Blazers keep playoff hopes alive with 4-1 win over Rockets

Photo: Allen Douglas/Kamloops Blazers

The Kamloops Blazers overcame a hot goalie to beat the Kelowna Rockets 4-1 on Saturday at Sandman Centre, moving to within four points of a playoff spot with three games left on the schedule.

Captain Emmitt Finn-ie had a goal and an assist for the Blazers, who played the game as the Kamloops Fighting Trout, wearing special Kami the Fish jerseys.

Finnie, Nathan Behm, Beau Courtney and John Szabo scored for Kamloops. Kayden Longley scored the lone Kelowna goal.

The score was tied 1-1 after the first period, then the Blazers stepped on the gas in the second, scoring three goals in a 10-minute span to put the game out of the Rockets’ reach.

Kelowna goaltender Jake Pilon made 42 saves on 46 Kamloops shots. He was perfect on 17 in the third period to keep the score 4-1.

Dylan Ernst stopped 22 of 23 Kelowna shots at the other end of the ice.

Announced attendance at Sandman Centre was 4,620.

The loss was the ninth in a row for the Rockets, who move to 17-42-4-2 on the season — dead last in the WHL’s 11-team Western Conference.

The Blazers improve to 24-36-4-1 with the win, which has them 10th in the conference standings. With the eight-place Seattle Thunderbirds losing Saturday to the Portland Winterhawks, the Blazers move to within four points of a playoff spot.

Kamloops is back in action on Tuesday, when the Victoria Royals will visit Sandman Centre. The Vancouver Giants will pay a visit on Friday night for the final home game of the regular season.

The Rockets will take on the same Royals on Wednesday night in Kelowna before the Blazers close out their regular season by paying one final visit to Prospera Place next Saturday night.

Kelowna will close out the season on Sunday, March 23, in Langley against the Giants.