Winterhawks Blitz Blazers; Remain Second in Conference

For two periods, the Kamloops Blazers showed why they are tied with the Winterhawks for second in the conference.  The defense held firm, and backup goaltender Cam Lanigan turned away almost everything the Hawks could throw at him.  In fifteen seconds, the Hawks showed why they are alone in second in the conference after Tuesday night.

The first period saw only a small amount of action, with Brad Ross of the Hawks and JC Lipon of the Blazers getting under each other’s skin, as they have all season long.  Ross wound up in the box first, called for interference.  Oliver Gabriel kicked off the scoring for the Hawks, scoring off the feed from Taylor Leier less than two minutes into the second period to bestow a 1-0 advantage.  But with Derrick Pouliot in the box for interference, Tim Bozon beat Mac Carruth to even the score.  The Winterhawks only managed a four shot advantage, 25-21, through the first two periods.  The Blazers forced turnovers, and continued to pester the wingers.

Three minutes into the third, Sven Bartschi had had enough, and stepped up once again, beating Lanigan off a pass from Marcel Noebels to break the tie.  Fourteen seconds later, Oliver Gabriel tallied his second of the night, and the rout was on.  Joe Morrow scored on the power play twelve minutes into the third to make it a 4-1 game, and Noebels would add the clinching goal with two minutes to play for a 5-2 win.  Another player who had enough of the Blazers was Ross, who was penalized four times in the game, the last one a counter hit to the head of JC Lipon.

While Bartschi and Gabriel stepped up yet again for the Winterhawks, Brad Ross lost his temper several times in the game, and continues to be overly aggressive at best, and downright dangerous at worst.  Against teams that like to encourage outbursts, such as Kamloops and the Vancouver Giants, Ross needs to keep his temper in check to stay on the ice, where he infinitely more valuable to the team.

The Hawks held first place in the conference momentarily, but Tri-City beat Seattle 3-1 later in the evening to re-take the lead.  The Americans visit the Rose Garden Friday night.