Image: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT

Blazers and Remparts players ready to get Memorial Cup tourney underway

May 26, 2023 | 4:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — Being knocked out of the WHL playoffs by the Seattle Thunderbirds wasn’t part of the plan for the Kamloops Blazers this season.

However, as the host team for the Memorial Cup, it allowed them to take some time, refocus and recharge.

“I wanted to really use the time to come in here and be fresh and be prepared to play a lot of minutes and play with a lot of energy,” Blazers defenceman Olen Zellweger explains. “It’s worked out really good so far and I’m feeling really good.”

The Blazers also took that opportunity to watch the championship series around the CHL and get a feel for their opponents in this tournament.

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“I watched all the finals that were on TV,” said Blazers Captain Logan Stankoven. “It was cool to watch the other teams play and sees some of their top players and what their tendencies are. It was nice to get a feel for them.”

They’ve also done their homework on the Remparts, who come in as QMJHL champs after finishing as the best team in that league with 53 wins in the regular season.

“We’ve watched video on their team — special teams, five-on-five, to kind of get a feel for what they might be like,” said Zellweger. “So far, we’ve kind of seen they’re fast, they’ve got guys who can play really good offensively and they’ve got good goaltending.”

The Remparts come into Friday night’s (May 26) contest a confident group, after going 16-2 throughout their run to the Gilles Corteau Trophy.

“We’re a fun team to watch. We have a lot of great offensive players, you know. Very good skill,” QMJHL Playoff MVP James Malatesta explains. “But at the same time, I think our success in the playoffs has been not giving the other team a lot of chances, playing good defensively. We have a great goaltender in net. I think all around, we meet all the criteria for a very good hockey team.”

As the start of that first game looms, both teams know once the puck is dropped, the atmosphere in the Sandman Centre will be absolutely electric.

“It’s going to be super loud,” predicted Zellweger. “The playoffs we’re extremely loud, great atmosphere, and it’s going to be like that [Friday night], I think. Maybe even more energy in the building, because we haven’t played for a few weeks.”

“The Gatineau crowd was unbelievable, the Halifax crowd was unbelievable,” said Remparts defenceman Evan Nause. “We find a way to build off of the other team’s crowd’s energy, and we’ll just keep that going.”

“I think it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be exciting,” said Blazers forward Daylan Keufler. “We’ve got to try not to look too far ahead, but enjoy the moment.”