BLAZERS FALL SHORT IN 4-2 DEFEAT
By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X
Shea Van Olm and the Spokane Chiefs came into snowy Kamloops for a 2:00 p.m. matinee game. The Blazers, fresh off back-to-back wins over Kelowna, entered the game with a 20-29-4-0 record as they continue their late-season push for a playoff spot.
Kamloops welcomed Nathan Behm and Oren Shtrom back to the lineup, both had missed games due to injury. Meanwhile, Spokane rolled in with the heavy-hitting duo of Seattle Kraken prospect Berkly Catton and Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall – both of whom have been on a tear since Cristall arrived from Kelowna at the WHL Trade Deadline.
Logan Edmonstone started yet another game, marking his ninth consecutive start. The netminder has been in top form, posting a .919 save/percentage over his last six appearances.
The opening period commenced with a bang as veteran forward Beau Courtney netted his seventh goal of the season just 48 seconds in, capitalizing on his own rebound to put the Blazers ahead 1-0. Edmonstone stayed solid between the pipes, stopping a chance from Catton.
Building on the momentum, Kamloops earned a power play where Harrison Brunicke delivered a tape-to-tape pass to Tommy Lafrenière, who then set up Nathan Behm for a backdoor tap-in past Carter Esler. Tensions started to rise late in the first period as Van Olm and Edmonstone took a couple of swings at each other. Not long after that, Chiefs’ defenseman Saige Weinstein threw a big hit on Courtney in the Blazers zone.
Steady action on both sides is how the second frame would begin. Blazers’ forward Max Sullivan unleashed a shot from the right face-off circle, which deflected off goaltender Carter Esler’s pad, arcing into the air before landing in front of him; however, Kamloops couldn’t capitalize on the rebound.
Midway through the period, Chiefs’ forward Chase Harrington scored from a sharp angle behind Edmonstone, the puck deflecting off the goaltender into the net. Not long after that, Chiefs’ rookie Mathis Preston would score his 17th of the season to tie the game at 2-2. The dynamic duo then connected: Catton would end up behind the net feeding a pass to Cristall who tapped it in past Edmonstone to give Spokane the 3-2 lead with 4:30 left in the frame.
During the opening minutes of the third, Blazers’ Jordan Keller rifled a puck off the crossbar. Back on the other end of the ice Chiefs’ forward Mathis Preston lost his footing in a race for the puck with Blazers’ Matteo Koci and slammed into the boards in the Blazers zone, Preston was very slow to get up but ultimately returned to the game. Physical play ramped up when Chiefs forward Coco Armstrong delivered a heavy hit on Vit Zahejsky in front of the Blazers’ bench. That sparked an immediate response from Kamloops’ Conner Radke, who dropped the gloves for the second time in three games, channelling his inner Tie Domi and igniting the home crowd.
The action continued on both ends with both Edmonstone and Esler making key saves to keep the game within a goal’s reach. Kamloops nearly tied it past the 10-minute mark when Harrison Brunicke’s shot clanged off the crossbar. The Blazers pressed on as Nathan Behm fired a shot that slipped through Esler’s five-hole, but a Spokane defender cleared the puck just in time. It was Andrew Cristall who buried an empty netter and sealed the deal 4-2.
Kamloops now hits the road for games against the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers this weekend. The Blazers are back in action at home on Wednesday, February 26th against the Portland Winterhawks.