By Annie Fowler, Herald staff writer
http://www.sportstricities.com/sport...-8313907c.html
Shaun Vey wasn't going to let a shoulder injury keep him from playing hockey this season, and Kamloops goalie Dustin Butler couldn't stop him from scoring Friday night.

Vey scored two goals, including the game-winner at 6:23 of the third period, to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-4 victory over the Blazers in Western Hockey League action before 3,444 fans at Toyota Center.

"We got dominated by these guys last time. We had to play better than that and we came out and got two points," said Vey, who missed the second half of last season with nerve damage in his right shoulder. "I have to give Mike (Kaye) and Joel (Broda) a lot of credit. They were bringing it to the net and I was there for the rebound."

The Americans (14-7-0-0, 28 points), who have won two in a row, handed Kamloops its third straight loss in a game that went to the wire.

"That was a good, competitive game by both sides," said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur. "Neither team wanted to give up. We scored some nice goals going to the net, and other than the first period, we didn't let them stand around in front of the net."

Playing their fifth game in seven nights, the Blazers ran out of steam in the third period when they had to kill off a 5-on-3 with just under five minutes left in the game.

"We can't expect to have the energy to get tying goals after a 5-on-3," said Kamloops coach Dean Clark. "They have a good skating club and they bring the offense. They were hungry for those rebounds."

Tri-Cities held a 4-3 lead after the second period, but Terrance Delaronde tied things up when he got ahead of the Tri-City defense and beat Carey Price.

Price finished with 23 saves, and other than the first period, was solid.

"This was a big win for the team," said Price, who improved to 9-5. "I'm proud of the way the guys battled the last 30 seconds of the game -- they probably blocked 20 shots. We played well as a group and we need to keep doing that the rest of the season."

Trailing 3-2 going into the second period, the Americans got back on track, scoring two goals in a span of 1:09.

Juraj Valach tied the game at 3, picking up a rebound off a shot by Erik Felde in the slot and lifting the puck over Butler at 11:56 on the man advantage.

Alex Aldred gave the Americans a 4-3 lead at 13:05, following up on a 2-on-1 by Taylor Procyshen and Felde.

Procyshen brought the puck down the left side and slid it across to Felde, who was denied by Butler. But Aldred was there to corral the rebound and score his seventh goal of the season.

The Americans opened the scoring as Procyshen pulled a loose puck off the back wall, circled around the net and beat Butler in the slot just 44 seconds into the game.

After the Blazers tied the game on a power-play goal by Brock Nixon at 7:24, Vey put Tri-Cities back out front 2-1, tucking the puck in at the right post.

The Blazers scored three power-play goals in the first period as referee Andy Thiessen whistled the Americans for six minor penalties.

Nixon, C.J. Stretch and Alex Rodgers all scored on the man advantage for Kamloops, which took a 3-2 lead at the end of the period.