Blazers needed that victory

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It may have been only an exhibition game but as far as head coach Barry
Smith is concerned it was an important victory.
The Kamloops Blazers beat the Vancouver Giants 4-2 on Saturday night at
Interior Savings Centre — before an announced crowd of 900 close friends and
relatives — to split a weekend WHL exhibition series. The Giants had won 4-1
in Ladner on Friday in the exhibition opener for both teams.
Smith, in his first season with the Blazers, was well aware that his team
had won just one of its previous 20 regular-season, playoff and exhibition
games.
“That was a win this team needed,” he said. “That’s what I told them
tonight. I said, ‘You know what? That team over there doesn’t have a lot of
respect for you. A lot of teams in this league don’t have a lot of respect
for you from last season. You have to earn it.’
“We earned a little bit tonight. We have to earn more.”
Goaltender Jon Groenheyde, 17, was the main reason for that, turning aside
40 shots as the Blazers were outshot, 42-22, including 14-4 in the third
period.
“Groenheyde played well,” Smith said. “He kept us in it. He made some big
saves.”
On Friday, sophomore James Priestner, 17, went the distance and Smith had
said he was “just OK.” Veteran Justin Leclerc, 19, has yet to play but will
get time this weekend against the Chilliwack Bruins.
Smith said he is comfortable with his three goaltenders and is not in a
hurry to make a move.
“We’re OK with (having three) right now,” Smith said. “We’ve still got three
weeks to go but we’re prepared to go with three goaltenders.”
One night earlier, the Giants had been credited with outshooting the Blazers
19-3 in the third period, something Smith wrote off as a figment of
someone’s imagination. Saturday, however, he said “they did have 43 shots.”
“And we took too many penalties,” he added. “Too many penalties . . . lazy,
soft penalties. We have to work through that.”
The Giants ended up 1-for-9 on the power play, while the Blazers went
0-for-5.
“Our penalty killers did a pretty good job,” Smith said. “We got in shooting
lanes, got some up-ice pressure, got a shorthanded goal. So we did some good
things there.”
The shorthanded goal was the game’s highlight, with centre C.J. Stretch
breaking a 2-2 tie with his second goal of the game. The goal came off the
third period’s opening faceoff, with Stretch, who also had an assist, poking
the puck straight ahead, splitting the defence and going in to beat
goaltender Kraymer Barnstable with a deke to the backhand.
Right-winger Tyler Shattock added a goal and two helpers, with freshman
Brendan Ranford getting the game’s last goal.
Centres Casey Pierro-Zabotel, the local lad who will go to camp with the
NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, and Mitch Czibere replied for Vancouver.
JUST NOTES: After the game, C Colin Smith, the Blazers’ first pick in the
2008 bantam draft, headed home to Edmonton. At 15, he is too young to play
regularly until his minor hockey team’s season is over. “We wanted to get
him into two games,” head coach Smith said of player Smith, who goes about
5-foot-6 and 130 pounds. “His size isn’t going to matter . . . not the way
he plays. He needs to get stronger for when he has to battle when he has the
puck.” . . . D Nick Beveridge, 15, returned to his Lower Mainland home after
Friday’s game. He was a second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft. . . .
Kamloops now has 29 players in camp, including nine defencemen and 17
forwards. . . . F Uriah Machuga, 16, turned in a solid effort for Kamloops,
just a couple of days after signing with the team. “He was a good surprise
for me,” Barry Smith said. “His habits were in the right place. He made some
good little chips . . . he was strong on pucks. He went to some hard areas
to make some plays and he used his skill.” . . . Kamloops RW Jimmy Bubnick
(shoulder), who didn’t play either weekend game, practised with his
teammates Monday. . . . The Blazers were off Sunday and practised Monday
morning. Today, with school in, they will begin their regular practice
schedule of 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. . . . The Blazers play home-and-home with the
Chilliwack Bruins this weekend, meeting here on Friday, 7 p.m., and at
Prospera Centre on Saturday, 7 p.m.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca