Blazers beat Bruins

From The Daily News of Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007 . . .

The Kamloops Blazers ran their WHL preseason record to 5-1 Tuesday night, spanking the Chilliwack Bruins 7-1 in a game played in Abbotsford’s MSA Arena, home of the junior B Pilots.
“We played pretty well,” offered Dean Clark, the Blazers’ general manager and head coach. “It was pretty dominating. It wasn’t even close.”
How dominating?
The Blazers started freshman goaltender Jon Groenheyde, who is from Surrey, and he stopped every shot he saw in the game’s first half . . . all three of them. Edmonton’s James Priestner, like Groenheyde a 16-year-old rookie, played the second half and stopped 11 of 12 shots.
“Priestner made some great saves,” said Clark, whose charges outshot the Bruins, 44-15. “He played really well again. Groenheyde didn’t get any shots but he’s been good.”
The Blazers continue to carry four goaltenders, the others being veterans Dustin Butler, 20, and Justin Leclerc, 18.
Clark said he hopes to move a goaltender and a forward sometime in the next couple of days, something that would get the roster down to 24 — three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 13 forwards. That includes injured defenceman Mark Schneider (wrist) and three players who are at NHL camps — defencemen Victor Bartley (Detroit Red Wings) and Keaton Ellerby (Florida Panthers) and right-winger Juuso Puustinen (Calgary Flames).
As for getting down to two goaltenders, Clark said: “We’ll see how the other things sort themselves out.”
Last night, centre C.J. Stretch led the Blazers with a goal, his third of the exhibition season, and three assists. Right-winger Kenton Dulle added two goals, his second and third, and wingers Tyler Shattock and Ivan Rohac each had a goal and two helpers. Shattock has a team-high five goals, four of them over the last three games, while Rohac has singletons in each of the last three games. Centre Brock Nixon, with his second, and defenceman Darcy Huisman, with his first, also scored.
Chilliwack got its goal from centre Jadon Potter on a third-period power play.
The Blazers were 2-for-9 on the power play; the Bruins, who are 2-2 in the preseason, were 1-for-4.
The Blazers will conclude the exhibition portion of their schedule at home Friday against the Kelowna Rockets (1-4). Game time is 7 p.m.
JUST NOTES: Last season, the Blazers were 2-4-0-1 in the exhibition schedule. Two years ago, they went 2-5. . . . The Bruins were without four NHL campers — D Nick Holden (Edmonton Oilers), D Matt McCue (Minnesota Wild), RW Oscar Moller (Los Angeles Kings) and C Mark Santorelli (Nashville Predators). . . . Also missing from Chilliwack’s lineup was highly touted rookie LW Ryan Howse (charleyhorse). The Bruins are hopeful that he will be ready for their season-opener in Kamloops on Sept. 21.