By Chad Klassen

Blazers feel they can win the B.C. Division

Sep 21, 2018 | 3:45 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s been six years since the Blazers captured the B.C. Division title in 2012, and despite missing the playoffs last year, the players feel they can win the division this season. 

“I really believe we have the team to win our division this year,” said goaltender Dylan Ferguson, who was just returned to Kamloops by the Vegas Golden Knights. “It’s just a matter of our attitude and going out on the ice and making the right plays and working hard.”

20-year-old centreman Luc Smith says a new-found confidence under new head coach Serge Lajoie has been positive and lead to the belief this team can do great things. 

“I agree 100 per cent,” said Smith, agreeing the Blazers can win the B.C. Division. “You take a look at our dressing room and everybody’s buying into system early. We’ve been together with this coach for a little over a month now and it seems like everybody’s buying in real quick. This is exciting. We’ve got a good group of guys in this room and I think if we all continue to buy in and continue to work, we have a chance at possibly winning the division.”

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It all starts with a weekend series with the Kelowna Rockets, who have dominated the Blazers of late, going 8-0 last season. Overall, the Blazers went 12-20-1-3 in the B.C. Division and the team knows that has to change. 

“Yeah, any time you get to play against someone in your division, it’s going to be huge because those games are four-point games,” noted Smith. “You have a chance to separate from them or close the gap if you’re behind them in the standings, so we just want to get out to a good start right now.”

It’s Lajoie’s first WHL game behind the bench and first regular season experience against the Rockets after two wins over Kelowna in the preseason. 

It’s all about the process for Lajoie, not necessarily the results, early in the season. But he is also well aware of the 0-9 start the Blazers went through last year. 

“It’s very important. It’s not different than a good start in a race. It inspires confidence, it validates what you’re doing is the right thing,” said the 47-year-old head coach who was previously at the University of Alberta. “But as we know in sports, you can do everything right and focus on the process and you might not get results. That’s where the mental toughness comes in, the resiliency piece. You know we’re going to be tested throughout this year.”

The Rockets are a different-looking team than the one that swept the eight-game season series last year. Their top three scores are gone. Leading scorer Cole Lind, who had 39 goals and 56 assists last season, was sent down to Utica, the Canucks’ farm team, on Friday. Blazer killer Dillon Dube has been impressive during the preseason for Calgary and Carson Twarynski aged out and is thriving in Philadelphia. 

However, the Blazers know Kelowna is not to be counted out. 

“They’re a good team. Those guys stirred the pot for them last year, but they have some good young players that I’m sure are going to step up and fill the shoes if they don’t come back. So they’re a good hockey team,” said Smith. “We definitely know we’re going to have to bring everything we got this weekend in order to have success.”