BY PATRICK KING
sportsnet.ca
In Kamloops, Barry Smith became the third coaching casualty of the new Canadian Hockey League season.
The Western Hockey League's Blazers fired Smith on the heels of a disastrous road trip. The Blazers lost the final five games of a six-game road swing against East Division teams. More concerning than the results was the lack of a concerted effort from the players, Blazers general manager Craig Bonner told Sportsnet.ca.
"It was the same old, same old with 40-plus shots against a night and our goals against average isn't what we expected," said Bonner, who was with the team on the trip. "I didn't see the team improving and I saw some players starting to shut down and hence (made the coaching) change."
The Blazers were outscored 24-9 through the final five games of the road trip after opening with a 5-4 overtime win over the Regina Pats. Kamloops was then outshot by an average margin of 45-20 through the remaining five games, while averaging nearly five goals against per game.
The team failed to carry the play through the losing streak which forced them into playing on its heels defensively.
"I thought the biggest thing was our lack of puck possession," Bonner said, also noting a lack of forechecking from his players. "I thought we lacked a lot of emotion as a team and never really pushed hard enough."
The Blazers sit in fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Many predicted Kamloops had a team worthy of competing this season after finishing sixth in the conference a year ago.
"I think our roster is comparable to anyone in the Western Conference," Bonner said. "We don't want to be just an average organization or an average team. We want to be an elite group and we have a lot of hard work to go here to get there. We felt it was time to change the coach and get some fresh life in our dressing room."
Assistant coach Scott Ferguson takes over as head coach on an interim basis. Geoff Smith will also remain on as an assistant coach. Bonner said the team is confident in Ferguson and Smith and won't likely hire a coach from the outside.
It is also unlikely Bonner would step behind the bench as a full-time replacement. He previously served as an assistant coach and assistant general manager with the Vancouver Giants before accepting the role as GM and vice-president in Kamloops.
"I feel my job as the general manager wouldn't probably get done to its best capability if I stepped behind the bench," Bonner said. "I'm confident in (Ferguson and Smith) and I'm going to help them along the way."
The Blazers' next game is Friday when they host the Chilliwack Bruins.
The other coaching changes occurred in the Québec Major Junior Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League. The P.E.I. Rocket replaced Guy Chouinard with Eric Lavigne 10 games into their season while Sudbury Wolves general manager Mike Foligno replaced Bryan Verreault a week ago.
Super Series rosters announced
Hockey Canada took another step in determining the roster that will defend their five-consecutive gold-medals at the upcoming world junior tournament.
The QMJHL and Ontario Hockey League announced their rosters for the upcoming Canada vs. Russia Super Series. The series features six games across the three member leagues of the CHL with a traveling Russian team and is a valuable tool in determining the players who will compete for the Canadian world junior team.
"The last two years have been very effective in giving us an opportunity to evaluate all of the candidates in the three CHL leagues against a real strong opponent," said Al Murray, head scout for Canada's world junior team.
Among the players named to the Super Series rosters who played in last year's tournament are: Ryan Ellis, Stefan Della Rovere and Patrice Cormier.
Forwards John Tavares and Evander Kane and defencemen Tyler Myers and Alex Pietrangelo are among the 10 players eligible to return but aren't likely available as they play in the National Hockey League.
The series can be used as a springboard to receive an invite to the world junior selection camp, such as it was for Barrie Colts forward Della Rovere a year ago.
"When Stef came in he took real good advantage of his opportunity and showed us he could be that physical presence, not take penalties, bring some skill to the game and was real good on the penalty kill," Murray said. "Any player that is in this game certainly has their opportunity to showcase themselves for our program and move themselves forward and up our (depth) charts."
Della Rovere will line up against a Barrie teammate as forward Alexander Burmistrov will suit up for Russia during the OHL leg of the series.
"You're bringing together the top athletes and the elite players of our league and Alex fits that mould right there," said Colts head coach Marty Williamson, who will also serve as an assistant coach for team OHL. "He'll do a great job for the Russian team. I hope Stef doesn't hit him too hard and he comes out healthy."
The series is in its seventh consecutive year. The CHL holds the historical edge 30-6. The OHL is the only league not to have lost a game to date.
Games will be played in Drummondville and Shawinigan, Que., Barrie and Windsor, Ont., and Victoria and Kelowna, B.C.
The Moncton Wildcats will have the most representatives from the QMJHL. Sophomore goaltender Louis Domingue will join defencemen Mark Barberio, Brandon Gormley and David Savard in the series.
The defending Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires lead the way among OHL teams with five players. Forwards Taylor Hall, Greg Nemisz and Adam Henrique will join defencemen Ellis and Mark Cundari.
The WHL will announce their roster on Thursday.
Notes: The OHL saw a rare dust-up among goaltenders on Saturday. Europeans Robin Lehner of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Erie Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov were ejected late in the first period for fighting … Calgary Hitmen goaltender Martin Jones set a franchise record for wins in Sunday's 2-1 win over Seattle. Jones' 78 regular season victories is one more than Dan Spence who previously held the record … The QMJHL suspended Acadie-Bathurst defenceman Olivier Dame-Malka four games … Saskatoon Blades forward Randy McNaught was suspended five games … The Halifax Mooseheads traded overage forward Yuri Cheremetiev to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan … Wildcats goaltender Domingue set a franchise record for assists in a season with three and nearly scored a goal against Montreal on Wednesday … The Prince George Cougars signed goaltender Hudson Stremmel Tuesday.
