Shutout jinx?

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Last season, WHL goaltenders recorded 88 shutouts. With three nights remaining in this regular season, that number is at 91.
However, not one of those 179 shutouts belongs to Justin Leclerc of the Kamloops Blazers.
Leclerc, a 19-year-old veteran in his fourth WHL season, referred to a “shutout jinx” after stopping 58 shots in his club’s 3-1 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
In referencing a jinx, Leclerc flashed back to his first complete game with the Blazers. That was an exhibition game against the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Sept. 14, 2007. In that one, the Blazers held a 3-0 lead when Kelowna centre Colin Long forced a turnover and beat Leclerc at 19:13 of the third period.
Leclerc will get one or two more opportunities as the Blazers close out the regular season by playing the Rockets. He is expected to make his 56th start of the season tonight at Interior Savings Centre; the teams play again Saturday at Prospera Place in Kelowna. Game time both nights is 7 o’clock.
On Wednesday, Leclerc lost his shutout bid with 5:23 remaining in the third period when Vancouver sniper Evander Kane, on a power play, came free on the right-wing side and scored his 46th goal of the season into a gaping net.
“I think I played well in Vancouver,” Leclerc said of a 39-save effort in a 5-2 loss to the Giants on Sunday, “but this one was more of a 60-minute performance. I didn’t make too many mistakes and when I did, other than the one goal, I got away with it.”
This was the ninth time this season that Leclerc has surrendered only one goal; he had six such outings last season. And it was the fifth time this season that Leclerc gave up the goal in the third period with the opposition on the power play.
The two that he most vividly remembers occurred Oct. 10 and Jan. 21. In the former, he was beaten by Prince George defenceman Cody Hobbs at 8:12 of the third period as the Blazers beat the visiting Cougars, 4-1. In the latter, the goal, from forward Jeremy Boyer, came at 18:11 of the third as the host Blazers beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-1. Those both were power-play goals.
“That comes to mind,” Leclerc said, “especially Seattle.”
Leclerc was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Aug. 23, 2007, for a second-round selection in the 2008 bantam draft. With the Blazers, he took over from Dustin Butler, who set a single-season franchise record with seven shutouts in 2006-07. Shortly after Leclerc’s arrival, Butler, then 20, was dealt to the Prince Albert Raiders as the Blazers worked to get down to the limit of three 20-year-old players.
This season, Leclerc has played 3,326 minutes over 56 games. Only Braden Holtby of the Saskatoon Blades has played more (3,506 minuters in 60 games). But no one, not even a dead skunk in the middle of the road, has seen more rubber than Leclerc. He has faced 1,841 shots, an average of 33 per game. Holtby has seen 143 fewer shots.
Leclerc’s performance on Wednesday was reminiscent of two goaltending efforts turned in by Devan Dubnyk.
On Jan. 1, 2005, Dubnyk stopped 64 shots as the Blazers beat the visiting Kelowna Rockets, 4-2.
On Dec. 10, 2005, he stopped 43 of 45 shots in a 4-0 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna, earning three standing ovations in the process. That night, Dean Clark, then the general manager and head coach, replaced Dubnyk with Mike Maniago with 8:30 left in the third period and the Blazers trailing 2-0.
Dubnyk was to leave the next day for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp and Clark said that the way his team was playing defence, he was afraid Dubnyk was going to get injured.
On Wednesday, Leclerc had not time to think about being injured. He was too busy stopping shots.
“When it’s your night, it’s your night,” Leclerc said.
JUST NOTES: The Blazers signed trainer Colin (Toledo) Robinson to a three-year contract extension Thursday. Robinson, a veteran of the WHL wars, joined the Blazers from the Giants, signing a four-year deal on June 16, 2005. That contract would have expired after this season. . . . The Blazers’ awards ceremony will precede tonight’s games. It is to begin at 6:55 and should last about 15 minutes. . . . Kamloops will open the playoffs in Kelowna or Spokane on March 20, with Games 3 and 4 of the first-round series here on March 24 and 25.