Pats/Blazers

[scamperdog]

Not the most exciting game, but the Blazers outworked the Pats in every department tonight on there way to a 4-0 win, the Butler earned his third shutout facing 11 shots on the night while Tartaglione in the Regina net faced 29 and was by far the best Pat on the night, keeping the score respectful, In fairness to Regina they did have to ride the bus all day from PG so I would think that took something out of them. The Blazers worked hard all night but seem disorganized in there own end alot.
The refs tonight were bad and taking any flow the game could have had away, at least the calls were bad against both teams.
Scoring

1. KAM Jorgensen, (15) (Macias, Shattock), 9:45
1. KAM Schmermund, (5) (Dowd, Bender), 15:36
2. KAM Rodgers, (5) (Kassian, Ellerby), 5:12 (PP)
3. KAM Puustinen, (10) (Bartley, Nixon), 10:19 (PP)
Penelties
1 - REG Ross, 2:16 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
1 - KAM Ellerby, 4:27 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
1 - REG McDonald, 4:31 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
1 - KAM Rowley, 7:02 - Holding , 2 min (PP)
1 - REG McDonald, 10:22 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
1 - REG Reich, 13:36 - Roughing , 2 min (PP)
1 - KAM Rowley, 15:57 - Elbowing , 2 min (PP)
2 - REG Snellman, 3:00 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
2 - REG Reich, 3:53 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
2 - REG Reich, 3:53 - Spearing , 2 min (PP)
2 - REG Reich, 3:53 - Spearing , 2 min (PP)
2 - REG Leffler, 9:59 - High Sticking , 2 min (PP)
2 - KAM Dowd, 10:48 - High Sticking , 2 min (PP)
2 - REG Scott, 13:56 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
2 - KAM White, 17:58 - Tripping , 2 min (PP)
2 - KAM Macias, 18:45 - Holding , 2 min (PP)
3 - KAM Bender, 2:12 - Checking from Behind , 2 min (PP)
3 - KAM Stretch, 4:59 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
3 - KAM Bender, 6:39 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
3 - REG Bernhardt, 8:19 - Hooking , 2 min
3 - KAM Rowley, 8:19 - Unsportsmanlike Cnd. , 2 min
3 - REG Reich, 9:52 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
3 - REG McDonald, 10:07 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
3 - REG Reich, 10:07 - 10-Minute Misconduct , 10 min
3 - REG Schira, 10:59 - Holding , 2 min (PP)
three stars
1. KAM - 5 Keaton Ellerby
2. KAM - 28 Raymond Macias
3. KAM - 13 Brenden Dowd

[scamperdog]

11/25/06 - First-Ever Home Shootout Ends Well (Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN www.blazerhockey.com
Daily News Sports Editor

On a night when Ronald McDonald performed the national anthems, you just knew this was going to be one of THOSE nights.

And you were correct.

The WHL introduced the shootout last season and had used the game-deciding gimmick 120 times going into Friday night's action. However, fans in the Interior Savings Centre never had been given a peek. Until last night.

After the clown had opened the evening, you knew, too, that the Kamloops Blazers' captain would end it.

Centre Reid Jorgensen, Captain Blazer, scored in a shootout to give his side a 4-3 WHL victory over the Spokane Chiefs, the winning goal resulting in as loud a roar as has been heard from 4,895 spectators in a long time.

"It was pretty loud in here when we scored the shootout winner," Dean Clark, the Blazers' GM/head coach, said. "It was pretty exciting." Jorgensen, the 10th shooter, deked goaltender Kevin Armstrong and slid the puck through his legs to lift the Blazers' record to 17-7-1-1. They are second in the B.C. Division, nine points behind the Vancouver Giants and 12 ahead of the Prince George Cougars.

"I was going to go the other way but he dropped with me," Jorgensen said. "I saw five-hole so I took it." The Blazers emptied their bench in celebration as the crowd roared and roared.

The goal was Jorgensen's second of the night, although only the first one will count in the individual statistics. The first one, a shorthanded effort off a terrific steal and pass by Alex Rodgers, gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead early in the third period.

Six minutes later, right-winger Juuso Puustinen, off a great feed from Ray Macias, wired a power-play shot under the cross-bar to give the Blazers a 3-1 lead and it looked like this one was money in the bank.

But . . .

"We should have done a better job when we were up 3-1," Clark said. "We got real sloppy in our zone."

"I think we got a little bit complacent," Jorgensen said. "I think we thought we had the two points. It's a learning curve . . . you don't want to make that mistake, but better to make it now and still get the two points." The Chiefs didn't think they'd lost the two points. They dug in and got two goals just over four minutes apart from right-winger David Rutherford to force overtime.

"We're disappointed we didn't win in the shootout," Rutherford said. "But we came back from a big deficit against a very good hockey team. It's a little easier to take when it's a team outside your division.

"We look at the positives from tonight. We stuck together and we battled hard." Left-winger Brenden Dowd opened the scoring for the Blazers with a goal that should have been waved off. Midway through the first period, centre Matt Schmermund, off the right wing, threw the puck to the Spokane net, Armstrong kicked it out and Dowd, driving to the left post, raised a foot and rapped in his first WHL goal.

(Two nights earlier, in a 4-0 victory over the visiting Regina Pats, Kamloops winger Ivan Rohac had a goal disallowed when officials mistakenly ruled that he had used a kicking motion to score.)

Derek Ryan had Spokane's other goal, the only score of the second period.

The Blazers had a glorious opportunity to bury the visitors when the Chiefs took four minor penalties in a 3:36 span early in the second period. But the Chiefs killed the whole mess, including a two-minute 5-on-3.

"We had a good power play," Clark said. "We just kept hitting (Armstrong) in the crest, especially on the 5-on-3. (Spokane) got some momentum off that." Still, the Blazers regained control, or appeared to, in the third period.

"I thought we did a great job in the first 10 minutes of the third in taking back the game," Clark said.

Until Rutherford put an end to that.

Lost in the shootout was Kamloops goaltender Dustin Butler making 25 saves and improving his home-ice record to 8-0. He got some help in the shootout, too, from Spokane's Drayson Bowman and Mitch Wahl.

"I got lucky," Butler admitted. "(Bowman) hit the post and (Wahl) shot wide." All of which only served to set the stage for the captain. Ryan, Spokane's second shooter, beat Butler to the stick side. Rohac followed with a shot that hit Armstrong and went up and over the goaltender and into the net.

Wahl hit a post. Armstrong got a glove on a Macias shot. Butler made a glove save on Ondrej Roman. Brock Nixon couldn't beat Armstrong's pad. Butler got a toe on Judd Blackwater's backhand shot.

Leaving Jorgensen to win it.

Somewhere, Ronald McDonald was singing.

JUST NOTES: The Chiefs (12-10-3-1) had been 3-0 in shootouts. The Blazers are 2-1. . . . Referees Ryan Agar and Colby Smith gave the Blazers nine of 17 minors. . . . Armstrong was superb, finishing with 33 saves. . . . The Chiefs now are 0-9-0-1 in their last 10 visits to River City. In fact, in the last five years, the Blazers now hold a 21-9 overall edge on the Chiefs. . . . Spokane scurried home after last night's game because they play host to the Kelowna Rockets tonight. . . . Those same Rockets are here Friday.


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THE SCORE
Kamloops 4, Spokane 3 (SO)

WHAT HAPPENED
The Blazers took their foot off the gas in the third and coughed up a 3-1 lead. It remained for their captain, Reid Jorgensen, to win it in a shootout.

THE SHOOTOUT
There had been 120 shootouts in WHL games last season and this season, but one had never been needed to decide a game at the Interior Savings Centre.
The Blazers won this one, 2-1, getting goals from Ivan Rohac and Jorgensen.
Derek Ryan, Spokane's second shooter, also scored.

THE HOME COOKING
Kamloops G Dustin Butler is 8-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and three shutouts in his starts at The ATM this season.

THE DEFENCE
Spokane had 28 shots on goal, the first time this season the Blazers have surrendered more than 25 shots at home. They are 11-2-1 on home ice.

THE INTERMISSION
There were 20 local sports organizations represented on the ice during the first intermission as the Kamloops Blazers Sports Foundation was saluted.
The foundation has put more than $1 million in grants back into the community over the last 10 years, with far more than those 20 groups benefitting.

THE STREAK
Spokane C Adam Hobson, the younger brother of former Blazers C Jonathan Hobson, had played in 194 straight games before suffering a leg injury earlier this month.

THE AMERICANS
The Chiefs' roster boasts five Americans - LW Drayson Bowman (Littleton, Colo.), C Seth Compton (West Richland, Wash.), C Derek Ryan (Spokane), C Mitch Wahl (Seal Beach, Calif.) and D Sean Zimmerman (Spokane) - the most in franchise history.

THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS

1. C Reid Jorgensen, Kamloops. Works hard and wins it.

2. G Kevin Armstrong, Spokane. Gave his side a chance.

3. RW David Rutherford, Spokane. Two late goals.

UP NEXT
The Blazers play host to the Kelowna Rockets on Friday, visit the Little Apple the following night and are at home to the Vancouver Giants on Dec. 3.


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