From The Daily News of Monday, Oct. 29, 2007. . . .
If the Kamloops Blazers were wondering how close they are to being an elite WHL team, well, they found out Saturday night.
Yes, they have a long, long, l-o-n-g way to go.
The Vancouver Giants came to town Saturday night and, with the home boys raising nary a hand, ransacked the village and whipped the Blazers 3-0 in front of an announced crowd of 4,881 at Interior Savings Centre.
“We talked about it. We went over it,” Kamloops centre Brock Nixon said of his club‘s abysmal start. “We knew exactly how we had to play. We knew exactly what they were going to bring . . . their work ethic.
“For 20 minutes we sat back and let them dominate us.”
In the early going, the defending Memorial Cup champions displayed an up-tempo, forecheck-heavy, get-pucks-to-the-net game that the Blazers often talk about but rarely are able to play.
While this game was in doubt, like in the first period, most of it was played in the Kamloops zone with pucks and players zipping around goaltender Justin Leclerc as though he was in a video game.
“We got off to a good start,” offered Vancouver head coach Don Hay, in something of an understatement. “I really liked our energy and our intensity early in the game.”
The Giants (11-2-1-2), with points in eight of their last nine games, scored two power-play goals in the game’s first 16 minutes, both coming from point shots with lots of traffic at the net. Those goals, from winger Michal Repik and captain Spencer Machacek, were sandwiched around a second Repik goal, one that bounced off a foot with the Giants, again, getting people and the puck to the net.
“We had every reason to get up for this game,” Nixon said, his voice dripping with frustration. “Saturday night in our barn. Probably our biggest rivalry. And we had no jam in the first period.”
The Blazers (6-7-1-0), who outshot the visitors 25-20, also were stymied by Vancouver goaltender Tyson Sexsmith, although it wasn’t until late in the third period that they mounted any sustained pressure. The 18-year-old from Priddis, Alta., put up his 14th career shutout in his 80th appearance. He is tied for 14th on the alltime shutout list, but has played in 35 fewer games than any of the 13 goaltenders ahead of him.
Sexsmith leads the WHL in victories (11), shutouts (3) and GAA (1.63).
The Giants also got a tremendous game from Repik, a gritty Czech who turns 19 on Dec. 31. He was the WHL’s top playoff scorer, with 26 points, last season and has picked right up where he left off, with 20 points, including eight goals, in 16 games this season.
“They scored on their first shot on the power play,“ Kamloops general manager and head coach Dean Clark said. “I think it went off (Nixon) and in. We were on our heels there. Then they get a bounce, whether it is kicked in or goes off a guy’s skate it goes in. We were reeling a little bit.”
Clark paused and then got to the heart of the matter.
“But certainly our starts . . . (Vancouver) came with some energy,” he said. “I didn’t like our start and our energy. As soon as something goes wrong, all of a sudden we stand around and watch and that’s happened way too many times this season.
“I’m concerned with the fact that we’re not pressing the issue, that we’re not setting the level (of play). They set the level, we matched it and maybe got it a little bit higher at times. But we need to set the level.”
Going into the second period with a 3-0 lead, the Giants went into clamp-down mode and put up a defensive wall that the Blazers, playing with all the spark of a campfire in a rainstorm, rarely could penetrate.
So what’s next for the Blazers, who play the Rockets in Kelowna on Tuesday?
“We have to push people out of their comfort zones,” Clark said. “Obviously we have some people who aren’t ready to compete at the start of a game. I think it’s a matter of demanding more and (adjusting) our practices accordingly.
“It’s important that we understand the level of compete that you need in order to beat the Memorial Cup champions.”
Earlier this season, the Blazers, after a poor effort, were made to run the stairs in their equipment. After taking off their gear following Saturday’s game, they were running laps on the concourse.
If this keeps up, Clark just may run a few players out of town.
JUST NOTES: Referee Pat Smith gave each team seven minors and a misconduct. . . . Clark was on Smith early in the first period about Vancouver F Garet Hunt’s penchant for leaving his feet when he throws checks along the boards. Clark’s protests fell on deaf ears. . . . Vancouver D Craig Schira, 19, was solid in playing his second game after missing five with an upper body injury. . . . Kelowna D Luke Schenn sat out the Rockets’ 4-3 shootout loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday and won’t play Tuesday against the visiting Blazers. He was suspended for two games after taking a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on Blazers LW Shayne Wiebe, who is out with a concussion.
Posts
