BLAZERS FALL 5-1 TO GIANTS
The Kamloops Blazers hosted the Vancouver Giants for a Saturday night rivalry matchup as Kamloops made a last-ditch effort to clinch a playoff spot.
Within the opening minutes, captain Emmitt Finnie and Nathan Behm worked together following a bad pass by Giants netminder Burke Hood but were denied. The Blazers then earned a power play but were unable to capitalize, despite chances from Harrison Brunicke and Behm, as the Giants successfully killed it off.
Not long after, Vancouver got a power play of their own, and Ty Halaburda tipped the puck net-front to beat Dylan Ernst, making it 1-0. Just 20 seconds later, Jaden Lipinski found the scoresheet to extend Vancouver’s lead to 2-0, rounding out the first period.
Kamloops started the second with puck control and fired six shots on net within the first few minutes. Brunicke had a prime opportunity to cut the lead to one as Hood sprawled across the crease, but the puck just missed wide. Blazers forwards Jordan Keller and Matteo Koci each rang shots off the crossbar in separate attempts to find the scoresheet. The Giants then cycled the puck in the offensive zone before a net-front pass was redirected by Cameron Schmidt, but Ernst shut the door.
With just over five minutes remaining in the period, former Blazer Connor Levis beat Ernst to make it 3-0. Kamloops continued pressing as Tommy Lafrenière danced through the offensive zone, creating a high-danger chance, but the puck slipped just wide.
Desperately searching for a goal, the Blazers came out firing in the third. Isa Guram rifled a snapshot off Hood’s mask, and Behm had a chance in front, but Hood stood tall once again. The Giants then capitalized on their own opportunity, as Schmidt scored on a wraparound to make it 4-0. Shortly after, on a Blazers turnover, Halaburda sniped his second goal of the game to extend Vancouver’s lead to 5-0. Kamloops finally broke through when Oren Shtrom made a couple of slick moves into the offensive zone and snapped a shot past Hood to put the Blazers on the board, making it 5-1.
With six games left on the schedule, Kamloops will host the Wenatchee Wild on Wednesday for their official rebrand night.