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Blazers win wild one in shootout

Cougars end season with home-ice loss to Kamloops
Blazers win wild one in shootout_0
Prince George Cougars foward Josh Curtis plays the puck while sitting as he is closely watched by three Kamloops Blazers defenders on Saturday night at CN Centre. Citizen Photo by James Doyle

Time was ticking down in overtime in the last game of their Western Hockey League careers and 20-year-olds Brogan O’Brien and Jared Bethune kept the Saturday night CN Centre crowd riveted as they played beat the clock with the Kamloops Blazers.
Already having led the scoring train twice on the traditional teammate drive-by, O’Brien was working on a hat trick when he and Bethune got themselves behind enemy lines. Bethune took the puck on the give-and-go play and gave it right back to the Prince George born-and-raised O’Brien, hoping to end a wild slugfest in which the Cougars had fought back from a 5-3 deficit.
But Blazers goalie Max Palaga kicked out his leg to block O’Brien’s labelled shot, the fourth solid save the 17-year-old netminder had to make in the five-minute 3-on-3 OT session. Before the buzzer, O’Brien had another great chance but missed the net after he and Bethune were sent into the clear when Ryan Schoettler had forced a turnover at the other end.
Early in overtime, 20-year-old Cougar Aaron Boyd had the puck roll off his stick while he took aim at the net from point-blank range. The game went to a shootout and the first two Blazers coach Don Hay elected – Connor Zary and 20-year-old captain Nick Chyzowski – both scored through the legs of Cougar goalie Taylor Gauthier. O’Brien tried a one-handed reverse deke and was foiled by Palaga. Bethune, needing to score, fooled the goal judge who put the light on, but his shot nailed the post and stayed out, finalizing a 6-5 Kamloops victory in the season-ender for both teams.
“We don’t really look at it as a loss, to end the season – just the way we played it was a win for us and for a send-off for us 20s you couldn’t ask for more, we all had points,” said Bethune. “It was a really cool game to be a part of and to get a chance in the shootout, I wish I would have scored because (Boyd) was up next.”
The rookie Zary staked the Blazers to their two-goal with two goals sandwiched around Luc Smith’s rebound effort – part of an eight-goal second period after O’Brien opened the scoring with the only goal of the first period.
The third period produced just one scoring play and it was O’Brien doing the damage, snapping in a pass from Bethune from behind the net with seven minutes left.
The game was the last of a four-season WHL career for Boyd, who came close to scoring while shorthanded early in the second period on a setup with linemate Josh Curtis. Blazers 20-year-olds Chyzowski, Brady Reagan and Joe Gatenby also suited up for the last time as junior players.
“It’s nice to end it on a note like that, “ Boyd said. “Obviously it would have been better to get the win but a shootout loss isn’t too bad. The game went both ways and it was a lot of fun to play in.”
Rookies on both teams made the most of their time in the spotlight Saturday. Kamloops defenceman Devan Harrison scored his first WHL goal, giving the Blazers a 2-1 lead about a minute after Brodi Stuart had tied it 1-1 early in the second. Then it was time for Cougar rookies Reid Perepeluk and Connor Bowie to light the lamp, both assisted by another promising first-year player, Ethan Browne. Cameron MacPhee had the other Cougar goal just before the second period ended.
The ever-aggressive Perepeluk, in his seventh game since rejoining the Cougars from the junior B ranks, continued to throw his weight around and make life miserable for opponents, who will be putting the 17-year-old Perepeluk on their “most hated” list if he keeps that up next season.
Palaga made 29 saves to finish the season with a 5-7-0-1 record. The 29-save loss dropped Gauthier’s season mark to 8-18-1-2.
The Cougars (24-38-5-5) finished last in the B.C. Division, last in the Western Conference and second-last of 22 teams in the WHL, dropping from B.C. Division champions and banner-winners last year to non-playoff status. The Blazers (30-37-1-4) ended up six points better than Prince George and also missed the playoffs.
• On Monday, the Cougars announced Bethune and O’Brien have signed ECHL tryout contracts with the Allen Americans and Kansas City Mavericks respectively. The Americans are affiliated with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks while the Mavericks are part of the Calgary Flames organization.