Cougars sting Blazers

From The Daily News of Saturday, March 8, 2008. . . .

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
10.
That is not the name of Bo Derek’s latest movie.
Rather, it is the length of the Kamloops Blazers’ WHL winless streak, the
third-longest such skein in a franchise history that dates to 1981-82 when
the team’s nickname was Junior Oilers.
The Blazers ran into — yes — penalty trouble in the third period Friday,
gave up a 3-2 lead and fell 6-3 to the Prince George Cougars in front of
4,860 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
The Cougars (19-45-1-3) will finish ninth in the 10-team Western Conference
and won’t make the playoffs. They showed up here with 16 skaters, two under
the maximum, and had every reason to coast through this one.
That didn’t happen, however, as they put a beating on the Blazers
(26-37-2-2), who are eighth in the Western Conference and struggling to find
something to feel positive about with the playoffs just two weeks away.
For a while last night it looked like the losing streak (0-9-1-0) might end
as right-winger Kenton Dulle scored two goals 11 seconds apart early in the
third period to erase a 2-1 deficit and give the Blazers their first lead.
It didn’t last.
“Guys have to learn that after we get a lead we can’t stop . . . we have to
keep pushing,” said Dulle, 19, who reached the 20-goal plateau with his two
goals. “ They battled and we didn’t battle back. We thought it was our
game.”
Two minutes after Dulle’s second goal, Kamloops defenceman Spencer Fraipont
was fingered for roughing and Cougars defenceman Kalvin Sagert, who began
his career with the Blazers, whipped home a slapshot from the point at 7:30
to forge a tie.
Less than two minutes later, Blazers winger Ivan Rohac put his stick on
defenceman Cody Hobbs in the high slot and was nailed for hooking.
Fourty-five seconds later, Kamloops defenceman Mike Gauthier tackled
left-winger Greg Gardner in the Blazers crease and centre Parker Stanfield,
from behind the goal-line, bounced the puck off the traffic and into the
net.
Just like that, the visitors had regained the lead. They would salt this one
away with two empty-net goals, from Gardner and winger Jordie Deagle, who
finished with two goals.
Veteran Dana Tyrell had the Cougars’ other goal and also drew three assists.
Sagert, in a huge performance, added two assists to his fourth goal of the
season, was plus-3 and ate up a lot of minutes on a back end that only had
five skaters.
“He’s been excellent ever since he made his mind up that he’ll go to
Stockton at the end of the season,” offered Prince George head coach Drew
Schoneck, referring to a decision by Sagert to join the ECHL’s Stockton
Thunder later this month. “He’s played his best hockey since then.
“He was our best player tonight. Bar none. He scored a goal for us on the
power play. He was there when we needed to clear a guy out from in front of
the net. We were down to five defencemen and he played at least 35 minutes.”
While going 0-6-0-0 on their recent East Division swing, the Blazers gave up
more than twice as many power plays as they received (55-23). That was
almost the ratio again last night as the Cougars finished up 2-for-8, while
the Blazers were 1-for-4.
“We have to keep our sticks on the ice,” Dulle said. “We’re running the risk
of taking penalties and it’s really hurting us right now. If we do that
against Vancouver or one of the top teams, their power plays are a lot
better than some of these teams and they’ll hurt us in the playoffs.”
Kamloops head coach Greg Hawgood, as he has done so often of late, bemoaned
the penalties.
“The guys are working hard a lot of the game but we’re not learning from our
mistakes,” he said. “Chasing defencemen out from behind the net, getting
your stick in their feet and legs and hands. With the new standards, any
glitch in the guy’s momentum and you’re forcing (the referee) to make a
call. Why put yourself in that predicament? It’s beyond me.”
Forward Jimmy Bubnick had the Blazers’ other goal, the ninth of the
16-year-old’s freshman season.
JUST NOTES: Referees Saad Al-Jadir and Chris Savage gave the Blazers nine of
14 minors and the lone misconduct, the latter penalty to D Nick Ross for
going out of his way to bump into celebrating Cougars after the game’s last
goal. . . . Both goaltenders were sharp, the Cougars’ Real Cyr stopping 31
shots, seven more than Kamloops’ Justin Leclerc. . . . The teams meet again
tonight in Prince George.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca