Image credit: Facebook/Kamloops Blazers

By Aaron Schulze

Blazers 6 Royals 3

Behm explodes with six-point night, Blazers win third in a row over Royals 6-3

Oct 23, 2024 | 6:46 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Blazers made it three wins in a row Tuesday (Oct. 22) by beating the Victoria Royals at Sandman Centre 6-3.

After falling behind the eight-ball by surrendering two goals early, Nathan Behm dragged his Blazers into the fight by picking up a giveaway and firing the puck home to make it 2-1. Behm then sent captain Emmitt Finnie on a breakaway to make it 2-2 but Royals responded with 16 seconds left in the first period to escape with a 3-2 lead.

The Blazers wouldn’t stay down long though. Max Sullivan and Tommy Lafreniere went back and forth and back again and Lafreniere ended up scoring at the side of the net to tie the game 3-3.

Mirroring the Royals at the end of the first period, the Blazers scored in the final minute of the second with Behm firing a sharp angle shot on the power to give Kamloops their first lead of the night.

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Behm would use the third period to cement himself as Tuesday’s main character. On the power play, he stickhandled around three Royals before setting up Finnie for his second goal of the night. Behm scored his hat trick goal and sixth point of the night by hitting the empty net with 2:17 remaining.

The Blazers improve to 5-6-1-0 on the 2024-25 Western Hockey League (WHL) season, good for 11 points in 12 games. They sit at eighth in the WHL Western Conference and fourth in the B.C. Division after winning three straight.

Next up for the Blazers is a home game against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday, Oct. 26. Puck drop is at 6:00 p.m. from Sandman Centre.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Royals, Brayden Boehm (3) from Seth Fryer and Cole Reschny, 5:13

2-0, Royals, Cole Reschny (3) from Cosmo Wilson and Teydon Trembecky, 8:43

2-1, Blazers, Nathan Behm (9) unassisted, 12:09

2-2, Blazers, Emmitt Finnie (5) from Nathan Behm, 16:26

3-2, Royals, Markus Loponen (3) from Tanner Scott and Keaton Verhoeff (power play), 19:44

Second Period

3-3, Blazers, Tommy Lafreniere (7) from Max Sullivan and Nathan Behm, 5:40

4-3, Blazers, Nathan Behm 2 (10) from Emmitt Finnie and Harrison Brunicke (power play), 19:31

Third Period

5-3, Blazers, Emmitt Finnie 2 (6) from Nathan Behm and Harrison Brunicke (power play), 8:10

6-3, Blazers, Nathan Behm 3 (11) from Emmitt Finnie (empty net), 17:43

Goaltending

Dylan Ernst (W), Blazers, 24 saves on 27 shots in 60 minutes played.

Spencer Michnik (L), Royals, 17 saves on 21 shots in 40 minutes played.

Jayden Kraus, Royals, 10 saves on 11 shots in 19 minutes played.