After back-to-back wins on home ice, the Blazers are gearing up for two games against U.S Division opponents to complete a four-game homestand at the Sandman Centre.
Not only did the Blazers return closer to .500 after two consecutive wins, but they also gained ground on their B.C Division opponents in the process. Even with the three consecutive losses to open the season, the Blazers find themselves just two points back of the division-leading Giants, with both teams having played five games.
Onward and upward
Kamloops will have a chance to move to 3-3 when the Seattle Thunderbirds come to town on Wednesday, October 2nd. This will already be the second meeting between the two teams after Kamloops was handed a 4-1 loss in Seattle on September 21st. Escaping with two points this time around will require the Blazers to solve the Rubik’s Cube that is Thunderbirds goalie Roddy Ross. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick stopped 50 of the 51 shots he faced in their first meeting, earning himself first star honours in the game and WHL Eli Wilson Goaltending Goaltender of the Week in the process.
After two games, the 19-year-old netminder is sporting a 0.959 save percentage with a 1.522 goals-against average. Ross should be expected to face a lot of rubber this season while backstopping a young Seattle team in the ultra-competitive U.S Division.
It won’t take long for the Blazers to run into another top WHL goaltender after Wednesday’s game against Seattle. Kamloops will then have two days off before hosting Dustin Wolf and the Everett Silvertips on Saturday, October 5th. While Wolf and his team have gotten off to a rather unimpressive 1-2 start, the Tustin, California, native’s pedigree speaks for itself.
Wolf led WHL goaltenders in just about every category last season en route to earning the Western Conference Goaltender of the Year. Wolf’s 61 games tied him with Tri-City goaltender Beck Warm for most played while his 0.936 save-percentage and 1.69 goals-against average were the best among WHL goalies with at least 15 games played. After being selected by the Calgary Flames in the seventh round of the NHL Entry Draft this past June, Wolf has returned to Everett where, like Ross, he will be counted on to hold the fort.
The four-game series between Kamloops and Seattle last season was about as evenly-matched as you will find in the WHL, as both teams went 2-2 with Kamloops outscoring the Thunderbirds 18-16. Everett, on the other hand, had the Blazers’ number all season. The Silvertips won all four meetings between the two teams, outscoring the Blazers 23-6 in the process.
Much has changed in that span of time, especially in Everett. Including the losses of overage players Zack Andrusiak, Artyom Minulin, and Sahvan Khaira, the Silvertips are also without the services of Connor Dewar and Riley Sutter who have moved on to the pro ranks. While there are no glaring issues in the crease or on the blue line, the Silvertips will once again have a question mark next to the group of forwards who will likely take a “scoring by committee” approach this season.
Regardless, the toughest task for the Blazers this week will be finding daylight in goaltenders that don’t give up much. The good news for Kamloops: they’ve had no problem lighting the lamp in their first two outings of the four-game homestand. Nine goals in two games, including three on the man advantage, should give the Blazers an extra boost of confidence heading into their matchup with Seattle.
For Everett and Seattle, their top priority will be shutting down the top line of Orrin Centazzo, Connor Zary, and Zane Franklin, who combined for 15 points in those two games.
Familiar faces
Kamloops should be well represented on the visitor’s side this week as well. Seattle’s Luke Bateman played with the Thompson Zone 1 Bantam team before being selected by the Thunderbirds in the fourth round of the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. 20-year-old Max Patterson and 16-year-old Aidan Sutter, both natives of Kamloops, should be in Everett’s lineup for Saturday night’s contest.
