photo-Portland Winterhawks/Keith Dwiggins

Road Report: Blazers

After a disappointing result on Tuesday versus the Regina Pats the Kamloops Blazers needed some tonic, something to get them back on track. The Blazers got just what they needed, a US division road trip.

Of note, Captain Jermaine Loewen didn’t make the trip due to an illness.

Orrin Centazzo

On Friday night the Blazers found themselves in Kennewick, Washington for their first match-up against the Tri-City Americans. Kamloops found the scoreboard half way through the first period off the stick of 18-year-old Orrin Centazzo. Tri-City tied the game in the last two minutes of the first, when Issac Johnson scored his 8th of the season. Early on in the second period, the Blazers took over, scoring three times in the frame and then once in the third to go onto a 5-1 win. Dylan Ferguson made 34 saves while helping collect two points for his team. Draft Eligible Quinn Schmiemann scored the first goal of his young WHL career on a seeing eye shot from the point.

Saturday night the Blazers moved onto the second stop on their road trip, Spokane. Like the Americans, this was the first meeting of the season between the Blazers and the Chiefs. The first period generated a whole lot of nothing for either team and ended the same way it started, tied at zeros. It looked like the second was destined to end in the same way until Spokane’s Adam Beckman broke the deadlock with his 11th of season with under five to play. Spokane scored again, late in the period, shorthanded to extend their lead to 2-0 heading into the third period. Dylan Ferguson had played the first two periods but a different Dylan was in net to start the third. 16-year-old Dylan Garand appeared in the net to start the frame with Ferguson not even on the bench. Garand was promptly welcomed by a Spokane power play which saw plenty of good scoring chances but the young goalie stood tall. Kamloops scored with eight minutes left in the game to reduce Spokane’s lead to one. The Chiefs were able to withstand an onslaught of chances from the Blazers and score on an empty net to take the two points by a final score of 3-1.

Kamloops will head back home for three games, first against the Saskatoon Blades on Friday, November 30th, and then the next night the river city team kicks off the month of December with the annual teddy bear toss game. This one is always fun, and this time it brings the Seattle Thunderbird to town. Tickets tend to sell fast so if you are interested, check here.

The Blazers finish off the homestand Next Wednesday, December 5th against the Victoria Royals.