Much has changed since April 1st when the visiting Victoria Royals ended the Kamloops Blazers season at the Sandman Centre in game 6 of the first round of the playoffs. After the graduation of Griffen Outhouse, Ralph Jarrett, and Kody Mcdonald, the Royals have continued to re-shape their roster in a number of off-season moves.
That much was noticeable during a 9-1 drubbing by the Blazers.
That’s not to say that Kamloops didn’t ice a young roster themselves. 12 of the 21 players dressed were rookies, including three from each of the ‘03 and ‘04 drafts, but head coach Shaun Clouston was impressed with the team’s overall effort.
“I thought our team looked good. [We] played hard, played with some confidence, played with some poise, played with some energy.”
In a game that included an impromptu fire alarm, and a 10-minute misconduct for improper use of a mouthguard, it was still the Logan Stankoven show. Centering Orrin Centazzo and Zane Franklin, Stankoven’s line finished with 13 points, including three goals and two assists from the 16-year old center.
Outside of the top line, the Blazers received two goals from 20-year old Alec Zawatsky, and one from Tye Spencer. Spencer, a third-round selection from this past bantam draft, played a solid game on both sides of the puck.
Logan Bairos and Mats Lindgren both stood out on the defensive end. Their skating and vision created smooth exits from the defensive zone and scoring opportunities on the offensive end.
While it was a quiet evening in net for both Dylans, the Blazers goalies were solid when called upon, giving up the one goal to Royals veteran Sean Gulka on a combined 24 shots.
Aside from Gulka, the Royals received a solid effort from defenseman Jason Spizawka and Kamloops-born Braden Smith.
The Blazers are back in action this afternoon against the visiting Kelowna Rockets with puck-drop slated for 2 PM.
