Can Rockets put Blazers away for the season?
Kelowna misses chance to close out Kamloops in Game 5
Connor Ingram was determined not to let his season — and likely his WHL career — end in Kelowna.
The Kamloops Blazers’ standout goaltender stoned the host Rockets, stopping 32 shots for first-star honours in helping his team stave off elimination with a 4-1 victory at Prospera Place on Friday night.
“No, I wasn’t ready for it yet,” said Ingram, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning last year and is expected to turn pro in their system next season or possibly this spring once Kamloops is done.
“We believe . . . obviously going home should be nice,” he added of forcing a Game 6 back in Kamloops on Sunday. If necessary, Game 7 would be here in Kelowna on Tuesday.
The winner of this best-of-seven, first-round series will face either Prince George or Portland in the B.C. Division final. That series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 in P.G. tonight.
Kelowna is still leading 3-2, but the Blazers have the momentum now thanks to Ingram, who celebrated his 20th birthday with an empathic fist-pump following the final buzzer last night.
“Connor’s playing really well right now, and he just gives us a chance every night,” Blazers head coach Don Hay said of his team’s regular-season MVP. “He’s our most competitive player and it shows every game we play.”
Kelowna’s top line was flying in the first period — by far their best frame of the series — and Reid Gardiner netted their first even-strength goal of the playoffs, pouncing on a Kamloops turnover and firing low glove on Connor Ingram to open the scoring at 11:05. It was Gardiner’s second goal of the series, his first coming on a power play in Game 1 last Friday.
Kamloops was shooting from everywhere and it paid off at 17:46, when Garrett Pilon’s shot from the top of the circle changed directions off Tomas Soustal’s stick and handcuffed Michael Herringer to even the score. It was Pilon’s first goal of the series after signing his first NHL contract with the Washington Capitals earlier in the day.
“I liked our compete level. We were really focused right from the start, and when we got down, we stuck with it and played a hard game,” said Hay. “It was just a real good team effort — that’s what we asked for and that’s what we got.”
Kamloops was opportunistic in taking the lead early in the second period, as the puck found its way to Quinn Benjafield at the side of the net and he put it in before Herringer could react at 1:22.
Kamloops’ top sniper, 40-goal import Rudolfs Balcers, made good on his first chance of the third period, making it 3-1 by burying the rebound of his own wraparound at 5:32.
Then, after Ingram made several sprawling saves in quick succession to turn back Kelowna’s power play, Collin Shirley broke out on a shorthanded 2-on-1, delayed and roofed a shot to make it 4-1 at 12:22. It was Shirley’s first goal of the series and the first shorthanded goal allowed by the Rockets all season.
Kelowna’s players and head coach Jason Smith were not available for interviews following the game due to fear of the mumps. Kamloops play-by-play man Jon Keen has been sidelined since Game 3 after undergoing tests for the viral disease on Wednesday. Rockets media relations manager Kevin Bain provided the postgame quotes via Smith.
“We didn’t play a good enough team game or compete in the hard areas enough,” said Smith, who was asked about his team’s discipline preventing a comeback in the third period with a steady stream to the penalty box. “The guys came unglued a little bit and lost their composure. It’s a lesson learned for sure. Not that it changed the score in any way, but it really took us away from having any chance to get back in the game.
“It did nothing but give them momentum.”