tale of the tape www.blazerhockey.com and Kam daily news

Record 30-11-3-5 33-13-1-1
Points 68 68
Win Perc. .694 .708
Last ten 3-6-0-1 7-3-0-0
Goal for 164 181
GF per game 3.35 3.77
Goals againts 103 133
GA per game 2.10 2.77
Power play 68/368 76/379
Pen Kill 323/357 283/384
Pen Min 1073 1025
10 goal scores 7 4
50 point scores 0 4

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

The way the Kamloops Blazers see it, the job isn't nearly finished.

Yes, they moved into first place in the WHL's B.C. Division on Wednesday night, the first time this season that they have looked down from that lofty perch.


But the Vancouver Giants, the team that had occupied that spot all season, are in town tonight - Interior Savings Centre, 7 o'clock - and the Blazers are well aware of that.

"We realize that our goal is far from accomplished," Kamloops centre Brock Nixon said Thursday. "Technically, we're ahead of them . . . but there is a lot of season left. We really have to use this as motivation to know that we can do this." The Giants (30-11-3-5) and Blazers (33-13-1-1) are tied with 68 points, but the Blazers have more victories and a better winning percentage.

On Nov. 15, the Giants, with Dustin Slade in goal, beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-2 and moved 10 points ahead of the Blazers, who lost 3-2 to the Everett Silvertips. (The junior A Halifax Wolverines announced Slade's signing yesterday afternoon.) Shortly thereafter, Slade abandoned the Giants, who since have gone 11-9-2-4, while the Blazers went 19-7-0-0.

Blazers captain Reid Jorgensen said his club will keep doing "what we try to do all season . . . just worry about what we're doing as a team and not worry about other teams." Jorgensen added: "We can only control what we can control, and that's how hard we work and the way that we're going to play." They know, however, that the Giants are likely to show up loaded for bear.

They weren't very good, especially on the back end, in a 4-2 loss to the visiting Tri-City Americans on Tuesday. That loss, the Giants' seventh in 10 games, especially stung because the game was shown on Rogers Sportsnet.

The Giants showed up for Wednesday's practice expecting a hard skate.

Instead, most of them didn't even lace up their skates.

Head coach Don Hay chose to hold a 20-minute team meeting and had players jot down anonymously what they feel has gone wrong. Five veterans then were assigned to analyze the notes.

"What's important right now is that we see energy from our group," Hay told The Province. "We've always talked about our team enjoying coming to the rink every day, enjoying practising hard and competing hard. I think that's missing from our game right now.

"We're going through a stretch where we have to get rest and we have to get some good practice time." The Giants skated Thursday morning, after which they left for Kamloops.

While the Giants are searching for their game, the Blazers, who didn't make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, are thrilled to have the excitement back in their dressing room.

"It's awesome," said Nixon who, with 58 points, is one of four Blazers with more than 50 points. No other team has more than two. "I haven't been in a first-place battle since the start of my 16-year-old season when we got off to a hot start. It's awesome. It's an unreal atmosphere. I'm excited already for it." And the entire roster is eager for the puck to drop tonight.

"All the guys are looking forward to it," said Jorgensen, who has 54 points.

"We've had a lot of hockey, especially on the road. Coming back home it's always easier to play at home. Playing against these guys, I'm sure the building will be jumping." In fact, the Blazers are going into tonight as though preparing for a playoff game.

"Absolutely," Nixon said. "We're treating it as one. We know it's going to be playoff atmosphere.

"It's certainly the biggest game of the season."