Kieper perfect in net as Blazers keep rolling with 6-0 win over Giants

Photo: Allen Douglas/Kamloops Blazers

Matthew Kieper was perfect on 25 shots Saturday at Sandman Centre, earning his first shutout as a Kamloops Blazer in a 6-0 win over the Vancouver Giants.

Emmitt Finnie, Jakub Demek, Fraser Minten, Connor Levis (2) and Olen Zellweger were the goal scorers for the Blazers.

The Blazers led 1-0 after the first before they opened things up in the second, scoring three times in a seven-minute span to put the game out of reach. Zellweger and Levis added goals in the third to make it a 6-0 final.

Kieper stopped each of the 25 shots the Giants threw his way. The win was his seventh as a Blazer and his second WHL shutout. He joined the team following a trade with the Regina Pats in January.

Jesper Vikman was busy in the Giants net, making 38 saves on 44 Kamloops shots in a losing effort.

The Blazers scored twice on three power-play opportunities. The Giants were scoreless on three chances.

Announced attendance at Sandman Centre was 5,133.

The red-hot Blazers have now won six in a row and 23 of their last 26 games.

With the win, the Blazers improve to 44-11-4-2 on the season. They have already clinched a fourth straight B.C. Division championship and they sit second in the WHL’s Western Conference, seven points back of the first-place Seattle Thunderbirds (49-9-1-2), who were also victorious on Saturday.

The Blazers, who have seven games remaining on their regular season slate, will be back in action on Wednesday when the Victoria Royals (15-41-6-1) visit Sandman Centre. After that, they will take on the Kelowna Rockets (24-34-3-0) in a home-and-home next weekend — on Mark Recchi Way on Friday and at Prospera Place on Saturday.