BLAZERS VS. ROCKETS, GAME 4 TONIGHT
The Kamloops Blazers host the Kelowna Rockets tonight in Game 4 at the Sandman Centre at 7:00pm. The Blazers won Game 3, 4-1 on home ice last night. The Rockets lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Western Conference Quarterfinal (best-of-seven)
Game 1: 03/24/17, at Kelowna 4, Kamloops 0
Game 2: 03/25/17, at Kelowna 3, Kamloops 2
Game 3: 03/28/17, vs. Kelowna 1, Kamloops 4
Game 4: 03/29/17, vs. Kelowna, Kamloops
Game 5: 03/31/17, at Kelowna, Kamloops
Game 6: 04/02/17, vs. Kelowna, Kamloops
Game 7: 04/04/17, at Kelowna, Kamloops
Blazers are 1-2-0-0 in series
GAME 1: Carsen Twarynski scored twice for the Rockets in a 4-0 shutout of the Blazers in Game 1. Tomas Soustal had a goal and an assist and Nolan Foote had two assists for the Rockets. Michael Herringer stopped 15 shots for the shutout.
GAME 2: The Blazers battled back from a 3-0 deficit, but lost 3-2 in Kelowna to trail 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Quinn Benjafield and Ondrej Vala scored goals for the Blazers and Connor Ingram stopped 34 of 37 shots he faced.
GAME 3: Lane Bauer scored twice as the Blazers went on to a 4-1 win. Jermaine Loewen and Rudolfs Balcers also scored goals for the Blazers. Kole Lind had the lone goal for the Rockets. Connor Ingram stopped 37 shots, while Michael Herringer made 34 saves.
BLAZERS / ROCKETS PLAYOFF HISTORY: This is the second consecutive year, and seventh time total, that these two teams have met in the WHL playoffs. Last season, the Rockets won the best-of-seven first round series 4-3. The Blazers beat the Tacoma Rockets 4-0 in 1991-92 and the Kelowna Rockets 4-2 in 1999 in best-of-seven series’. The Rockets won 4-0 in 2001-02 and 2008-09 in best-of-seven series’. These two teams also met in the playoffs in 2012-13 in the second round with the Blazers sweeping the series 4-0.
PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE: The Blazers have 14 players on their roster that were a part of last year’s first round. Joe Gatenby has played 55 playoff games and won a WHL Championship in 2015 with Kelowna. Lane Bauer has played 18 playoff games and won a Memorial Cup with Edmonton in 2014. In total, the Blazers have 17 players who have played in the playoffs prior to this series.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Blazers roster currently sits at 26 players (3 goaltenders, 8 defensemen and 15 forwards). The roster includes 11 players selected in the WHL Bantam Draft, seven players via trade, six players from the free agent list, and two players selected from the CHL Import Draft. The roster breakdown by region includes 14 players from B.C., three from Alberta, five from Saskatchewan, one from Manitoba, one American, one from Czech Republic and one from Latvia. There are 17 WHL veterans on the roster and nine WHL rookies.
