Blazers shoot way past Giants

From The Daily News of Monday, Dec. 31, 2007 . . .

If Alex Rodgers is going to continue with his late-game heroics, his
teammates will be changing his nickname from A-Rod to Mr. Clutch.
Rodgers, the 18-year-old sophomore from Salmon Arm, bailed out the Blazers
with a late goal Sunday evening, the second time in two games that he has
done that.
Rodgers’ ninth goal of the season — at 19:26 of the third period, with
goaltender Justin Leclerc on the bench for the extra attacker and the
Blazers crashing the net — erased a 4-3 deficit and the locals went on to
beat the Vancouver Giants 5-4 in a shootout at Interior Savings Centre.
Left-winger Shayne Wiebe, the 13th shooter in a seven-round shootout, won this one, snapping a shot past the catching mitt of Vancouver goaltender Tyson Sexsmith. The Blazers won the shootout, 4-3.
The victory was the second in a row for Kamloops, which beat the Rockets 4-3
in Kelowna on Friday when Rodgers broke a 3-3 tie with 17 seconds left in
the third period.
The Blazers (18-18-1-1) came out of the Christmas break having lost four of
five games and knowing they were heading into a stretch of four tough games
in five nights. They opened by dropping a 3-2 decision in Vancouver on
Thursday; they end the run against the Silvertips in Everett tonight.
“That was a great effort by 20 guys,” Greg Hawgood, the Blazers’ interim
head coach, said. “I can tell you that it feels good in the dressing room
right now.”
The Giants (26-7-1-3) had been 4-0 versus the Blazers this season,
outscoring them 18-5 in the process. Vancouver also came to town riding a
season-high eight-game winning streak.
And the Blazers looked to be in a spot of trouble when captain Spencer
Machacek got the visitors on the board just 26 seconds into the game, the
25th time in 38 games that Kamloops has surrendered the first goal. But the
home boys kept plugging away and took a 2-1 lead into the second period on
scores by centres Brock Nixon (shorthanded) and C.J. Stretch.
Defenceman Craig Schira and centre Mitch Czibere scored second-period goals
for the Giants, sandwiching Kamloops defenceman Jordan Rowley’s first career
goal, and the teams were 3-3 going to the third.
When centre James Wright’s ninth goal of the season, coming with the teams
playing four aside, gave Vancouver a 4-3 lead at 5:09, the Giants seemed
good bets to win this one. After all, Vancouver was 16-0-1-0 when scoring at
least four goals.
But, once again, it was A-Rod to the rescue.
Kamloops also got a big game from goaltender Justin Leclerc. While he was
better in stopping 34 shots Friday, he made the big saves when they were
needed last night.
None were bigger than two he made in the third period with Vancouver up 4-3.
At 7:15, he got his left pad on a shot by Vancouver left-winger Chris Cloud.
Then, at 12:35, he stopped a 3-on-1 Vancouver charge by holding his position
and making a chest save on Vancouver centre Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who was
born in Ashcroft and lived the last nine years in Kamloops.
“Team-wise, we played one of our best games of the season,” Leclerc said
after a 28-save effort. “We battled all the way through.”
Leclerc admitted the Christmas break came at a good time.
“I was pretty mentally drained,” he said. “The break gave me a chance to
refocus and realize it’s still about hockey even though the team has gone
through some real rough times.”
Pierro-Zabotel said the Giants expected just what they got from the Blazers.
“They came really hard but we were expecting that after we beat them in our
rink,” he said.
Pierro-Zabotel had more than a few supporters in the building as he played
his first game here since leaving the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials for the
Giants in November.
He admitted to having butterflies but said “they all went away as soon as I
got into the game.
“It was my first time here and it was really exciting.”
He was quick to admit, too, that “we didn’t play well defensively.”
That included himself. He was on the ice for all four of the Blazers’ goals.
JUST NOTES: Referee Andy Thiessen gave the Blazers seven of 11 minor
penalties. . . . The Giants were 1-for-6 with the man advantage. The Blazers
were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was announced at 5,327, the largest crowd of
the season. . . . LW Matt Wray picked up his first WHL point, an assist, on
Rowley’s goal. Wray lugged the puck down the left side and undressed D
Justin Palazzo before fanning on an attempted shot. Rowley came in late to
score.