Daily News Sports Editor
KENNEWICK, Wash. — Colton Yellow Horn knows this is it. And he doesn¹t want
to blow the opportunity.
"It's my last chance," the Tri-City Americans left winger said late Saturday
night. "Every game is more important than the last one. Trying to become a
professional hockey player . . . every game matters."
Yellow Horn, who led the WHL with 48 goals this season and finished third in
the scoring race, with 97 points, has five points through two games of the
first round of the WHL playoffs.
He had a goal and an assist Friday as the Americans opened a best-of-seven
WHL playoff series with a 6-1 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers,
then had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 triumph Saturday.
Yellow Horn, a 20-year-old from Brocket, Alta., went into this playoff
spring with nine points in 17 previous playoff games but has never been out
of the first round. He is completing his second season with the Americans
after three with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
"Five years," he said. "It's finally coming to an end. It's hard to believe,
but I don't want it to end too soon."
Yellow Horn, who loves to shoot the puck and is often the triggerman on the
power play, either from the high slot or off a faceoff dot, plays on a line
with centre Kruise Reddick and right-winger Taylor Procyshen.
They have been checked quite well by the Kamloops trio of Shayne Wiebe,
Scott Wasden and Brady Calla, but still have managed to accumulate eight
points in the two games.
"I want to put up some good numbers but at the same time just keep the puck
out of your net and be a plus player in the playoffs," Yellow Horn said.
"Err on the defensive side, not the offensive side. You have to be a two-way
player to make the next level, so. . ."
p p p
The last five minutes of the third period of Friday's Game 1 included
Kamloops interim head coach Greg Hawgood enjoying a dialogue with some fans
behind his club's bench — there were four security guards in the area during
Game 2 — and Tri-City head coach Don Nachbaur chatting in that direction,
too.
"I just didn't like the way the end of the game happened," Nachbaur said.
The Blazers took 61 of 110 penalty minutes.
"But if they want to give us 10 power plays every game, we'll take them."
Tri-City, which had the WHL's second-best PP unit in the regular season, had
10 man-advantage opportunities in Game 1 and eight in Game 2.
p p p
Nachbaur just might have some supporters in Interior Savings Centre for
Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
It turns out that Nachbaur, who generally is considered to be from Prince
George, actually lived in Kamloops for three or four years.
Nachbaur said he took Grades 4-7 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, while his
brother, Andy, went to St. Ann¹s.
Their father, who died earlier this season in Prince George, was in
construction, so the family did a lot of moving.
Nachbaur was born in Dawson Creek but also lived in Surrey and Prince
George.
He still has family in Kamloops and expects to see them this week.
p p p
Kamloops C Alex Rodgers (flu) was held out of both games and, in fact,
didn't make the trip south. He missed the regular-season's last three games after being on the receiving end of a particularly hard check from Spokane Chiefs D Justin Falk on March 12.
The Blazers are hopeful that Rodgers, who had 45 points in 68 games, will be
ready for Game 3 on Tuesday.
p p p
There was something of a minor controversy before the series began.
The Americans wanted to use a third set of jerseys in Game 2. The jerseys
are dark, which meant they asked the Blazers to bring their whites with
them.
It turns out the Blazers had sent their whites for repairs and the jerseys
weren't quite ready.
But negotiations took place. The Blazers asked for a couple of things — they
wanted one gate at the visitors' bench repaired and some work done in the
visitors' dressing room, including the addition of a heater.
All of which got done before the series started.
And so it came to pass that the Americans wore their third jerseys in Game 2
and the Blazers wore their whites.
p p p
The Americans' fans were up in arms early in the second period Saturday when
Wiebe, racing a defenceman into the Tri-City zone, ended up falling and
taking out Americans G Chet Pickard in a nasty collision.
The fans screamed for a penalty but Kevin Muench, the WHL's director of
officiating, agreed that Wiebe had caught an edge and that there was no
intent to run into Pickard.
SERIES CHATTER: Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers' majority owner, flew in from
Vancouver on Friday and took in both games. . . . There were a handful of
NHL scouts at Game 1. "Tell Shattock to have a good game," one scout was
heard to say to Kamloops interim head coach Greg Hawgood, in reference to RW
Tyler Shattock, who is eligible for the NHL's 2008 draft. . . . WHL
commmissioner Ron Robison presented Tri-City captain T.J. Fast with the
Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy prior to Game 1. The trophy goes to the WHL's
regular-season champion.
gdrinnan@kamloopsne
Posts
