Saturday . . .

Overheard in the arena on Saturday evening: NHL scouts grumbling about the length of intermissions at WHL games. “Games used to be over in two hours five minutes or two hours 10 minutes,” one scout said. “Now they’re getting back to the two hours 30 minutes range.”
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JUST NOTES: The Kamloops Blazers were without RW Kenton Dulle (arm) for their game with the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Saturday. He was injured in practice earlier in the week and could be out for up to two weeks. . . . The Blazers lost that game 5-0 as Kelowna G Kris Lazaruk stopped 16 shots for his first shutout of the season and fourth of his career. It was Lazaruk’s first start since he suffered a shoulder injury on Nov. 4. . . . The Rockets held the Blazers to four shots in each of the last two periods. . . . Kelowna C Cody Almond filled his hat and now has 10 goals. . . . Kelowna LW Jamie Benn scored once as he became the first WHLer to reach the 20-goal mark this season. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,337, the second-smallest crowd ever to watch the Rockets play a regular-season game in Kamloops. . . . This was Kelowna’s third shutout of the season but only the first time the Blazers have been blanked. . . . Kamloops D Kurt Torbohm left in the second period with a possible concussion. . . . Don’t look now but those Portland Winter Hawks are just seven points out of a playoff spot after edging the visiting Tri-City Americans, 4-3. . . . Portland won on F Killian Hutt’s second goal of the game at 14:43 of the third period on the PP. . . . The Winter Hawks are 5-2 under the new regime. . . . The Edmonton Oil Kings played at home Friday, then rode the bus to Cranbrook, arriving around 6 a.m. Later in the day, they took to the ice and lost 5-0 to the Kootenay Ice. G Nathan Lieuwen posted his second shutout of the season as the Ice outshot the visitors 45-13. . . . Lieuwen’s night work included stopping Edmonton F Clayton Cumiskey on a first-period penalty shot. . . . Kootenay F Steele Boomer (concussion) didn’t play and is likely to be out for a week. . . . Kootenay F Michael Stickland (knee) left in the third period but it isn’t believed to be serious. . . . Swift Current Broncos F Jordan Peddle suffered a concussion Friday. Jon Keen, the Broncos’ radio voice, reports that as concussion No. 6 for the Broncos this season. . . . Swift Current F Cody Eakin (leg) left Friday’s game as well. No report on the injury, though. . . . The Seattle Thunderbirds edged the host Brandon Wheat Kings 5-4 on Saturday. Seattle got two goals from Devon LeBlanc, who is from Brandon, and two from Chris Cloud, who is from nearby Waywayseecappo. . . . Brandon was without D Colby Robak (shoulder) after he was injured Friday. . . . Vancouver Giants C Evander Kane puts his 20-game point streak on the line Sunday when the Portland Winter Hawks pay a visit.