. The series shifted to Kennewick and the Americans won Game 3, 5-2. The Blazers pulled even by taking Game 4, 6-1.

The Blazers won the series at home, taking Game 5, 5-1, before 5,622 fans, a crowd count that then was automatic.

The Spokane Chiefs then took out the Blazers in six games in the Western Conference final.

In 1994-95, the Blazers and Americans met up in the best-of-seven Western Conference final, with Kamloops winning in six games.

The Blazers won the first two games at home, 4-2 and 2-1 in double overtime, Ashley Buckberger scoring at 8:27 of the second OT period.

In Kennewick, the Americans won twice in overtime — 7-6 on Daymond Langkow’s goal at 15:38 and 4-3 when Pavel Kriz scored at 10:03.

The series returned to Kamloops and the Blazers won Game 5, 6-2.

Back in Kennewick, the Blazers wrapped up the series with a 7-1 victory.

Kamloops would go on to eliminate the Brandon Wheat Kings in six games in the WHL’s championship final and then would win its third Memorial Cup in four seasons.

The Blazers and Americans met for the first time in postseason play in the spring of 1991, and it was one of those lovely best-of-nine affairs.

The series opened in Memorial Arena with Kamloops defenceman Darryl Sydor scoring once and setting up six others — he had four assists before the game was 12 minutes old — in an 11-5 victory highlighted by a 55-save performance by Blazers goaltender Corey Hirsch. The next night, Sydor had two assists but the Americans won, 6-2.

The series moved to Kennewick and the Blazers won twice, 5-3 and 6-5, as Sydor added five more assists to his total.

Back in Kamloops, Sydor drew one assist in a 3-1 Kamloops victory as the Blazers grabbed a 4-1 series lead.

The teams went back to Kennewick for Game 6, which the Americans won, 6-3, despite Sydor scoring once and setting up his club’s other two goals.

The series headed to Kamloops for Game 7, which the Blazers won 7-5 to capture the series, 5-2.

Sydor had a goal and two assists in the last game, bringing his series total to 21 points, including 18 assists. Sydor, now one of the Blazers’ five co-owners, tied a franchise single-game playoff record for assists (six) that was set by Jim Camazzola on April 14, 1984, and set franchise records for most points in one game (seven), assists by a defenceman in a series (18) and points by a defenceman in a series (21).

❐ ❐ ❐

[old_time_hockey]

Im going to have to say Ams in 5! We are poised to win the WHL championship or at least I would like to believe that! Spokane is lurking right in there and yea Vancouver is good but I don't think they will match up against us or the Chiefs! GO AMS GO

Well the Tips thought that last year and they had more skill than the Ams. And both the goaltending stats at the end of the regular season went: Sexsmith, Irving, Reekie.

The Tips organization even went as far as to buy huge blocks of seats for the Memorial Cup for their fans to purchase thinking their ticket was already punched to be there.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. 1 or 2 injuries to key people could spell the end of the playoffs early.

[Ams4life]

True but this team has more depth than anyone knows! The rookies step up huge at the chance and the veterans are always playing their role! 1 or 2 injuries and I still believe the team will be fine. Lets see how it goes.
GO AMS GO!!!!

[scamperdog]

From The Daily News of Friday, March 21, 2008 . . .
http://gdrinnan.blogspot.com/
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
KENNEWICK, Wash. — Defenceman Nick Ross’s stay in the Greg Hawgood-operated
Chateau de Bow-Wow was short and not very sweet.
But that’s in the past now and Ross, like his Kamloops Blazers teammates, is
only looking to the Tri-City Americans.
The Blazers open a best-of-seven first-round WHL playoff series against the
Americans tonight in Kennewick, Wash. Game 2 will be played Saturday, with
Games 3 and 4 in Kamloops on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ross, who turned 19 on Feb. 10, was acquired Jan. 4 from the Regina Pats,
along with defenceman Spencer Fraipont, in a deal that had veteran
defencemen Victor Bartley and Ryan Bender go the other way. A couple of
draft picks also changed hands.
Ross, selected 30th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL’s 2007 draft,
arrived in Kamloops with the reputation as an open-ice banger with fine
offensive skills.
Early on, he lived up to that reputation, especially when it came to
quarterbacking the Kamloops power play.
But the Lethbridge native’s play tailed off to the point where Hawgood, the
Blazers’ interim head coach, benched him for a March 8 game in Prince
George. As well, the Coyotes sent scout Rich Sutter into Kamloops to have a
chat with their prospect.
“A part of me being in the dog house . . .,” Ross said before pausing. “I
was trying to be more defensive because for us to be successful me being
offensive hadn’t benefited us.”
Ross reasoned that the struggling Blazers might be better off with him
playing a more defensive game and not leading the rush up ice as often as he
had been.
“If I can . . . just jump up into the play and not lead the rush, just join
the rush. . . .,” Ross said in explaining his train of thought. “I knew that
lately my defensive play hadn’t been good so that’s all I did.”
But in doing that he took himself out of his comfort zone as he changed his
game.
“If I become totally defensive, it almost limits my strong points,” he said.
“I have to try to be both, I guess.”
Ross finished the season with 47 points in 72 games, putting up 19 points in
31 games with the Blazers. However, he was minus-13 with Kamloops.
p p p
The Americans led the WHL in goals scored, with 262 goals. They didn’t get
that many goals by hanging out in their own zone.
“They have a lot of highly skilled players,” Ross said. “For a team like
that, they try to make it a pure offensive game.”
That means the Blazers are going to have to look for the pass or the chip
off the glass to get out of their zone.
“Even if we go off the glass,” Ross said, “because they come really hard so
maybe we can catch them deep.”
Kamloops defenceman Mike Gauthier pointed out that the Americans don’t
hesitate to have both defencemen pinch along the boards.
“So it makes it really hard to break out unless you make two or three good
passes right away,” Gauthier said. “They definitely have one of the more
intense forechecks in the league.”
p p p
Gauthier scored his third goal of the season Sunday, in the Blazers’ 4-2
loss to visiting Prince George.
“It was the last regular-season game of my career,” offered the North
Vancouver native who was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders early in
the season. “It was nice to end it on a good note.
“Hopefully, I can do a little bit of that in the playoffs.”
Asked how many career goals he had, Gauthier, who played in 304
regular-season games, replied: “Maybe 20.”
Told that someone was going to look it up, he chuckled and added: “Let’s
hope I’m right.”
Actually, Mike, the total is 15, including a career-high five in 2006-07.
p p p
Kamloops goaltender Justin Leclerc faced the Americans on two occasions this
season; however, his first appearance lasted only seven minutes and three
saves.
He suffered a sprained ankle early in a 3-1 Americans victory in Kennewick
onn Oct. 16. The injury caused him to miss two games.
He faced the Americans again on Dec. 8, going the distance and making 20
saves in Kamloops on Dec. 8.
“It seemes they have a really high-powered offence,” Leclerc said. “I expect
their power play will be very good, as well.
“Their defencemen pinch up the wall so they’ll try to hem us in. We are
gonig to have to be chipping pucks out off the glass. If we don’t they’re
going to be playing a lot in our end.”
p p p
Jon Groenheyde, who is with the Blazers as their third goaltender, made his
only WHL appearance of the season against the Americans, turning in a
dazzling 33-save performance in a 3-2 home-ice victory on Jan. 4.
One week later, James Priestner was in goal in Kennewick. He stopped 36
shots as the Americans won, 4-1.
p p p
After a bit of a shaky time, Priestner appears to have rediscovered his
game.
And he says he has Joey Perricone, the Moose Jaw Warriors’ 20-year-old
goaltender to thank.
“I was a matter of changing one little movement in my game,” Priestner said.
“Just making sharper movements. I used to do that and I guess I got away
from it a bit.”
It all came back to him while the Blazers were in Moose Jaw for a game on
Feb. 23.
“I noticed Perricone and the way he was moving,” Priestner said. “I knew I
had to get back to that. “
Priestner talked things over with goaltending coach Steve Passmore and it
wasn’t long before he had his game back.
But now that the Blazers are into the playoffs, Priestner knows his
appearances may be few and far between.
“It’s a little bit frustrating when you know you’re probably not going to
get the chance,” the freshman from Edmonton said, “but I’m going to be ready
and I’m going to keep sharp.”
JUST NOTES: Kamloops D Mark Schneider (knee) missed the last 12 games with
an injury suffered in practice. He has resumed light skating but won’t play
in the first round. . . . Kamloops LW Ivan Rohac will turn 20 on Tuesday as
the teams play Game 3 at Interior Savings Centre, while D Mike Gauthier will
turn 21 the following day. . . . The Americans’ 23-man roster includes just
one player from B.C. — D Jarrett Toll is from Maple Ridge — and 11 from
Winnipeg. Both goaltenders and four defencemen are from the Manitoba
capital. . . . The Blazers will select seventh in the first round of the
2008 bantam draft which is scheduled for May 1 in Calgary. They will pick
sixth in all subsequent rounds.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

[scamperdog]

http://gdrinnan.blogspot.com/
Daily News Sports Editor
KENNEWICK, Wash. — Unless you have been living in a cable- and satellite-less cave, in which
case you likely don’t get home delivery of this family journal so all of
this won’t matter to you, you are aware that we’re into March Madness.
You also know how March Madness works.
What you may not know is that never, not once, in the history of the NCAA
men’s basketball tournament has a team that entered the event as a 16th seed
upset a No. 1 seed.
The Kamloops Blazers aren’t playing in the NCAA tournament, but as the WHL
playoffs open tonight, they are the No. 16 seed. And as luck, or their
abysmal finish, would have it, the Blazers open against the No. 1-seeded
Tri-City Americans.
To say the Blazers face long odds is something of an understatement.
The Americans finished with the WHL’s best record — 52-16-2-2 — and set
franchise records for victories and points (108). They are 8-2-0-0 in their
last 10 outings and go into the playoffs having won five straight games.
“Where do you start?” Greg Hawgood, the Blazers’ interim head coach, says of
the Americans. “Their goalie is exceptional. They have a lot of forwards who
have offensive talent. Systematically, they’re good.”
The Blazers (27-41-2-2) lost 40 games for only the second time in franchise
history; the first time was in 1981-82, the organization’s first season,
when it was the Jr. Oilers. The Blazers have lost 14 of their last 15 games.
They are 1-9-0-0 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last four
games. They are 8-22-1-1 since Jan. 4, which was the night they bade
farewell to stalwarts Victor Bartley and Ryan Bender, who were dealt to the
Regina Pats, and Brock Nixon, who went to the Calgary Hitmen.
Did we mention that the Americans scored more goals (262) than any other WHL
team, while the Blazers’ 197 goals were 16th? Or that the Americans boast
the WHL’s fifth-best defence (176 goals against), while the Blazers (253)
were 19th?
Still, they have to play the games and the Blazers know going in what
they’re up against.
“If we play the way we can,” Hawgood says, “we’re going to give them a good
shot. We just have to be intense, we have to play with emotion. We have to
back each other up and each guy in the lineup has to (understand) that if
he’s not (giving) 100 per cent that night he’s letting his teammates down.”
Hawgood’s hope is that his players will recognize Tri-City for what it is —
the best team in the league through 72 games — and rise to the occasion and
play with the emotion it showed in a 3-1 loss to the visiting Vancouver
Giants, another elite team, on Saturday.
“We look at who we’re playing and we know that, geez, if we play like this
against Vancouver, it’s going to get ugly, so we crank it way up,” Hawgood
says. “And then we drop it down far enough to think that we can get away
with not playing as hard.
“You would expect the guys to know they’re going into a building where their
team finished first in the whole league. If they don’t bring the game they
brought (Saturday) night, it’s going to get ugly.”
Here’s something of a breakdown of both teams as the second season opens:
GOAL: This promises to be a marvelous showdown between two 18-year-old
goaltenders who have been terrific. Tri-City’s Chet Pickard led the WHL in
victories (46), games played (64) and minutes played (3,779). Pickard, who
was 46-12-2-2, was eighth in GAA (2.32) and fourth in save percentage
(.918). Backup Kyle Birch, 17, was 6-4-0-0, 2.51, .904. . . . While the
Blazers have lost 14 of their last 15 games, they can’t point fingers at
their goaltending. No goaltender has played better than Justin Leclerc over
the last two months. Yes, he is 0-9-1-0 in his last 10 games, but his save
percentage during that stretch is .910. That number was .899 for January,
.907 for February and .923 for March. Backup James Priestner has
rediscovered his game and hasn’t disappointed in recent appearances. . . .
EDGE: Even.
--------
DEFENCE: The Americans are led by captain T.J. Fast, a 20-year-old from
Calgary. Fast, who had 54 points and was a team-high plus-29, also
quarterbacks the power play. Tyler Schmidt and Mitch McColm provide the
muscle on the back end. Jarrett Toll, who is from Maple Ridge, is the lone
B.C. native on the Tri-City roster. . . . The Kamloops defenders offer up
far too many turnovers. Nick Ross, the Phoenix Coyotes’ first-round pick in
the 2007 NHL draft, has been erratic and was a healthy scratch for one
late-season game. Sasha Golin, a winger through most of the season, has been
moved to defence. Mike Gauthier, brought in for muscle, has found himself on
the top pairing. . . . EDGE: Tri-City.
--------
FORWARDS: The Americans have eight players with at least 39 points; the
Blazers have five. The Americans have four players with at least 73 points;
the Blazers don’t have any. . . . LW Colton Yellow Horn led the WHL with 48
goals and was third with 97 points. . . . RW Juuso Puustinen led the Blazers
with 27 and 53. . . . Tri-City scored more goals than any other team; the
Blazers’ offence ranked 16th. . . . Tri-City RW Taylor Procyshen, who may be
the WHL’s most under-rated player, had 52 points, including 32 goals, in 51
games. He missed a chunk of the season with a concussion. . . . Kamloops LW
Ivan Rohac finished with eight points in his last seven games, while
Puustinen had 10 points, seven of them goals, over his last 11 games. . . .
Kamloops F Jimmy Bubnick, 16, had 27 points in 64 games. He is one player
who really improved over the season and needs to play a larger role. . . .
EDGE: Tri-City.
--------
SPECIAL TEAMS: Tri-City’s power play scored 80 goals in 376 opportunities,
its 21.3 per cent success rate ranking it second. The Kamloops power play
(66-for-355, 18.6) ranked 10th. . . . On the penalty kill, Tri-City was the
best in the league, surrendering 42 goals on 362 chances (88.4 per cent).
The Blazers allowed an incomprehensible 95 PP goals on 435 opportunities —
no one faced more opposition power plays and only the Prince George Cougars
surrendered more PP goals. Kamloops’ 78.2 success rate ranked 19th. . . .
The Americans were plus-38 on special teams (PPG minus PPGA); the Blazers
were minus-29. . . . Tri-City also scored a WHL-high 22 shorthanded goals;
the Blazers had six. Each team surrendered seven shorthanded goals. . . .
EDGE: Tri-City.
--------
COACHING: Tri-City’s Don Nachbaur is in his 11th season as a head coach, his
fifth with the Americans. Nachbaur’s teams — he spent six seasons with the
Seattle Thunderbirds — have won 388 regular-season games. . . . Greg
Hawgood, the Blazers’ interim head coach, replaced the fired Dean Clark on
Nov. 7. The Blazers are 21-32-1-1 under Hawgood. . . . EDGE: Tri-City.
--------
INTANGIBLES: The Americans are 29-6-0-1 at home, 23-10-2-1 on the road. . .
. The Blazers are 16-18-1-1 at home and 11-23-1-1 on the road. . . . The
Blazers allowed more than 30 shots in 32 of 37 games after the Christmas
break. In nine of those games, they gave up 40 or more shots. . . . Kamloops
has bowed out in the first round in its last seven playoff appearances. . .
. Commissioner Ron Robison will present the Americans with the Scotty Munro
Memorial Trophy as regular-season champions prior to Game 1. This is the
Ams’ 20th season in the Tri-Cities of Kennewick, Richland and Pasco, and,
prior to Saturday night, they hadn’t won even one banner. The trophy
presentation is certain to fire up the fans and the Americans to start Game
1.
--------
THE CALL: Tri-City, in four.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

[Ams4life]

I don't know about Americans in four! I think it will be a rough style game comming from the blazers and we will win the series just not in four games. Probably more like 5!

[Ams4life]

Well the series kinf of started out how most of us thought it would. Americans hitting the back of the net often and the Blazers hitting the Ams often and HARD! Kamloops needs to tone down the physical style a bit and focuss more on getting back to the basics. They took way too many penalties for a team that wants any chance in this round. It almost seems that they believe that they are beaten. pbj

[scamperdog]

Well the series kinf of started out how most of us thought it would. Americans hitting the back of the net often and the Blazers hitting the Ams often and HARD! Kamloops needs to tone down the physical style a bit and focuss more on getting back to the basics. They took way too many penalties for a team that wants any chance in this round. It almost seems that they believe that they are beaten. pbj
Now thats a shock to many penalties, they have had that problem most of the season, a third of the game in the box hard to win against any team like that. I am glad they played physical, that is something that has been missing from there game for a long time, but still you have to be smart to play that style, no doubt who will win series, but how battered up will that team be? clrkthj

[Ams4life]

Well no one got hurt last night. If that is the way you are looking at it to see how beat up our team will be or how hurt our players will be at the end of the series then WOW. I am happy that we have talent on the team and we aren't out there to see who we can hurt. Half of your team seems to be goons. Golin is a head hunter and thats why Portland got rid of him. Ams in FOUR!!! With at least 27 goals for!

[dondo]

Actually I think the Blazers need to hit harder and more often. Rough up the Ams a bit more. The only hope they have in a long series is to out-work the Ams and use their physical advantage.

I'm a bit disappointed in the Blazers (from what I have seen on the box score), but I think they'll take at least one at home.

[scamperdog]

Actually I think the Blazers need to hit harder and more often. Rough up the Ams a bit more. The only hope they have in a long series is to out-work the Ams and use their physical advantage.

I'm a bit disappointed in the Blazers (from what I have seen on the box score), but I think they'll take at least one at home.
could not agree with you more Dondo,

[Ams4life]

Dondo the only reason you want the Blazers to hit more and more often is so that you guys have a chance when we meet.... ;)