Tyler Tjomsland/Spokesman Review

Chiefs ride momentum to victory over Blazers

The Blazers opened their 2019-2020 season with a 4-3 loss to the Spokane Chiefs on Friday night. Though the two teams combined for seven goals, goalies Dylan Garand and Lukas Parik stole the show in an evening that emphasized strong goaltending and momentum.

Parik — literally and figuratively — stood tall in the first 10 minutes of the game as the 6-foot-4 netminder faced a barrage of shots from the Blazers. The Czech Republic native stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced in the game, including a highlight-reel sprawling save on Logan Stankoven to keep the game scoreless in the first. 

Dylan Garand. Photo by Allen Douglas/Kamloops Blazers

For his part, Garand was as equally impressive at the opposite end of the rink. The sophomore’s ability to track the puck in traffic was put to the test as the Blazers killed off all six penalties, including a five-minute major for cross-checking that removed Quinn Schmiemann from the game. Schmiemann’s five-minute major was quickly followed up by his first WHL fight, courtesy of Spokane’s Owen Macneil. 

While the game had its share of pent-up aggression, the main storyline of the evening was momentum. After pressuring the Chiefs in their own end throughout the first period, Stankoven finally found a sliver of daylight on Patrik’s blocker side, sending the near-sellout crowd into a frenzy. The cheering quickly came to a halt, however, as Jake McGrew responded for the Chiefs just 15 seconds later, knotting up the game heading into the second period. 

After losing two of their top-four defensemen in Schmiemann and Luke Zazula for the third period, the Blazers continued to press the Chiefs. Kyrell Sopotyk placed a perfect pass onto the tape of Connor Zary in front of the net, tying the game with 8:31 left in the third. Remarkably, PA announcer Bill O’Donovan was interrupted by McGrew again, this time just 17 seconds after Zary’s goal. While the Blazers pressed the Chiefs hard in the final minutes, McGrew’s second marker held up as the game-winner for Spokane.


The Blazers dressed three 16-year olds in their home opener, including Caedan Bankier and Matthew Seminoff who paired up with 19-year old Ryley Appelt. As for head coach Shaun Clouston’s impression of the rookies: “Really good, really positive. They didn’t look too out of place, they competed hard [and] they skated. It’s a challenging league but they got their first one under their belt and onwards and upwards from there.”

Between unnecessary penalties and two very timely goals from McGrew, Kamloops struggled to find their rhythm on Friday night. The Blazers now head to Seattle where they will face off against the Thunderbirds Saturday night, before moving on to Portland where they will complete their first three games in three nights of the season.


3 stars in the building: 

3: Eli Zummack

2: Sean Strange

1: Jake McGrew


DUBNetwork’s 3 stars:

3: Lukas Patrik – Raw, athletic and competitive — easy to see why the Los Angeles Kings selected him in the third round.

2: Dylan Garand – Best Blazer all night, especially in the second period. 

1: Jake McGrew – If it felt stuffy in the arena, that was McGrew’s two goals blowing all the oxygen out of the Sandman.

Attendance: 5654