Giants/Blazers

[scamperdog]

On the post game show tonight, I heard Kirk say that was a classic, maybe yes maybe no, but it was one hell of a good game.
The Giants came out strong in the first, taking it to the Blazers and getting them in early penalty trouble, goals by Bliznik and Watt put the Giants up 2-0 before the game was 7min. old and things were not looking good, but the Home team came back with one of there own by Bender to pull within one and bring an onslot of teddybears onto the ice. The clean up of the bears appeared to do the Blazers good as they seemed more focused.
In the second period Kamloops scored an early short hand goal from Puustinen, to even thing up, but on the same Giants powerplay Festerling scored to regain the Giants lead. Kamloops again tied the game at the midway point on the powerplay with a goal from Macias. The Blazers then took there first lead of the game with Puustinen scoring in the final minute of the second.
The scoring parade continued into the third with the Giants, Machacek scoring an early goal to even thing up again. Again the Blazers took the lead With Brock Nixon scoring twice to put Kamloops up by two, but the never say never Giants again fought back to pull within one, with a goal by Lucic, the Giants then pulled out all the stops but Blazer held the fort for the win and pull within 6 points of the Giants with one game in hand.
There was no doubt the Giants wanted this game bad, they came out played hard but the Blazers managed to answer the bell, a very physical game with both teams hitting hard, Goaltending for the Giants was average, I am sure Sexsmith would like some of those goals back. Butler did not look good on the first couple of Giant goals but he got better as the game went on making some great stops.
The refs tonight, well ...........
Scoring
1. VAN Bliznak, (6) (Lucic, Repik), 1:08
1. VAN Watt, (18) (McArdle, Kraus), 6:08 (PP)
1. KAM Bender, (2) (Rohac, Schmermund), 9:30
2. KAM Puustinen, (14) (Nixon), 2:55 (SH)
2. VAN Festerling, (3) (Bliznak, Repik), 3:25 (PP)
2. KAM Macias, (12) (Nixon, Bartley), 9:45 (PP)
2. KAM Puustinen, (15) (Bartley), 19:29
3. VAN Machacek, (5) (Czibere, Blum), 2:56
3. KAM Nixon, (21) (Rodgers, White), 5:10
3. KAM Nixon, (22) (Bartley), 8:21
3. VAN Lucic, (11) (Repik, Bliznak), 12:59
Penalties
1 - KAM Stretch, 2:19 - High Sticking , 2 min (PP)
1 - KAM Macias, 4:10 - Tripping , 2 min (PP)
1 - VAN Repik, 5:10 - Unsportsmanlike Cnd. , 2 min
1 - KAM Ellerby, 5:10 - Hooking , 2 min
1 - VAN Flatters, 7:24 - Cross Checking , 2 min (PP)
1 - VAN McArdle, 14:49 - Holding , 2 min (PP)
1 - KAM Bartley, 17:35 - Interference , 2 min (PP)
2 - KAM Bender, 2:00 - Roughing , 2 min (PP)
2 - VAN Lamb, 3:56 - Tripping , 2 min (PP)
2 - VAN Kraus, 6:16 - Unsportsmanlike Cnd. , 2 min
2 - VAN Watt, 6:16 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
2 - KAM Delaronde, 6:16 - Instigator , 2 min (PP)
2 - KAM Delaronde, 6:16 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
2 - KAM Delaronde, 6:16 - 10-Minute Misconduct , 10 min
2 - KAM Jorgensen, 6:16 - Unsportsmanlike Cnd. , 2 min
2 - KAM Ellerby, 7:01 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
2 - VAN Repik, 8:51 - Holding Opp. Stick , 2 min (PP)
2 - VAN Kraus, 12:48 - Tripping , 2 min (PP)
2 - VAN Dulle, 20:00 - Roughing , 2 min (PP)
Three Stars
1. KAM - 31 Dustin Butler
2. KAM - 19 Brock Nixon
3. VAN - 26 Michal Repik

[Kamfan]

Well I don't know about classic but that was definitely a playoff atmosphere in December, and those don't come along every day.

Can't believe the refs missed the unmistakable check from behind on Ellerby.

Turning point of the game was when Delaronde made Watt answer for another questionable hit on the next shift.

Sexsmith had no chance on Bender's or Macias' (screen shots) and Puustinen's SHG was a clear-cut breakaway but probably would've liked to have the other 3 back.

[scamperdog]

Blazers topple Giants
by Gregg Drinnan

History may show that this was the night the hockey lights went back on in Kamloops.

With the WHL’s Blazers not having qualified for the playoffs last season and having been painted in mediocrity for a few recent winters, it had been a while since a regular-season game of this magnitude had been played here.

In the white corner Sunday night at the Interior Savings Centre were the Vancouver Giants, the CHL’s No. 2-ranked team. In the blue corner were the upstart Blazers, ranked No. 8.

In the stands were 5,072 fans who would later head for home knowing they had been superbly entertained.

“(The crowd) was unbelievable,” said Kamloops defenceman Keaton Ellerby, who will be attending the national junior team’s selection camp in Calgary next week. “It was close to a sellout and to have people cheering like that and rarin’ to go, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

It helped, of course, that their Blazers prevailed, 6-5, thanks in large part to goaltender Dustin Butler, who stopped 35 shots in improving his record to 16-4-0-0.

At the other end, Vancouver’s Tyson Sexsmith stopped 12 of 18 shots as his record slipped to 13-3-1-1.

“Our guy gave us a chance and they had lots of shots at him,” Dean Clark, the Blazers’ general manager and head coach, said after his club had put up its sixth straight victory and third in three nights. “Their guy probably wasn’t as sharp as he’d like to be.”

Don Hay, the Giants’ head coach, put it this way: “My team was good, very good. Our goalie wasn’t as good as the rest of the team.”

Vancouver led this one 2-0 before some of the patrons had found their seats, Mario Bliznak and J.D. Watt scoring in the opening 6:08. The Giants also outshot their hosts 11-4 in the first period.

Defenceman Ryan Bender, with his second goal this season, got the Blazers on the board at 9:30 and, it being Teddy Bear Night, there was a 12-minute delay.

“That first goal for us . . . we scored it then we get to sit back and catch our breath, and get back into things,” said Clark.

The goaltending tide began to turn in the second period when the home boys outscored the visitors 3-1 despite being outshot 15-6. Juuso Puustinen, the fabulous flying Finn, struck twice, with Ray Macias also scoring for the Blazers.

Puustinen’s second goal, at 19:29, was key as it gave the Blazers the lead, 4-3, for the first time.

Vancouver got a second-period goal from Brett Festerling, and Spencer Machacek tied the score 4-4 at 2:56 of the third period.

Kamloops centre Brock Nixon then put this one away with two goals, at 5:10 and 8:21.

“The first one,” Nixon related, “(Alex Rodgers) fed me. I figured the quicker I got it off the better it would be . . . I’d maybe keep Sexsmith moving.

“The second one, I just cut to the middle and tried to get it off quick, rather than hang on to it maybe a little too long.

“The first one beat him clean and the second one trickled through.”

Milan Lucic scored for Vancouver at 12:59 to set up something of a frantic finish, what with a lot of the play in the Kamloops zone. But Butler stood tall and did it again.

“We didn’t do a very good job in our own zone,” offered Clark, whose club gave up a season-high 39 shots. “They do a lot of misdirection and a lot of cycling and different things. We weren’t as sharp as we were when we played in Vancouver (the Blazers won 4-2 on Nov. 12) in identifying those things.”

Kamloops left-winger Terrance Delaronde said it was a matter of talking.

“It was a lack of communication on our part,” he said. “That’s something we have to work on. But you have to give them credit. They’re a good club and they come hard.”

Watt, who plays as hard as anyone, thought his club deserved a better fate.

“We played a strong game as a team,” he said. “Any time you get 40 shots on a team you know you’re doing something right. I think we gave up a couple too many odd-man rushes and that hurt us. But we thought we played strong.”

For the Blazers, it was the finish to a near-perfect weekend, one that opened with two victories over the dastardly Kelowna Rockets.

“I’m not going to call it perfect,” Nixon said, “because there are things we need to work on. But three in three (nights) . . . any time you can get all six points, it’s so huge.”

Nixon, who is in his fourth season here, also took time to talk about the raucous crowd.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “For a regular-season game that’s the loudest I’ve ever heard it in here. The fans may not realize it that much but they played a huge part in our win.”

The Giants, now at 22-4-2-2, lead the B.C. Division by six points over the Blazers (20-7-1-1). But a loss is a loss and if you add them up, the Blazers are only one back in the loss column.

JUST NOTES: The Giants were 2-for-6 on the power play; the Blazers were 1-for-6. . . . Ellerby sat the last 14 minutes for precautionary reasons after taking a hit from Lance Bouma. “I’ll be all right,” Ellerby said. “It’s my knee. I tweaked it. I was striding and he hit me, kind of my hip to my knee, pushed it in a little bit.” . . . Kamloops D Victor Bartley, still playing with a full shield to protect a fractured orbital, enjoyed the first three-assist night of his career and has five assists in his last two games.

www.kamloopsnews.ca