Bauer fitting in well with Blazers
Former Oil Kings star scoring at point-a-game clip
It didn’t take long for Lane Bauer to find his game with the Kamloops Blazers.
The former Edmonton Oil Kings centre is on a point-a-game pace and has helped the Blazers challenge for top spot in the B.C. Division as the regular season winds down.
“When I first got here, I was just learning my way around and getting used to new systems,” Bauer said. “Now things are going great. I’m finding my way and the guys are helping me out.
“It was a change. I didn’t know anybody, so it was an adjustment, but the guys were great, the coaching staff was great and now, I think I fit in pretty well.”
Bauer, 20, a product of Anchorage, Alaska, was leading the Oil Kings with 25 goals and 40 points in 40 games before being traded to the Blazers.
His departure, along with that of captain Aaron Irving to the Everett Silvertips, set the Oil Kings on a downward spiral as they embraced a full rebuild.
Bauer and Irving were members of the 2014 Memorial Cup championship squad and both were highly coveted by contending teams.
Kamloops won the bidding war for Bauer, giving up 17-year-old defenceman Conner McDonald, a second-round pick in this year’s WHL Bantam Draft and a fifthround pick in 2018. The Blazers also got a seventh-round pick.
“I was excited to come to a team that wanted to push in the playoffs,” Bauer said.
Bauer went pointless in his first three games with the Blazers, but then broke out with a four-assist game in a 6-3 win over the Vancouver Giants. He added two more assists in a 4-1 win against the Moose Jaw Warriors the following game.
Bauer scored his first goal for the Blazers in his seventh game with the club. That set off a streak of six goals in five games.
Ironically, one of Bauer’s best games with the Blazers came in a 7-0 win over the Oil Kings, where he scored twice and added an assist.
Bauer didn’t feel much sympathy for his former club, who going into their game against the Kootenay Ice on Tuesday had only managed to win two games since he was traded.
“I don’t know, I’m a Blazer now,” Bauer said with a laugh. “I think I was happy with the score.”
Heading into the WHL playoffs, the Blazers pose a serious threat.
Just five points separate the top three teams in the B.C. Division and the entire Western Conference is stacked heading into the post-season.
“The West is really tight right now, especially the B.C. Division, I think anything can happen here in the playoffs,” Bauer said.
GLASS HAS BIG WEEK
For the second time this season, Portland Winterhawks forward Cody Glass has been named WHL Player of the Week.
Glass, 17, had five goals and three assists in four games for the Winterhawks this past week, helping them win three of four games.
Regina Pats goaltender Tyler Brown was named WHL Goaltender of the Week after an impressive 3-0-0 run with a 1.67 goals against average and a shutout.