Blazers surrender third-period lead, lose 4-3 in overtime to Cougars

Blazers fall 4-3 in overtime

Photo: Brian Johnson/Kamloops Blazers

The Kamloops Blazers led late in the third period but could not seal the deal on Saturday at Sandman Centre, dropping an overtime heartbreaker 4-3 to the Prince George Cougars.

Nathan Behm, Tommy Lafreniere and JP Hurlbert were the goal scorers for the Blazers. Terik Parascak, Carson Carels (2) and Kooper Gizowski scored for the Cougars.

Kamloops led 2-0 after the first period, but the visitors scored goals in the second and early in the third to even the score.

Hurlbert scored with less than four minutes left to put the Blazers up 3-2, but Carels’ second of the night tied it back up at 18:02 of the third.

Gizowski beat Kamloops goalie Logan Edmonstone 1:14 into overtime to win it for P.G.

Edmonstone made 27 saves on 31 shots. Joshua Ravensbergen stopped 26 of 29 Kamloops shots to earn the win in net.

Announced attendance at Sandman Centre was 4,405.

The overtime loss moves the Blazers to 23-15-6-4 on the season, good for fourth place in the WHL’s Western Conference, four points behind the third-place Cougars (29-17-2-0).

The Blazers will hit the road for five in a row, starting with a pair of midweek games against the Royals in Victoria on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They won’t be back on home ice until Feb. 14, when the Cougars return to Sandman Centre.