With seven players away at NHL camps and three more on the injury shelf, the Kamloops Blazers were ripe for the plucking.
At least, that's what the Prince George Cougars had to be thinking.
Think again. The Blazers got out their daggers and carved out a 7-1 victory Friday to close out the preseason schedule for both teams.
Matthew Needham and Cody Ully did the most damage, each scoring twice to lead the Blazers.
Dark clouds descended early on the Cougars, playing in a sparsely populated CN Centre. The hometown Cats had nothing going for them in the first period, their offence nonexistent as they failed to generate a shot until the period was half over. The Blazers took full advantage of their stagnant opponents, outshooting them 14-3 in the opening frame.
Two of those Kamloops shots late in the period got through Drew Owsley, the first a behind-the-net offering from Needham to Tim Bozon, who snapped it low. A minute later, Hinton, Alta., native Dylan Willick spotted Cody Ully cruising through the slot unguarded for a shot through Owsley's legs.
The intermission pep talk from Cougars head coach Dean Clark instilled some life in his players and after standing pretty much idle for 20 minutes, Blazers goalie Taran Kozun had to put on his game face. Spencer Asuchak, the hardest-working Cat on this night, came close on a partial break to start the period. He and linemates Brock Hirsche and Troy Bourke had a couple good cracks at the net while the Blazers killed a double-minor to Josh Connolly, the younger brother of Cougar forward Brett, but Kozun kept the Cougars at bay.
With the game half over, Needham fought off Cody Carlson to accept a pass in front of the net from linemate Bozon to make it 3-0 game, and the same two Blazers struck a couple minutes later as Bozon, while flat on stomach, chipped a pass to Needham for his second of the night.
Asuchak, a native of Kamloops, finally broke through to finish off a 2-on-1 with Bourke, but the Blazers weren't quite done. Late in the period, Willick jammed the net and the puck was left uncovered in the crease for Ully.
Brady Gaudet, connected on a power-play setup from Needham, and Josh Connolly, the 16-year-old from Prince George, capped the scoring on a 2-on-1 shorthanded break, 18:32 into the third period.
KITTY LITTER: Shots were 34-33 in favour of Kamloops... The Cougars will be in Kamloops to open the season next Saturday. F Charles Inglis is back in P.G. after attending the San Jose Sharks rookie camp but did not play Friday. Inglis and former Cougar defenceman Sena Acolatse both scored for the Sharks in a 6-1 preseason win over the Calgary Flames... Cougars F Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay Lightning) and D Martin Marincin (Edmonton Oilers) moved on the main camps of their respective NHL teams. The Blazers have seven players at pro camps -- D Josh Caron (Minnesota), D Austin Madaisky (Columbus), F Chase Schaber and F Colin Smith (Edmonton), F Brendan Ranford (Philadelphia), F Jordan DePape (Winnipeg) and F J.T. Barnett (New Jersey).
