Image Credit: Kamloops Blazers/Allen Douglas

By Adam Donnelly

WEEKEND SWEEP

Blazers score early and often en route to a 6-3 win over Prince George

Feb 29, 2020 | 10:36 PM

KAMLOOPS — You know the old saying: “It ain’t over ’till the fat lady sings.” She was ready to go Saturday night in Kamloops, as the Blazers scored five (yes, five) first period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars.

Max Martin started it just fifty seconds into the first. On the powerplay, Zane Franklin picked up his 28th at the 1:22 mark. At 2:37, Orrin Centazzo buried his 42nd, also on a powerplay. Brody Stuart was the next to score, as he potted his 8th of the year, a goal that turned out to the eventual game-winner.

That spelled the end of the night for Cougars’ starting netminder Tyler Brennan. The 16-year-old had a rough outing, stopping just four of the eight shots he faced in just 7:31 of ice time. He was replaced by Taylor Gauthier, who, one night earlier, stopped 43 shots in a 6-1 loss in Prince George.

Gauthier held the fort for two minutes until Logan Stankoven fired a puck from the nearside corner that went right through the goalie. The goal was Stankoven’s 28th of the season and puts him just one goal behind Rob Brown for the all-time franchise record for 16-year-olds.

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In the second, the Cougars would crack the goose egg. Vladislav Mikhalchuk picked up his 11th of the year on the power play, as he blew a one-timer past Rayce Ramsay to make it 5-1.

In the third period, the Blazers got their third powerplay goal of the night on Quinn Schmiemann’s 5th of the season. It looked like smooth sailing for Kamloops until Stankoven took a boarding penalty at the 15:30 mark of the period.

With Stankoven in the box, Majid Kaddoura’s point shot beat a screened Ramsay to make it 6-2. Two minutes later, Brendan Boyle would find the loose puck in front of the net and bang it in to make it a 6-3 game.

That would be the final score, as the Blazers’ earned a weekend sweep of the Cougars and take the lead in the season series with their fourth win in seven games against Prince George this season.

Ramsay picked up his second win in two nights, as he allowed three goals on 15 shots. Gauthier allowed two goals on 23 shots in relief of Brennan.

The Blazers kick off a busy stretch of hockey on Wednesday, as they host the Vancouver Giants at Sandman Centre. From there, they’ll play six games in eight nights, including a three-game US road trip with a pair of games against Tri-City and one against Spokane.