Bowman scores four to beat Blazers

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Memo to the Kamloops Blazers: When playing the Spokane Chiefs, you may want
to pay special attention to Drayson Bowman.
He wears No. 27. And he scores goals.
Bowman, one of the purest snipers in the WHL over the last two seasons,
struck four times Wednesday night, leading the Chiefs to a 5-2 victory at
Interior Savings Centre.
It was the first four-goal game of Bowman’s career and the sixth time he has
scored at least three goals in a game.
Bowman, a native of Littleton, Colo., who played for the KIJHL’s Kimberley
Dynamiters, has 39 goals in 52 games this season, after potting 42 in 66
games last season. He said he hadn’t had a four-goal game since his days as
a bantam player in Vancouver.
Since mid-January, Bowman has been patrolling the left side with centre
Ondrej Roman, who returned to the Chiefs from the Czech national junior team
after the World Junior Championship, and Brady Calla, who was acquired from
the Blazers.
“It’s been fantastic,” Bowman said of his line. “They’re great linemates.
Calla works real hard for us and Roman will find you with the puck.”
Bowman scored three goals before the game was half over and added his fourth
at 12:31 of the second period, giving his side a 4-1 lead.
He beat Kamloops goaltender Jon Groenheyde from the lip of the crease with a
backhand, from 12 feet in front with another backhand, from the right side
with a high shot, and from the slot off a give-and-go with Roman.
When it was over, Calla had three assists and Roman had two.
“It’s awesome,” said Calla of playing on the Chiefs’ top line. “It’s been a
lot of fun and rewarding.”
The Blazers, who trailed Bowman 2-1 and 4-1 at the breaks, really were in
this game. They outshot the visitors 36-35 but, as has often been the case,
were victimized by erratic shooting and some good work by goaltender James
Reid.
“Their goal scorer scored and we didn’t,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith
said. “We outchanced them. We made four simple mistakes . . . and the guy
who gets them buried his chances.
“We’ve got five 20-goal scorers and somebody’s got to find a way to get one
in. At the point when the game was still tight, you have to find a way.”
Kamloops centre Seth Compton, who came over in the Calla exchange, had as
many chances as anyone, including three in one flurry. But, like most of his
teammates, Compton came up empty.
“We played well offensively,” Compton said. “We had tons of chances. We just
couldn’t finish, including myself. I’ve got to bear down and start
finishing.”
Forward Justin McCrae also scored for the Chiefs, while centre Scott Wasden
and defenceman Curtis Kulchar counted for Kamloops.
In the end, though, it was the Drayson Bowman Show, and that’s a show with
which Compton is quite familiar.
“He’s a great player,” said Compton, who was teammates with Bowman for
three-plus seasons. “He’s a natural goal scorer and tonight he had the hot
stick.
“It was unfortunate we weren’t able to shut him down.”
JUST NOTES: The Chiefs were 1-for-7 on the power play; the Blazers were
0-for-6. . . . Groenheyde made 30 saves but fought the puck a bit. Smith
said Justin Leclerc will start Friday in Prince George. . . . The Chiefs,
already without veteran defencemen Jared Cowen (knee) and Stefan Ulmer
(concussion) lost Trevor Glass with an injury to his right shoulder in the
second period. . . . The Blazers scratched both imports. D Michal Siska was
a healthy scratch, while F Dalibor Bortnak is out with the flu. . . . Plans
called for Mark Recchi, one of the Blazers’ owners, to be in the building.
But his Tampa Bay Lightning, who played in Edmonton on Tuesday and meet the
Canucks in Vancouver on Friday, changed their practice schedule so he wasn’t
able to make it. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,699 but the inclement
weather made for a lot of no-shows.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca