Blazers searching for special feeling

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
A lot of stuff has gone under the bridge since Tyler Shattock joined the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers as a fresh-faced 16-year-old winger from Salmon Arm.
Despite everything he has been through, however, Shattock, now 19, hasn’t lost his sense of humour.
Told after Tuesday’s practice that the Blazers are to resume what once was a tradition by taking on the local Special Olympics team in a floor hockey game, Shattock wouldn’t agree that his side would be underdog.
But a grinning Shattock did make the point that the Blazers likely will be outshot.
After all, the Blazers go into tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oil Kings at Interior Savings Centre having been outshot 24 times in 29 games and having given up at least 35 shots on 23 occasions.
There are times when the Blazers give out shots like Dr. Phil doling out advice.
In two games under head coach Guy Charron, who signed on Nov. 23, the Blazers are 0-1-0-1. They were outshot 47-28 in a 6-5 overtime loss to the visiting Kootenay Ice on Friday and then were outshot 36-15 — and outchanced 23-6 — in a 3-0 loss to the Bruins in Chilliwack on Saturday.
Shattock and his teammates know they have to improve their discipline, which, of course, is something about which this team has talked and talked and talked for the last two years.
“At some point,” Shattock said, “it has to just end. At some point, you just have to suck it up.
“If we do take a penalty, we just have to go straight to the box. I’m probably one of the worst for arguing with the referees . . . but maybe if we just go straight to the box, hopefully, we’ll get a break here and there.”
The Blazers are the WHL’s most-penalized team and their penalty killers are ranked 21st in what is a 22-team league. Obviously, that is not a good combination.
“We get a lot of penalties from those scrums and pushing around in front of the net. It seems that we get more than anyone else,” Shattock said. “It’s one thing if they run our goalie . . . we’ll take a good penalty if some guy takes liberties on our goalie and we’ll kill that.
“But it’s all the sticking, holding, punching and stuff . . . we have to eliminate that.”
The Blazers can start working on it tonight and this weekend as they play three games in four nights. The Tri-City Americans are here Friday, with the Prince George Cougars in the house Saturday.
The Blazers (11-14-2-2), who have won just four of their last 19 games, are clinging to the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. They know that this already is a crucial part of their schedule.
“We have to turn the corner . . . we have three home games here and they’re all winnable,” said Shattock, noting that they have beaten Edmonton this season, that the Americans have stumbled a bit of late and that the Cougars have but four victories in 26 games.
“It’s a big time for us in the season,” Shattock said. “We’ve got seven games left until the Christmas break. We have to pick up some points, get some wins going into Chrsitmas to put is in a good spot for after Christmas.
“And you don’t want everyone going home on a bad note, that’s for sure.”
After this weekend, the Blazers will have only a home-and-home series with the Vancouver Giants and two games in Prince George before breaking for Christmas.
———
Meanwhile, Shattock said he is “hoping (for) but not expecting” good news this morning when Hockey Canada reveals the list of invitees to the national junior team’s selection camp in Regina, Dec. 12-16.
“I’m not really expecting anything,” said Shattock, who played for Team WHL in a 4-2 victory over a touring Russian team Thursday in Kelowna. “You can never understand what they are going to do so I’m not going to worry about it all night.”
———
JUST NOTES: The Blazers and Special Olympians will mee in that floor hockey game Monday, 6:30 p.m., at Brocklehurst Secondary. Fans are invited to attend and donations to Special Olympics would be appreciated. . . . Then-interim head coach Scott Ferguson earned his first WHL victory Nov. 6 when the Blazers scored a 6-5 overtime victory over the visiting Oil Kings. Should the Blazers win tonight, it would be Charron’s first victory, meaning two coaches for the same team will have gotten their first coaching victories against the same team in the same season within a month of each other.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

SCOUTINGREPORT
EDMONTON OIL KINGS at KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
Today, 7 p.m., Interior Savings Centre (Radio NL 610)

EDMONTON (8-13-4-4): The Oil Kings last played Saturday when they blew a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 in OT to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Edmonton, which is 4-6-2-3 on the road, is 11th in the Eastern Conference, seven points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Oil Kings, who are 1-5-4-2 in their last 12 games, lead the WHL in one category — they have picked up eight loser points. . . . After Saturday’s game, head coach Steve Pleau challenged his older players, saying: “Our older guys have to be able to control those situations and I think it’s about time we challenged them. (Brett) Breitkreuz wasn’t good enough tonight, (Adrian) Van de Mosselaer wasn’t good enough, and if we’re going to have any chance at making a run at this thing, the 19s and 20s have to step and man up.” . . . The Oil Kings arrived here Tuesday at 4 p.m., so they’ll be rested. . . . Look for veteran Torrie Jung to start in goal. He didn’t play Nov. 6 when the Blazers won 6-5 in OT. The Oil Kings’ roster was ravaged by the flu when they last visited. . . . With the Canadian Olympic curling trials headed for Edmonton, this is the start of six-game road trip for the Oil Kings. It includes stops in Kelowna, Vancouver, Cranbrook, Moose Jaw and Brandon. . . . Injuries: None.
————————
KAMLOOPS (11-14-2-2): The Blazers were beaten 3-0 by the Bruins in Chilliwack on Saturday, the second time this season they have been blanked. . . . Kamloops is 0-1-0-1 under Guy Charron, who signed on as head coach on Nov. 23. . . . The Blazers were outshot 36-15 and outchanced 23-6 by the Bruins. . . . Kamloops is eighth in the Western Conference, just two points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Veteran D Zak Stebner and freshman F Dylan Willick were healthy scratches Saturday, the first time either had missed a game this season. . . . G Kurtis Mucha, acquired from the Portland Winterhawks on Nov. 22, makes his second start with the Blazers tonight. . . . F Tyler Shattock has 34 points in 27 games and is plus-1. He and C Dalibor Bortnak, who has played two games since recovering from a spleen injury, are the only plus players on the roster. Bortnak is plus-2. . . . D Ryan Funk is plus-2 in two games since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants. He was minus-2 with the Giants. . . . The Blazers are 8-5-1-1 on home ice. . . . The Tri-City Americans play here Friday night, with Dean Clark and the Prince George Cougars here Saturday. . . . Injuries: None.
— GREGG DRINNAN