Blazers Avenge 12-5 Loss

Blazers defeat Tigers 6-3

Disappointing game tonight. Penalty troubles cost them late in the game.

A Few Notes:
Linden Vey one of the Tigers best players decided to meet his quota of 1 hit every 2 games, and he happens to hit someone from behind seconds after the Tigers just killed a penalty off. Unfortunately Taylor Gal also made a bone-headed hit and it resulted in Kamloops scoring the game winner on a 5-3 man advantage

IMO Vey hasn't been bad but he hasn't been himself lately, and I believe he can play better.

The Bad
Mark Isherwood has really plain sucked as of late. I've been hesitant to pick on Isherwood because he sometimes gets undeserved flak from everyone else. But his effort level and some of his decision making have been extremely poor. The first Blazer goal where Chase Schaber walked around him was pretty bad. Enough is enough
IMO he has regressed from last year.

Taylor Gal used to be a player where every game you would be amazed at the smarts and patience he showed on the Ice. Now he looks like a lazy player, who loses a lot of puck battles. He went from a point-per-game player to 3 points in his last 11 games.

Emerson Etem.... the pressure of being a potential first round NHL pick must have gotten to him. I dont see how any scout would believe he is a first round pick after watching him the last 3 weeks. He has disappeared, with the exception of a couple good shifts tonight. 4 points in last 11 games. He needs to step up his game.

Matt Mackay..1 assist in the last 10 games...


The bad continued....
Tiger Trap
The trap. Why is a speed team immediately laying of the gas and backpedaling to center ice when the other team has control of the puck? I understand if their protecting a lead late in the game, but in the first and second periods??? even when their behind a goal or two?? this confuses me.

I have seen the Tigers trap constantly shredded over and over this season. Look at the second period of last nights game against Kootenay. The Tigers worked that 2-1-2 system and gave kootenay all sorts of trouble being aggressive and cutting off passing angles before Kootenay hit the blueline.

Everytime I see the tigers backing off to center ice I shudder. IMO the tigers struggle when they aren't being aggressive in the attacking zone.

The Good
Thomas Kundratek I think he has stepped up his game a notch or two. HE has won a ton of puck battles in his own end, and has shown his ability to get hit hard along the boards and still maintain control of the puck. He has also fixed his problem of getting caught out of position. He has came out of the rut he was in and is looking like someone who should be playing in the AHL.

Bretton Cameron has gotten over his scoring dryspell and is doing what he does best, by working his butt off. He has laid some incredible bone-crunching hits lately as well.

Wacey Hamilton, Thomas Carr, Joey Frazer, have had consistent good games.

Scott McKay...The Tigers have started using him often as of late, and he has looked real good. I like his smarts and work ethic, he is only 17, perhaps a bit of a late bloomer, although he hadn;t been given much of a chance earlier with limited ice-time.

Cole Grbavac, Kale Kessey, and Dylan Bredo - they looked real good tonight. They saw 4th line minutes but played 75% of their ice time In the Kamloops end.