scamperdog
11-13-2006, 04:38 PM
Blazers’ kids turn into Giant killers www.kamloopsnews.ca
by Gregg Drinnan
Faced with their biggest test of this WHL season, the Kamloops Blazers turned to the kids.
And they beat the Giants.
Left-winger Alex Rodgers and right-winger Tyler Shattock, freshmen from Salmon Arm, accounted for three goals Sunday night as the Blazers ran their winning streak to seven games by doubling the CHL’s No. 1-ranked team, the host Vancouver Giants, 4-2, at Pacific Coliseum. It was the Giants’ first loss in 12 home games this season.
On Saturday, the Blazers won their eighth in a row at home, beating the Chilliwack Bruins 6-3 in front of 5,310 fans, the largest crowd in the Interior Savings Centre this season.
After playing host to the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday, the Blazers meet the Silvertips in Everett on Wednesday. The Giants (18-2-1-1) and Silvertips (16-1-0-1) are not only the WHL’s top two teams, but they are ranked 1-2 in all of the CHL.
The Blazers (14-4-1-1) are second in the B.C. Division, eight points behind the Giants. The teams next meet Dec. 3 at The ATM.
Rodgers, who scored his first WHL goal Saturday, scored last night’s first two goals, opening the scoring with a shorthanded goal. Shattock wrapped things up with an empty-net goal, his second WHL goal.
“I don’t mind putting those guys out there,” Dean Clark, the Blazers’ GM and head coach, said in reference to Rodgers and Shattock. “I have confidence in them in all situations.”
After Shattock scored with 52 seconds left, the coaching staff sent Rodgers out with centre Reid Jorgensen and right-winger Terrance Delaronde.
Defenceman Victor Bartley also scored for Kamloops, deflecting a Ray Macias power-play shot to give the visitors a 3-1 lead at 14:16 of the third period.
Vancouver’s Milan Lucic cut the deficit by one, at 17:29, before Shattock scored.
Defenceman Brett Festerling had the Giants’ other goal.
“We had a good, solid game,” Clark said. “They’re good . . . they’re really good. But once we got through the first period we were OK.
“Their game is more refined than ours, but that’s due to the success they had last season.”
The Giants won the WHL championship last season and will be the host team for the Memorial Cup in May.
Kamloops goaltender Dustin Butler, whose last appearance with the Portland Winter Hawks was a complete-game 9-0 dusting in Vancouver, turned aside 28 shots in running his Blazers record to 11-1-0-0.
“He was solid,” Clark said. “For him, it’s really just another day at the office.”
On Saturday, the Blazers got two goals from right-winger Juuso Puustinen, the second a shorthanded showstopper, in beating the Bruins, who were without four regulars, including mainstay defenceman Stephane Lenoski (concussion).
With the Blazers up 3-1 late in the second period, Puustinen jumped on a puck that was mishandled by defenceman Dylan Chapman and steamed in alone on goaltender Jim Watt. Puustinen deked right, waited for Watt to move, then stopped dead in his tracks, tucked the puck into the left side and fell on the goaltender.
The Blazers also got a terrific goal from Rodgers, who beat Watt with a blistering shot from the wing to open the scoring. It was the first WHL goal for Rodgers, who is showing fans how he won the B.C. major midget league’s scoring title last season.
Jorgensen, with his ninth goal in his last five games, Brock Nixon and Matt Kassian also scored for the Blazers.
Mark Santorelli, with two, and Matt Meropoulis, with his first WHL goal on a third-period penalty shot, counted for the expansion Bruins who, at 5-16-2-0, have the WHL’s poorest record.
Kamloops goaltender Dalyn Flette, making his fourth career start, earned his first victory with 20 saves. Watt finished up with a dozen saves.
JUST NOTES: Clark said there was “no panic . . . no panic at all” when the Giants cut their deficit to 3-2 with 3:31 left in the third period. . . . Attendance in Vancouver was 7,451. . . . Macias ran his point streak to seven games (2-11—13) with one assist. . . . The Daily News three stars after Saturday‚s game were: 1. Puustinen, whose shorthanded goal was worth the price of admission; 2. Santorelli, the wheat in the chaff; and 3. Rodgers, who just gets better with each game.
by Gregg Drinnan
Faced with their biggest test of this WHL season, the Kamloops Blazers turned to the kids.
And they beat the Giants.
Left-winger Alex Rodgers and right-winger Tyler Shattock, freshmen from Salmon Arm, accounted for three goals Sunday night as the Blazers ran their winning streak to seven games by doubling the CHL’s No. 1-ranked team, the host Vancouver Giants, 4-2, at Pacific Coliseum. It was the Giants’ first loss in 12 home games this season.
On Saturday, the Blazers won their eighth in a row at home, beating the Chilliwack Bruins 6-3 in front of 5,310 fans, the largest crowd in the Interior Savings Centre this season.
After playing host to the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday, the Blazers meet the Silvertips in Everett on Wednesday. The Giants (18-2-1-1) and Silvertips (16-1-0-1) are not only the WHL’s top two teams, but they are ranked 1-2 in all of the CHL.
The Blazers (14-4-1-1) are second in the B.C. Division, eight points behind the Giants. The teams next meet Dec. 3 at The ATM.
Rodgers, who scored his first WHL goal Saturday, scored last night’s first two goals, opening the scoring with a shorthanded goal. Shattock wrapped things up with an empty-net goal, his second WHL goal.
“I don’t mind putting those guys out there,” Dean Clark, the Blazers’ GM and head coach, said in reference to Rodgers and Shattock. “I have confidence in them in all situations.”
After Shattock scored with 52 seconds left, the coaching staff sent Rodgers out with centre Reid Jorgensen and right-winger Terrance Delaronde.
Defenceman Victor Bartley also scored for Kamloops, deflecting a Ray Macias power-play shot to give the visitors a 3-1 lead at 14:16 of the third period.
Vancouver’s Milan Lucic cut the deficit by one, at 17:29, before Shattock scored.
Defenceman Brett Festerling had the Giants’ other goal.
“We had a good, solid game,” Clark said. “They’re good . . . they’re really good. But once we got through the first period we were OK.
“Their game is more refined than ours, but that’s due to the success they had last season.”
The Giants won the WHL championship last season and will be the host team for the Memorial Cup in May.
Kamloops goaltender Dustin Butler, whose last appearance with the Portland Winter Hawks was a complete-game 9-0 dusting in Vancouver, turned aside 28 shots in running his Blazers record to 11-1-0-0.
“He was solid,” Clark said. “For him, it’s really just another day at the office.”
On Saturday, the Blazers got two goals from right-winger Juuso Puustinen, the second a shorthanded showstopper, in beating the Bruins, who were without four regulars, including mainstay defenceman Stephane Lenoski (concussion).
With the Blazers up 3-1 late in the second period, Puustinen jumped on a puck that was mishandled by defenceman Dylan Chapman and steamed in alone on goaltender Jim Watt. Puustinen deked right, waited for Watt to move, then stopped dead in his tracks, tucked the puck into the left side and fell on the goaltender.
The Blazers also got a terrific goal from Rodgers, who beat Watt with a blistering shot from the wing to open the scoring. It was the first WHL goal for Rodgers, who is showing fans how he won the B.C. major midget league’s scoring title last season.
Jorgensen, with his ninth goal in his last five games, Brock Nixon and Matt Kassian also scored for the Blazers.
Mark Santorelli, with two, and Matt Meropoulis, with his first WHL goal on a third-period penalty shot, counted for the expansion Bruins who, at 5-16-2-0, have the WHL’s poorest record.
Kamloops goaltender Dalyn Flette, making his fourth career start, earned his first victory with 20 saves. Watt finished up with a dozen saves.
JUST NOTES: Clark said there was “no panic . . . no panic at all” when the Giants cut their deficit to 3-2 with 3:31 left in the third period. . . . Attendance in Vancouver was 7,451. . . . Macias ran his point streak to seven games (2-11—13) with one assist. . . . The Daily News three stars after Saturday‚s game were: 1. Puustinen, whose shorthanded goal was worth the price of admission; 2. Santorelli, the wheat in the chaff; and 3. Rodgers, who just gets better with each game.