Allen Douglas/Kamloops Blazers

Garand and Martin lead Blazers over Rockets

After an unexpected but welcoming finish to the 2018-2019 season that included a tiebreaker victory and an appearance in the playoffs, the Blazers were determined to carry their momentum over into the new campaign. With all the right intentions at heart, Kamloops then ran head-first into the U.S. Division, crashing back down to earth with an 0-3 start to the season. While the early turbulence surprised Blazers head coach Shaun Clouston, the opening weekend still contained its share of bright spots.

“Even though we lost the three games, I thought each game we got a little bit better. It wasn’t a tremendous amount of panic from the staff or the players. We believed that if we kept working, that things would turn around. . .”

Upon reflection on the first 12 games, it’s safe to say that the Blazers haven’t so much ‘turned around’ as they’ve pulled the emergency brake and taken a 180. After Saturday night’s win against the Kelowna Rockets, the Blazers have crawled their away out of the B.C. Division’s basement and taken sole possession of first place. 

Of course, recording eight wins in their last nine games has been instrumental in their climb up the standings, but the Blazers owe as much of their success to collecting points as they do to blanking their rivals. Kamloops is now 5-0 in their own division with all five wins coming against Kelowna and Vancouver.

Among other things, Clouston preaches one particular aspect of their game that has been amplified in the past nine games: preparation. “Our leaders are doing a great job making sure that the guys are ready to go at the start of the game. The first three games, we weren’t quite there. Our starts weren’t great, so that’s been a big difference.”

One of the emerging leaders for the Blazers happens to be their newest player, Max Martin. The 20-year-old defenceman was acquired in a trade with Prince Albert on October 4th, and aside from his first game as a Blazer that resulted in a 3-2 loss to Everett, it’s been all sunshine and rainbows. 

Max Martin. Photo by Allen Douglas/Kamloops Blazers.

After potting the game-winning goal against the Rockets, Martin had high praise for his new team and city while dawning the Vegas-worthy player of the game jacket once worn by Darryl Sydor in 1992. “The city is awesome. I’ve been playing in a small town out east for the last few years so this is a good change for me. It’s a big city, good weather, and everyone’s been really welcoming so I couldn’t be happier.”

Odds are, Kamloops is more than happy to have Martin stick around. In his six games with the Blazers, the WHL Champion now has three goals and three assists while anchoring the team’s top pairing with sophomore Quinn Schmiemann. 

Game Notes

The Blazers have now recorded nine consecutive wins against the Kelowna Rockets and have given up just three goals in their last four games.

Connor Zary’s two assists on the evening put him in first place in WHL scoring with 20 points on the season. The Saskatoon native also extended his point streak to 17 regular season games, during which he has recorded 30 points. 

Kelowna’s penalty kill, ranked 15th in the league, killed off all seven Blazers power plays.

Martin Lang and Sean Comrie’s third-period fight was the first WHL fight for each player. 

3 stars in the building

3: Brodi Stuart

2: Dylan Garand

1: Max Martin

DUBNetwork’s 3 stars

3: Logan Stankoven: A menace on the forecheck and backcheck for Kamloops tonight.

2: Max Martin: Calm and composed on the blue line — not a bad shot either. 

1: Dylan Garand: Nothing against Martin, but Garand was nearly unbeatable.