Thoughts from the Week

Overall, it was a good week for the Kamloops Blazers as they grabbed four of a possible six points going 2-1-0-0 in three home games.

The 7-3 loss on Wednesday night versus the Kootenay Ice was the first of its kind that the Blazers had been on the wrong end of this season. It was the most goals the Blazers had allowed this season, and the first time the hockey club had lost by 3+ goals all season. Goaltenders Cole Cheveldave and Cam Lanigan each had arguably their roughest outings of the year. These types of games are bound to happen once in a while, the best thing to do is put them in the past and move on!

The Blazers redeemed their fans and themselves with two weekend wins in convincing fashion. The Blazers outshot their opponents 90-37 and won 4-1 against the Victoria Royals on Friday and 8-2 against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday.

On Friday, the Blazers could have easily scored twice as many goals if it weren’t for goaltender Keith Hamilton and errant shots. Hamilton played well for the Royals and the Blazers struggled to hit the net at times. It was still a convincing win for the Blazers.

On Saturday, the Blazers took advantage of a fatigued Seattle team and won 8-2. Rookie Daniel Cotton was given the nod in goal over 19-year-old Calvin Pickard. Pickard, who is arguably one of the better goaltenders in the WHL, was given a rare night off. The depth of the Blazers once again showed with eight different players scoring goals.

The Blazers have a tough few weeks ahead before the Christmas break. They will play eight of their next eleven games before Christmas on the road. The Blazers are in Victoria on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Royals are a much better team at home, boasting a 7-5-0-1 record.

The Blazers return home on Thursday and will host the Prince George Cougars Friday and Victoria Royals on Saturday. The turnaround is quick and the Blazers will have their hands full this week.

A couple of interesting stats:

Compared to last season before Christmas, the Blazers had a 15-18-1-1 record. This year, the Blazers are 16-7-1-0 with eleven games to go before the break. The Blazers have already recorded more wins in the first half of the season compared to last year.

When the Blazers trail after the first period, the team is an astonishing 4-0-1-0 this season. Last season, the Blazers were only 2-21-2-2 when trailing after the first period. This team is resilient.