Image Credit: Kamloops Blazers

By Adam Donnelly

BLAZERS VS ROCKETS

Blazers and Rockets set to renew hostilities over the next two weekends

Mar 18, 2022 | 3:59 PM

KAMLOOPS — As the old proverb states: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” If that truly is the case, there will be plenty of contempt over the next two weekends, as the Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets are set to play each other four times — which will make it six straight games for the two BC Division teams.

Like Athens and Sparta in Ancient Greece, there’s a healthy rivalry that exists between Kelowna and Kamloops. That rivalry manifests itself most strongly when the Rockets and the Blazers get together on the ice.

“My first game playing against Kelowna, I knew it was a different atmosphere,” Matthew Seminoff says. “It’s definitely a little more intense, just naturally. The crowd’s more into it, the game means a little bit more. It’s always fun. You’ve just got to look to embrace it and try to enjoy it.”

That intensity is set to ratchet up even higher this weekend. The Blazers and Rockets are in the middle of six games in a row against each other. That kind of familiarity can turn the heat up, even in the regular season.

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“Playing six games against any team will come across as a playoff-like series,” Daylan Kuefler explains. “Especially against those guys. We’re treating it like a playoff game.”

With 547 penalty minutes on the season, the Blazers are the least penalized team in the WHL’s Western Conference. However, when you see the same faces poking at your goalie or glaring at you at every faceoff, Head Coach Shaun Clouston understands that it can be harder to maintain that discipline.

“I think the challenge is playing hard and not crossing the line,” Clouston says. “When you get into a series where you’re seeing the same guys over and over again, it becomes a little bit harder. It’s really a mental thing — making sure the guys understand that you can be tough and not take penalties.”

The Blazers managed to extend their lead in the BC Conference by three points last weekend — earning a regulation win in Kamloops on Friday and a marathon shoot-out win in Kelowna last Saturday.

“We’re happy with how the first two games went,” Seminoff says. “We’ve got four more and it’ll be a battle, but I think it’s one we’re all excited for.”

The Blazers are on the road in Kelowna on Friday, March 18, before hosting the Rockets on Saturday, March 19. They host the Rockets March 25 at Sandman Centre and travel to Kelowna on the 26th.