Blazers at Cougars 2/28 | WHL Highlights 2024-25
By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X
Kamloops rolled into Prince George Friday coming off a big win earlier in the week against the Portland Winterhawks as the WHL playoffs quickly approach.
Logan Edmonstone got the start once again for Kamloops, marking his 14th consecutive appearance between the pipes since taking over the starting role in January. At the other end, Josh Ravensbergen got the nod for the Cougars.
The game started at a fast pace, with all four lines getting involved within the first four minutes of play. Edmonstone made a highlight-reel save on Koehn Ziemmer, stretching across the crease to get a pad on the shot. However, his luck ran out at the 9:31 mark of the opening period when Washington Capitals prospect Terik Parascak found the back of the net to give Prince George a 1-0 lead.
Kamloops forward John Szabo delivered a thunderous hit on Cougars’ Matteo Danis, but the play resulted in a penalty for checking to the head. The Blazers managed to kill off the penalty, thanks to the relentless forechecking of veterans Oren Shtrom and Ryan Michael. Soon after, Blazers defenseman Isa Guram connected with captain Emmitt Finnie on a crisp tape-to-tape pass, but Finnie was denied by Ravensbergen. On the counterattack, Vegas Golden Knights prospect Villiam Kmec capitalized, extending Prince George’s lead to 2-0 to end the first period.
Kamloops responded early in the second period as 2025 NHL Draft prospect Tommy Lafrenière sniped his 23rd goal of the season past Ravensbergen, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Cougars continued to apply pressure, and Borya Valis restored their two-goal lead with an insurance marker. The Blazers had a prime opportunity to close the gap when Finnie and Brunicke worked a give-and-go down low, but Brunicke’s shot narrowly missed the net. Back the other way, though, Parascak and Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt worked together on a two-on-one to beat Edmonstone and make it 4-1.
Just 44 seconds into the third period, Kamloops capitalized on a power play as Finnie redirected Shtrom’s shot, tallying his ninth goal in his last eight games and bringing the Blazers within two. Kamloops continued generating high-danger chances, with Vit Zahejsky making two strong drives to the net, only to be turned aside by Ravensbergen. Then, Finnie muscled his way through two Cougars skaters but was eventually knocked off the puck.
Brunicke later fired a shot from the blueline that took an unpredictable bounce. Lafrenière tried to corral the puck but couldn’t get it past Ravensbergen in time. Prince George nearly added another goal on a cross-crease saucer pass, but Edmonstone read the play perfectly coming up with a big save.
In the final minutes, with an extended 6-on-5 due to a delayed penalty, Kamloops mounted heavy pressure. Brunicke quarterbacked the blueline, firing shots and setting up plays. Andrew Thomson had a golden chance to cut the lead, but his shot sailed just over the net. Despite their last-ditch push, the Blazers couldn’t complete the comeback, falling short in a hard-fought battle against the Cougars.
Kamloops and Prince George will face off on Saturday at the Sandman Centre.
