The Tri-City Americans began the weekend series with Kamloops with a 3-2 overtime loss. Kamloops ends their 11-game losing streak with that win tonight. Merrek Arpin of the Tri-City Americans made his long-awaited return to the WHL tonight after being injured early last season.
Tri-Cities got the scoring started, much like they always do with Jake Sloan banging home a short-side goal on Dylan Ernst after he lost sight of the puck just two minutes into the contest. That would be the only goal of the period, and things looked up for the Americans heading into the second. Shots were 13-11 in favor of Tri-City at the first intermission.
Kamloops came flying out of the intermission, flipping the momentum and scoring 1:12 into the second period. Dylan Sedor, being the hard worker he is muscled the puck out front from the trap, where it was lightly tapped by Mechuras stick. However, the puck went right back to Sedor’s stick where he was able to beat Matecha’s far side to tie the game up at one.
Two minutes after that, Brandon Whynott off the draw went top shelf over the glove in the slot to give Tri-Cities a 2-1 lead. Thomas Tien picked up an assist and his second point of the season.
A few minutes afterward, Jake Gudelj was leveled by Josh Kelly of the Kamloops Blazers. Pasha Bocharov had a word to say about that. Bocharov and Kelly went toe to toe both landing some good blows before the refs said enough was enough and separated the two.
At the halfway mark in the period, Kamloops tied it up again. This time Dylan Sedor fed a cross crease pass to Connor Levis who nodded the game up at 2. Lukas Matecha could only sprawl out in his best efforts, as there was almost nothing he could do. Heading into the second intermission, shots were in favor of Kamloops 24-20.
The third period may have not seen any goals, but there was a whole lot of action. Seven minutes into the third, Matecha made a fatal mistake giving the puck away to Ashton Ferster in the slot. Something you however don’t see every day, Ferster missed the point-blank empty net, and Tri-Cities breathed a sigh of relief.
Minutes later, Carter Savage sent a shot off the top post that nearly got him his first career WHL goal. That play was reviewed but it was determined that the puck did not fully cross the goal line.
As time winded down in the third period, Lukas Matecha quite possibly made the save of the season after a 2-on-1 for the Kamloops Blazers went wrong. Matecha threw himself across the crease where the one-time wallop went off Matecha’s stick, and deflected behind the net. Moments later, Matecha would square up to a shot in the slot and cover it up making a beautiful sequence of saves.
That sequence of saves would gift the Americans a point tonight, and the game would head to overtime. Matecha would finally give in, however. Nathan Behm faked a shot and did a quick wrap-around to the sprawled-out Matecha. The Sandman Center went into pandemonium as the 11-game losing streak had been snapped. With their loss, the Tri-City Americans now sit at 6-4-2.
Northwest Sports Desk 