Tigers' offence goes wild in Kamloops

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Speed kills . . . and the Medicine Hat Tigers eat the road kill.
That was the tale Monday afternoon before 4,437 fans at Interior Savings Centre as the Tigers got their run-and-gun game into high gear in the second and third periods, when they scored nine straight goals en route to a 12-5 WHL victory over the Kamloops Blazers.
It was the fifth time in franchise history, and the second time on home ice, that the Blazers were torched for 12 goals. The Portland Winter Hawks dumped the Blazers 12-1 here on Jan. 17, 1997.
It was the seventh time Kamloops was beaten for at least 12 goals in a game. The record was set on Dec. 14, 1983, when host Portland skated to a 14-6 victory. Six weeks later, the Prince Albert Raiders, playing at home, won, 13-3.
“We haven't been scoring,” said Willie Desjardins, the Tigers' general manager and head coach. “This was just one of those games where everything went in.”
As surprising as it may sound, the Blazers took a 4-2 lead into the second period and seemed to be in good shape. In fact, it looked as though the Blazers were going to toast Medicine Hat goaltender Tyler Bunz. But it didn't happen, as the Tigers (4-2-2-2) took over in the second period.
The visitors opened the second with a heavy forecheck and activated defencemen on every opportunity. Kamloops head coach Barry Smith said the coaching staff told the players to chip pucks past those defencemen and make the rush go the other way. That never happened.
“We didn't work. That's all it is,” Smith said. “You have to work. You have to move your feet.”
Smith said it was a case of the home boys deciding to trade chances with the Tigers.
“You know what? That plays right into their hands,” Smith said. “That isn't what we want. We talked about it a million times . . . now they see the results.
“Holy smoke!”
The Tigers scored the second period's only three goals and led 5-4 going into the final period. Which is when the floodgates opened. Medicine Hat scored the period's first six goals, sending goaltender Justin Leclerc to the bench in the process. Jon Groenheyde came on and was beaten on three of the first four shots he faced.
Emerson Etem, a 17-year-old from Long Beach, Calif., who the Tigers scooped out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, scored four times. Mark Isherwood, with two, Jace Coyle, Bretton Cameron, Tristan King, Kale Kessy, Taylor Gal and Linden Vey also scored for the visitors.
Shayne Wiebe, with two, Dylan Willick, Brendan Ranford and Linden Saip counted for Kamloops.
Smith sat defenceman Giffen Nyren for most of the second period.
“Everyone is trying to get their own cookies,” Smith explained. “They see, 'Wow, this thing is wide open. Let me go. Here I go.' Not just him, but everybody.”
Medicine Hat defenceman Matthew Konan, an 18-year-old from Tustin, Calif., thought the tide really changed on the Tigers' third goal.
“We had one shift where the Kamloops guys got stuck and we had a whole two shifts against one line,” he said. “They were tired and we kept going at them and they couldn't recover. That kind of hurt them.”
Konan went into the game pointless and minus-4. After drawing two assists and going plus-7, he was all smiles.
“It will be a great ride home,” he said.
The loss left the Blazers (7-2-2-0) with a 6-1-1-0 record at home and allowed the Vancouver Giants (7-2-0-2) to move into a tie with them atop the Western Conference.
The Blazers leave Wednesday evening for Regina where they are to open a six-game East Division swing against the Pats on Friday night. Kamloops doesn't play at home again until Oct. 30 when it meets the Chilliwack Bruins.
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On Saturday, in front of 4,416 fans, the Blazers dumped the Bruins 5-4 in a shootout.
Kamloops trailed 3-1 after the first period when Leclerc replaced Groenheyde, who stopped 12 shots. Leclerc was beaten once on 21 shots, that by centre Kevin Sundher as time ran out in the second period, and was perfect in the shootout.
Centre Jake Trask forced the extra time with his sixth goal of the season at 2:24 of the third period. Jimmy Bubnick, Nyren and Ranford also scored for Kamloops, which got the shootout's lone goal from C.J. Stretch.
Sundher and Ryan Howse had two goals each for the Bruins, who got 32 saves from goaltender Mark Friesen.
JUST NOTES: Bunz finished with 28 saves. . . . Kamloops F Ryan Hanes appeared to be knocked cold on a late-game hit from Tigers F Zdenek Okal. Hanes was wobbly as he was helped to the dressing room. . . . Kamloops LW Brett Lyon sat out both games after being suspended for two games for his unpenalized hit on Prince George Cougars F Greg Fraser with six seconds left in the Blazers' 6-1 victory on Friday. Fraser was left with a concussion, and the Cougars asked for and received supplemental discipline. However, the WHL did rescind the instigating minor and game misconduct that Lyon was given for a fight with F Alex Rodgers after the hit. . . . Former Tigers captain Steve Marr, who is from Kamloops, was home for the long weekend and did colour on the Tigers' broadcast. He has retired from the pro game - he played in Germany last season - and is living in The Hat. He plans on training to become a firefighter.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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