By Chad Klassen

Blazers feel they deserved better during five-game losing streak

Oct 12, 2018 | 4:47 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Blazers came out of the gates guns ablazing with two wins over a rebuilding Kelowna Rockets team and looked like early contenders for the B.C. Division. 

Since then, Serge Lajoie’s squad has dropped five games in a row and sit second-to-last in the division. 

“So have people stopped thinking we can win the division? Is that what you’re insinuating?” asked the first-year Blazers head coach Lajoie. “I don’t think much has changed. We knew it was going to be a process, we would have to put the building blocks in place for us to continue to be better from an individual standpoint, from a team standpoint.”

Lajoie says the five-game losing streak has opened the team’s eyes to the fact everyone needs to contribute. But he feels the team’s deserved better during this recent skid. 

“With the exception of the Wednesday game against Portland [7-3 loss], we’ve been in every game and we’ve put ourselves in a situation, with the exception of some poor minutes and management of the puck in one or two minute segments, we’ve really had a chance to win every single game.”

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Assistant captain Luc Smith added, “We feel like we kind of got robbed last weekend. We’re making some good steps, we’re pushing in the right direction. We’ve played hard, especially the Victoria game [a 2-1 loss on Saturday, Oct. 6]. We felt like we had that one in hand and we let it slip, but at the same time we’ve had a good week of practice. It feels like the team’s trending in the uphill direction.”

Captain Jermaine Loewen, who’s currently serving a four-game suspension, says the guys have remained positive through some early-season adversity.

“We’re not where we want to be. It’s discouraging at times to see us putting in the results and some bounces not going our way,” said Loewen. “We’ve had good practices this week and it seems we have energy still and guys are still putting in lots of work. We’ll turn things around. I’m not worried.”

The Blazers are on the road for two games this weekend, including a trip to Vancouver for a Friday night showdown with the 6-1 Giants who are ranked seventh in the CHL. Kamloops is viewing the game as a litmus test of where they stand. 

“Expect we’re going to come ready to play,” noted Lajoie. “We’re going to come ready to face a good opponent. That’s what we need right now. We need an opponent that’s going to test our resolve, test our structure, test our willingness to battle and compete.”

Kamloops will be without Loewen for both this weekend, as he serves the second and third games of his suspension. 

“Next man up,” said Lajoie, who expects everyone to step up to fill No. 32’s big skates. “Without Jermaine, it’s a big piece. We all know that. A guy with experience, a guy with a lot of energy, plays the game the right way. But it’s a ‘next man up’ approach. It’s an opportunity for someone else to step up.”