Garand Earns Fourth Straight Win Over Kelowna

Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers)

Saturday night saw eight New York Ranger prospects in action headlined by the fourth straight meeting between Dylan Garand and his Kamloops Blazers and Talyn Boyko's Kelowna Rockets. If this was a preview of a possible playoff series between these two teams then Garand posted a knockout punch on Saturday night thanks to a 4-0 shutout.

After three close games including two that went to the shoot out, Garand's Blazers made sure that this one wasn't going to be close. Jumping all over the Rockets, the Blazers scored three times in the first period and coasted from there.

An early power-play goal by the Blazers was they really needed but the Blazers took the game to the Rockets and never let up. From repeated pressure in both the offensive and defensive zones to a physical game that took the Rockets out of their comfort zone, the Blazers really never were threatened in this contest. 

Garand stopped all 11 shots that he faced in the first period while Boyko gave up the power play goal at 2:41 of the first and then allowed two more while facing a total of 14 shots (11 saves). A scoreless second period saw Garand make 14 saves and Boyko 12.

In the third, the Rockets made a push but Garand made sure that nothing got past him. You could clearly see how pumped up Garand was getting as the game went on as he stopped eight more shots in the third period while Boyko played well but allowed one more goal late in the period that sealed his team's fate. 

Altogether Garand was named the game's second star after stopping all 33 shots that he faced as he earned his third shutout of the season. Garand improved to 29-7 with his third straight win.

The Kamloops goalie is 29-7 with a WHL best 2.04 goals against, a save percentage of 0.926 (second WHL) and three shutouts (ninth WHL). His 29 wins is second best in the WHL. 

Boyko is now winless in his lastfour starts (0-2-0-2) as he drops to 24-16-2-3 with a goals against of 3.06 and a save percentage of 0.909. 

The win was the eighth straight for the Kamloops Blazers who remained tied for first place in the WHL's Westernce Conference. They hold a 14 point lead over the Rockets for the BC Division lead.

The matchup between Will Cuyllee and his Windsor Spitfires was all Windsor as they defeated Brennan Othmann's Flint Firebirds 6-3 as the race for the OHL's Western Conference tightened up big time. 

Both Othmann and Cuylle had secondary assists for their scoring. Othmann was 0-1-1 on three shots with a -1 and a tripping minor and 1-1 on faceoffs. Cuylle was 0-1-1 on just three shots and was 0-3 on faceoffs. 

Windsors' win brought the Spitfires to within three points of first place Flint. In the OHL's Western Conference there is a difference of three points from first place to fourth place.

The third star of the game Ryder Korczak set a new career-best for goals scored and points as his Moose Jaw Warriors just whipped the Regina Pats 10-4. Korczak scored his career-best 21st goal in the first period as the Warriors broke the game open in the first period with four goals and never looked back.

What song was Ryder Korczak playing? Right answers only!@MJWARRIORS | @NYRangers pic.twitter.com/m2jOuIbrgm

— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 20, 2022

The Warriors' assistant captain is the second-leading scorer on the Warriors with his 21-48-69 is very nice but what will get the Rangers to sign him is going to be his team-leading 56.9% on face-off wins.

Jayden Grubbe and his Red Deer Rebels added their names to those WHL teams that clinched WHL playoff spots as the Rebels became the third WHL Eastern Conference team to clinch their spot. That was the good news as the bad news was that Red Deer dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Grubbe was held scoreless on just one shot and was 6-16 on his faceoffs.

Evan Vierling had a very quiet night as his Barrie Colts took on the Oshawa Generals and lost vis the shoot out 5-4. Vierling was scoreless on four shots and was a 7-9 on faceoffs.

Brody Lamb and his Green Bay Gamblers got smoked by the Madison Capitols 7-3. Lamb was scoreless on just two shots as the Gamblers remained tied for the last playoff spot in the USHL's Eastern Conference. 

But the team they are tied with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders hold two games in hand.

Maybe They Are Alive

The confusing formula known as Pairwise that the NCAA uses to set the field for the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament suggests that Riley Hughes and his Northeastern Huskie's season might not be over after all. 

After all the conference championships have been decided, Northeastern which is ranked 14th in the current formula is the last team to receive an "at-large" invitation. If that is the case they will most likely be seeded as a fourth seed in one of the regionals and given a bad matchup.

Did Not Play

Matthew Rempe sat out the third of his three-game suspension for his Seattle Thunderbirds.