Backup Goalie Plays Tough As Blazers Overturn Chiefs

Who was that masked man?

If ever the Spokane Chiefs might have thought they had a chance to break through against the Kamloops Blazers in Riverside Coliseum, it was Friday night.

Excuse the thought.

With all-star goaltender Randy Petruk sitting in the press box with a pulled groin muscle, backup Garnet Stevenson played enough like the Blazers’ No. 1 guy, especially down the stretch, to get Kamloops a 4-3 Western Hockey League win.

Mike Brown had two goals and the Blazers, who had scored on just 1 of 27 power plays in five previous games against the Chiefs, hit on three of six man-advantage opportunities to go 3-0 at home against Spokane this season.

The Blazers have turned Riverside into a bad trip for WHL teams. They’re 9-1 in their last 10 games and 17-2-2 in the last 21.

Spokane has been a pretty good road club - 21-13-1 away from the Arena - but not here.

With Petruk out, maybe those fortunes would change.

Greg Leeb got Spokane on the board first with his 44th goal, just 2 seconds after a Chiefs power play expired, when he smacked a pass from Ty Jones through Stevenson’s pads at 3:44 of the first period.

But the Blazers tied it before the period was over with a precursor of things to come. With Spokane down a man, Steve Schrum finished off a fine passing play, redirecting a pass past goalie Aren Miller at 16:52.

Spokane was on top again just 53 seconds into the second period on the first of Trent Whitfield’s two goals. But less than 15 minutes later, the Blazers led 4-2 and Spokane had dwindling hopes and a new goalie.

Three goals in less than 10 minutes, two of them on the power play and two by Brown, put the Blazers in command. Alan Maness scored from a scramble with 4 seconds left in a power play that pulled the Blazers ahead for good.

Brown’s second goal signaled the end of Miller and brought David Haun off the Spokane bench.

Haun didn’t allow another goal in making eight stops the rest of the way, and Whitfield’s 37th goal at 12:06 of the third drew Spokane within a goal. But Stevenson was the difference when it counted.

He made three clutch saves in the final seconds with Haun off the ice for an extra attacker. In rapid succession in the final 12 seconds, he stopped Whitfield point-blank and Leeb on the rebound.