Mucha shoulders blame for OT loss

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Giants got the result they deserved.
Kurtis Mucha didn’t.
Mucha and the Kamloops Blazers lost 4-3 in overtime to the Giants on Friday in Game 1 of a best-of-seven first-round WHL playoff series in front of 7,368 fans at Pacific Coliseum. Game 2 is scheduled for here tonight, with Games 3 and 4 set for Tuesday and Wednesday — 7 p.m. — at Interior Savings Centre.
James Henry scored the winner, 33 seconds into overtime on a long shot that eluded Mucha. Mucha, who ended with 33 saves, tried to direct the puck into the corner to the right of him, and instead deflected it into the net.
The 20-year-old, who was the only reason Kamloops even made it to overtime, took full responsibility.
“It was a bad goal to win it,” said Mucha, a 20-year-old who hails from Sherwood Park, Alta. “It was my fault, and the guys know that.”
Mucha may have been putting the loss on his own shoulders after the game, but the 18 skaters in front of him didn’t offer much help in the previous 61 minutes.
Kamloops was outshot 37-14, although it did hold a 6-4 lead in shots in the first period.
In fact, Kamloops didn’t get a shot on goal in the third period, and its lone shot of overtime was a Bronson Maschmeyer dump-in right off the opening faceoff. The Giants turned the puck up ice, where Henry played hero.
“I didn’t want to leave a rebound, because there was a guy coming,” said Mucha. “I wanted to try to flick it to the corner — I think I just missed it.
“That was my bad for sure, and I’ll step up (tonight).”
The Blazers got a taste of some bad luck early in the first period, when a Kamloops dump-in attempt on a power play hit linesman Trent Knorr. Craig Cunningham turned the puck the other way, and beat Mucha to open the scoring at 2:54.
Kamloops had no trouble getting that one back 32 seconds later, when defenceman Austin Madaisky’s point shot found its way into the back of the net.
Kamloops took the lead 38 seconds later, Colin Smith fighting his way through a check and feathering a pretty saucer pass to Brendan Ranford, who roofed it. Ryan Hanes made it 3-1 at 9:34, burying a loose puck from the hashmarks.
The Giants fought back, dominating the second half of the first period. After hitting three posts, Vancouver cut the lead when defenceman Nolan Toigo scooted in from the left point and made a cute pass to Tomas Vincour, who made no mistake at 17:52.
The second period, like the last half of the first period, was all Vancouver. The Giants outshot Kamloops 17-4, with the Blazers getting their first shot 10:22 into the period.
Things didn’t get any better for the Blazers in the third period, and the Giants finally got some reward for their domination. After cycling the puck around the Kamloops zone for what seemed an eternity, Brendan Gallagher got the puck to Cunningham in the slot. As the puck got through Mucha and hit the twine with 5:12 remaining, Cunningham raised his hands to the sky, as if to say, “Finally!”
By that point, Kamloops was barely hanging on.
“We came out really strong, got three quick goals,” Mucha said. “But we tailed off at the end — we didn’t get a shot in the third period.
“We had a chance to win, and we didn’t even get a shot in the third period. We’ve got to come back and play smarter.”
JUST NOTES: Kamloops was great on the penalty kill, killing all nine Vancouver power plays. The Blazers were 1-for-3 on the power play. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal made 11 saves. . . . The Blazers scratched D Max Mowat, F Rhyse Dieno and F Jake Trask. Trask, who hasn’t scored since Feb. 10 and has one goal in his last 25 games, also was scratched from Saturday’s season-ending 6-5 shootout loss in Vancouver. . . . The Giants scratched F Greg Lamoureux, F Brandon Scholten, D Zach Hodder (shoulder), D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen and F Nathan Burns. . . . The Giants had captain Lance Bouma back in uniform after a 14-game absence (knee) and he hit anything in a Blazers uniform for most of the night. . . . Vincour, who missed a Wednesday practice due to illness, played, but was wearing a full shield after taking a high stick in a Thursday practice. . . . The series is being televised on Shaw TV. . . . The Blazers are working to add assists to their goals — Dylan Willick likely will get an assist on Madaisky’s goal, C.J. Stretch will get a helper on Ranford’s goal, and Tyler Hansen will get an assist on Hanes’s goal.

mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca