AMERICANS BEAT BLAZERS 4-1
By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X
Top NHL Draft prospect Jackson Smith and the Tri-City Americans rolled into town for their second visit in two weeks. The Blazers dropped their last decision 6-2 to Tri-City on January 29.
The Blazers entered the game on a four-game losing skid, desperate to turn things around despite ongoing injury struggles. They did receive some reinforcement as veteran rearguard Matteo Koci returned to the lineup.
With starting goaltender Dylan Ernst still sidelined, Logan Edmonstone got his sixth consecutive start between the pipes. The opening 10 minutes were uneventful, but Kamloops gradually built momentum. That pressure paid off when Conner Radke capitalized on his rebound, finishing a play set up by Max Sullivan to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. The Blazers killed off a crucial penalty and continued to apply pressure in the remaining minutes of the third including a chance from Radke again but he was denied by a sprawling Lukas Matecha.
The intensity picked up in the second, with Jordan Keller delivering a big hit behind the Tri-City net to set the tone. The Americans responded with sustained pressure, but Edmonstone held firm. However, Tri-City broke through as Kainoah Brankovic pounced on a rebound off an Austin Zemlak one-timer, netting his first goal of the season to tie the game. Kamloops was unable to score on the 5-on-3 before taking a penalty of their own, the Americans capitalized on the man advantage as Carter MacAdams slid it home to make it 2-1.
The Blazers came out strong to start the third period, generating high-danger chances from Vit Zahejsky and Ty Bonkowski, but Lukas Matecha stood tall, turning them both aside. Kamloops dominated the shot clock, relentlessly firing pucks on goal in an attempt to break through, but Matecha remained steady under pressure. Kamloops’s frustrations continued as Brandon Whynott scored to make it 3-1 Jake Sloan sealed the game to make it 4-1 with 2:58 remaining. Kamloops had one last opportunity on a late power play but couldn’t convert.
Kamloops will look to bounce back on Friday as they take on the Kelowna Rockets in a back-to-back series, with Saturday’s rematch set in Kelowna.