Blazers 5, Rockets 3

From The Daily News of Saturday, Oct, 27, 2007 . . .

The Kamloops Blazers opened a new era Friday night at Interior Savings Centre.
The dawning of private ownership looked a lot like the end of the old era — with lots of empty seats in the mausoleum known as Interior Savings Centre, despite the fact the opposition was provided by the once-despised Kelowna Rockets.
The sale of the local WHL franchise from the non-profit Kamloops Blazers Sports Society to Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi and ex-Blazers players Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor closed Thursday at 4 p.m.
Just over 24 hours later, with Gaglardi among the announced crowd of 4,785, the Blazers caught fire in a four-goal second period and skated to a 5-3 victory.
The Blazers looked like anything but a $7-million hockey team in the first period, as they were outshot 13-7 and gave up a goal with nine seconds to play, Kelowna centre Colin Long scoring with defenceman Mike Gauthier, the newest Kamloopsian, doing time.
But the home boys took control in the second period, scoring three goals — by Juuso Puustinen, Jimmy Bubnick and Ivan Rohac — in a span of 7:12 before the Rockets’ hopes were dashed by a penalty call.
Kelowna defenceman Luke Schenn, a 6-foot-2, 212-pounder likely to be an early first-round pick in the NHL’s 2008 draft, was ejected at 19:00 for a hit on Kamloops left-winger Shayne Wiebe, who goes 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, in a corner in the Rockets’ zone.
Wiebe was left woozy and on his knees — he won’t play tonight against the visiting Vancouver Giants.
The Rockets were left seething.
“You can’t even hit anyone any more,” stormed Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ general manager who was watching from the catwalk.
Dean Clark, the Blazers’ general manager and head coach, disagreed.
“On video,” Clark said, “it’s the hit we’re trying to take out of the game. He jumps up and forearm shivers (Wiebe’s) head into the glass.”
Referee Andy Thiessen didn’t see the hit, and it wasn’t until meeting with linesmen Kris Hartley and Nick Swaine that Schenn was slapped with a charging major and a game misconduct.
The WHL reviews all such penalties, meaning Schenn could miss tonight’s game against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors and perhaps even Tuesday’s return match with the Blazers.
“(The referee) didn’t make the call himself; he let his linesman make it after,” Schenn said. “I didn’t think I charged him . . . I don’t know . . . I’m going to have to go back and watch the replay.”
“I’ve heard from the guys upstairs that it wasn’t that bad of a hit,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said. “I didn’t see enough of it to comment on it.”
With Schenn off, the Blazers scored two power-play goals — Brock Nixon counted 33 seconds after the penalty and Travis Dunstall scored at 1:58 of the third period — to all but put this one out of reach.
Kelowna got goals from Long and Evan Bloodoff later in the period but, really, the teams were playing out the string.
The Blazers improved their record to 6-6-1-0 and broke out of a tie with the Rockets (5-7-1-0) for sixth spot in the Western Conference. Still, the Blazers have some work to do.
“We took some penalties . . . I’d like to see a little more discipline,” Clark said.
Then, finding positives, he added: “You always worry about that first game back after being away for a long time. I think at times we were thinking the game too much instead of just reacting so our decision-making wasn’t great. But we still found a way to get five and play a pretty solid game.”
For a team that has struggled to score — this was its second five-goal game this season — the victory was a breath of fresh air. Especially with Bubnick, the fifth pick in the 2006 bantam draft, finally scoring his first WHL goal.
“For Jimmy, that’s good because I know he’s really been wondering about this league,” Clark said. “That’s a big-time goal; that’s a big-time shot. I’m happy for him getting that first one out of the way. Now he can settle down and play.”
That goal came at 9:13 of the second period and broke a 1-1 tie. Bubnick, going one-on-one with a defender on the right wing, used a hesitation move and snapped a wrist shot past goaltender Kris Westblom.
“It feels great,” Bubnick said, his grin as wide as the great outdoors as he donned the ugly blue blazer the players award to their game star. “There was a lot of pressure on me before but it feels great to score.”
And it feels great to win.
JUST NOTES: Thiessen gave each team seven minors with the Rockets getting the lone major and game misconduct. . . . Kamloops G Justin Leclerc, who missed two games with an ankle sprain, showed no ill-effects. He made 27 saves and was terrific in the game’s first half. . . . Westblom finished up with 21 saves. . . . Ken Hodge, the general manager of the Portland Winter Hawks, took in the game from the catwalk. His club went into the night with the WHL’s worst record (2-10-0-0) so you’ve got to think he’s at least window shopping.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca