Blazers/Ice

01/20/07 - Ice Storm Buries Blazers (Kamloops Daily News)
www.blazerhockey.com
Daily News Sports Reporter

Right-winger Luke Wiens of the Kootenay Ice went into Friday's WHL action with one goal in 91 games, 45 of them this season.

He promptly scored twice in the first period to spark the Ice to a 6-4 victory over the Kamloops Blazers before 3,279 fans in Cranbrook. The victory was the Ice's franchise-record 10th straight on home ice. It also allowed the Ice (32-10-2-2) to move into a first-place tie with the Medicine Hat Tigers atop the Central Division. The Ice holds three games in hand on the Tigers, who will play host to the Blazers tonight.

The Blazers (31-12-1-1) remained second in the B.C. Division, again missing an opportunity to move into first place. The Vancouver Giants, who lead the Blazers by a point, lost 4-2 to the Silvertips in Everett.

In Cranbrook, the Blazers actually scored first, with Reid Jorgensen counting on a power play just 1:19 into the first period.

"We scored first," Dean Clark, the Blazers' general manager and head coach, said, "but I don't think that helped us."

The Ice beat goaltender Dustin Butler four times on six shots in a span of 5:16 to take command. Wiens, with two, Andrew Bailey and Dustin Sylvester had the Ice's first four goals.

"They were skating hard and our guys were standing around," Clark said. "It wasn't Butler's fault. Goals were on second and third chances."

When Michael Stickland gave the Ice a 5-1 lead at 6:05 of the second period, Clark pulled Butler and sent in Dalyn Flette. It was the first time in Butler's 34 starts with the Blazers that he didn't finish.

"I got him out because our guys were hanging him out to dry," Clark said of Butler, who finished with 10 saves. Flette, who hadn't played since Dec. 29,
made 11 saves.

"He gave us a chance to come back," said Clark.

Mike Busto also scored twice for the Ice, which got three assists from centre Steve Da Silva, its leading scorer. C.J. Stretch (shorthanded), Juuso Puustinen and Sasha Golin replied for the Blazers.

JUST NOTES: Kamloops leads the WHL with 15 shorthanded goals. . . . Jorgensen's goal was his 28th this season, giving him the team lead. He has one more than C Brock Nixon, who hasn't scored since Jan. 6. Nixon missed three games with a shoulder injury and has been blanked in three games since returning. . . . The Blazers' three healthy scratches were D Kevin Kraus, C Brenden Dowd and C Brady Mason. . . . The Ice scratched C Ben Maxwell (elbow) and D Paul MacDonald. . . . Kamloops D Keaton Ellerby, who played in Wednesday's Top Prospects Game in Quebec City, was in the Blazers' lineup. . . . Da Silva has 14 points in his last six games. . . . The Blazers conclude this three-game swing on Sunday against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . In Everett, G Leland Irving stopped 35 shots to spark the Silvertips past the Giants. The game included 154 penalty minutes and an altercation at the final buzzer. The teams meet again Sunday in Vancouver.


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