BLAZERS EXPECTING TO PUSH IN SECOND HALF OF SEASON
By Marty Hastings
Find Marty on Twitter @MartheReporter or via email at [email protected]
Theatre buff Shea Van Olm took in A Christmas Carol with his family in Cow Town during the WHL holiday break.
“It was really well done,” said Van Olm, the 19-year-old Kamloops Blazers’ forward from Calgary. “It was a musical. I’ve always been a big theatre kid, so I really enjoyed it.”
Improv was Van Olm’s thing in high school drama class and significant change on the fly will be required if the Blazers — last in the Western Conference with a record of 9-22-3-2 — are to qualify for the post-season.
Upstaging the Oil Kings (a touch of Shakespearian revenge on the team that jettisoned him last season) would be helpful, with Kamloops slated to host Edmonton on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Game time is 7 p.m. at Sandman Centre.
“We’ve got a resilient group,” said Van Olm, whom the Blazers acquired from the Oil Kings in November of 2022. “Everyone’s been saying the whole year we’re a young group, but a lot of these players have 30-plus games under their belt now. They’ve seen a lot. It’s time for a lot of these guys to take the next step.”
Associate coach Don Hay — the Blazers’ interim head coach while bench boss Shaun Clouston handles assistant coaching duties for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Sweden — was asked on Tuesday to assess his group.
“Offensively, they’re very creative and skilled,” Hay said. “A lot of young guys nowadays come into our league and they’re very well taught with skill. They’re not strong at defending. As a coach, you really have to stress little details of the defensive part of the game — where your stick should be, where your positioning should be.”
Clouston is likely to return to Kamloops on Jan. 6, earlier than expected after Canada’s 3-2 loss to Czechia on Tuesday in quarter-final action at the world juniors.
“It’s a horrible feeling, one you never want to experience,” former Blazers’ captain Fraser Minten, who wore the C for Canada at the world juniors, told TSN after the defeat. “It sucks to have an opportunity like this go to waste. It’s going to be a sour taste for a while, but a huge honour to get the opportunity.”
The Blazers opened the second half of the campaign with 3-2 triumph over the Kelowna Rockets on Dec. 27 at Sandman Centre.
“We don’t refocus our goals, so to speak, but we ask the guys to really dig in and focus on trying to get better every day,” Hay said. “Our dressing room is our classroom. On the ice is our work room.”
Kelowna (17-16-2-0) rebounded with a 6-4 win over visiting Kamloops on Dec. 29. The hometown Blazers fell 4-1 to the Western Conference-leading Prince George Cougars (26-10-0-0) on Dec. 30.
“It’s a realistic goal,” Hay said of qualifying for the playoffs. “We have to get winning. We have to put together some type of streak, more than just two games. You’ve got to put together a three-, four- or five-game winning streak. There are teams in front of us that aren’t running away from us.”
The Oil Kings — 12-20-1-1 and last in Eastern Conference standings — have won four of their last five games, including a 6-5 victory over the hometown Everett Silvertips (22-14-1-1) on New Year’s Day.
Their only defeat in that stretch came in overtime, a 4-3 loss to the Victoria Royals on Dec. 30 on Vancouver Island.
“They’re on a bit of a heater here, winning a couple games on this swing, so the start’s going to be huge to take the life out of them,” Blazers’ forward Dylan Sydor said.
“The second half is a new beginning. Hayzer mentions that a lot. We’re ready to bounce back.”
Sydor has a team-leading 19 goals and 30 points in 32 games, both career-highs for the Kamloopsian in his overage season.
“It’s all about hard work,” Sydor said. “The guys I’m playing with are doing a real good job getting the puck to me and making smart plays.”
Jordan Keller made similar remarks when asked about impressive totals since Nov. 24, when Kamloops acquired the 18-year-old forward in a trade with Saskatoon.
“I’m playing with a lot of good players,” said Keller, who has five goals and 12 points in 14 games with the Blazers. “We all expect ourselves to have a big comeback. We had a good break and we’re fresh now.”
While Hay calls for a winning streak or two that would make for a dramatic finish to the campaign, Van Olm believes his Blazers’ final act can take place in the post-season.
“I do,” said Van Olm, who is tied for second in team scoring, with 28 points, including 10 goals, in 36 games. “We’re determined and definitely going to turn this ship around a bit to make a final push.”