Wiebe, Leclerc lead Blazers past Cougars

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Left-winger Shayne Wiebe of the Kamloops Blazers committed the crime and got
off scot free.
It was the Prince George Cougars who paid the price Wednesday as the Blazers
struck for four power-play goals, two of them nine seconds apart, and skated
to a 6-1 WHL victory before 4,119 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
The Blazers, who now have won six of their last seven games, including five
straight at home, were clinging to a 2-1 lead midway through the second
period when Wiebe ran Prince George winger Colby Kulhanek from behind in the
Kamloops zone. Cougars defenceman Colin Scherger promptly jumped Wiebe and
flailed away.
After referee Trevor Hanson sorted things out, Kamloops defenceman Kurt
Torbohm was in the penalty box with what should have been Wiebe’s boarding
minor, Scherger was exiled with a major and game misconduct, and defenceman
Art Bidlevskii of the Cougars and Kamloops winger Tyler Shattock had
roughing minors.
“I wasn’t sure what was going on . . . I thought I was getting a roughing
and I was all confused when they announced boarding,” Torbohm said.
It meant that the Blazers were looking at a three-minute score-all-you-want
power play.
And they scored twice, with Brendan Ranford and, yes, Wiebe beating
goaltender Kevin Armstrong nine seconds apart.
“That was a huge momentum swing for us,” Torbohm said. “We kind of battled
in the second period and for us to come through with two big goals late in
the period was huge for us going into the third. That really took the air
out of their sails.”
Just like that, the home boys were ahead 4-1, never mind that they would be
outshot 20-8 in the period. Prince George finished with a 45-23 advantage.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” Prince George head coach Drew
Schoneck said. “But it is what it is.
“We have to find a way to bury our chances. When you get 20 shots in a
period and only one goal, really, that’s the difference in the hockey game.
There goaltender was excellent tonight and I thought ours was just average.”
The Blazers dominated the first 10 minute, especially deep in the Cougars’
zone where they owned the wall like Pink Floyd. But the Kamloops discipline
began to break down late in the period and the Cougars stormed to the
offensive in the first half of the second period. At one point, the Cougars
had outshot the Blazers 10-0 and Kamloops goaltender Justin Leclerc was the
only thing that prevented the Cougars from perhaps running away with this
one.
Five minutes into the period, Leclerc stoned defenceman Dallas Jackson off a
3-on-1 break and moments later he got a glove on a Brett Connolly shot off a
2-on-1, allowing his mates to maintain a 2-1 lead.
“Glove saves like that tend to look even bigger and better than they are and
can energize your team,” said Leclerc, who admitted to cheating a bit to the
blocker side in hopes that Connolly would shoot high to the glove side.
Blazers head coach Barry Smith said goaltending got it done for his side,
adding that he wasn’t concerned about the disparity in shots.
“I don’t care about shots. I never do,” said Smith, who in the heat of the
post-game moment obviously forgot that has been known to question the
counting ability of shotkeepers in some venues. “(Leclerc) is supposed to
stop shots and he did.
“In the end, we did all the right things we had to do . . . we played a good
strong game.”
Wiebe continued his hot play, finishing with two goals and two assists,
while Shattock had a goal and two assists, and Jake Trask, who centres those
two, added a goal. C.J. Stretch had the Blazers’ other goal.
Connolly, Prince George’s superb 16-year-old centre, had its goal.
Shattock actually ended up with his first Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, an
assist and a fight — as he scrapped with defenceman Cameron Cepek in the
first period.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had one . . . not that I recall,” said Shattock,
who stopped a third-period shot with his neck before starting the rush form
his knees that led to Trask’s goal. “We knew we had to come out and work
because they embarrased us up in P.G. We wanted to do the same thing back to
them and I thought we did that back to them today.”
The Cougars had beaten the Blazers 7-2, outshooting them 51-22 on Saturday
in Prince George.
JUST NOTES: Hanson, who skated to the Cougars box and admitted his error to
Schoneck prior to the start of the third period, gave the Blazers seven of
11 minors and two of five majors. The Cougars took the lone game misconduct.
. . . Kamloops was 4-for-6 on the PP; the Cougars, who were 4-for-6 on
Saturday, were 1-for-5. . . . The Cougars are carrying nine defencemen, but
three of them — Kamloops native Matt Cumming, Scott Brkich, a recent arrival
from the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder, and Bruin McDonald — didn’t make the
trip.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Tri-City Americans have sent D Eric Mestery, 18, and F
Drew Hoff, 20, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for F Mitch Fadden, 20, D Cam
Stevens, 19, and D Brock Sutherland, 17. The Americans are hoping Fadden,
who had 89 points last season, turns into another Colton Yellow Horn, a
high-scoring winger they acquired two seasons ago from Lethbridge who played
out his eligibility last season. The Ams also were looking for depth on
defence and got that with Stevens and Sutherland. Lethbridge lost D Luca
Sbisa to the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and is looking for Mestery to play in
its top three. . . . Fadden, who has five points in nine games, Stevens and
Sutherland are expected to debut with the Americans on Friday when the
Blazers visit Kennewick Wash.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com