By Mackenna Jamieson
After snapping their nine game winning streak with a loss against the Prince George Cougars on Saturday, the Kamloops Blazers are looking to bounce back tomorrow against the Spokane Chiefs.
Head Coach Shaun Clouston says Spokane will be a tough team to beat but they have had success with them in the past.
“They’re a scary team, they’ve got some real high end guys, I mean Adam Beckman’s near the top of the league in scoring, Ty Smith’s a World Junior player, Zummack is a guy that so creative”.
“They’re a fast team, they’re a skilled team. Obviously the last time we played them we came up with what I thought was a huge win. We did a lot of good things though, we really played with energy and took the game to them in the early stages, that will be something we want to attempt to do again.”
The Blazers have played the Chiefs twice this season tying the season series 1-1 against them.
Many players have been crucial in the Blazers success this season and one key player has been Libor Zabransky, who was acquired at the trade deadline.
“He’s been great for us, he gives us a lot of depth”.
“He’s a veteran player, he’s very mature, got a quiet confidence about him” says Clouston about Zabransky’s impact on the team.
“He’s big, he’s strong, he blocks some shots. He’s got a big shot, he adds that threat of getting the puck on net and if you want to stand in front of it, I mean he’s hurt a couple guys too, he’s got a heavy, heavy shot”.
The Blazers have many players who are top scorers on their team with names like Zane Franklin, Orrin Centazzzo and Connor Zary, but Josh Pillar has emerged as a top player for the club as of recently, putting up 11 points in 10 games this month.
“Got great speed, he’s tenacious and you know he’s got a great shot, I think that’s the one thing that probably he can use that shot a little bit more and get himself into position to be a little bit more dangerous, more often” says Clouston
Currently the Blazers are 1st in the B.C Division with a record of 31-12-2-1.
