(Facebook/Kamloops Blazers).

By Aaron Schulze

Silvertips 4 Blazers 1

Blazers fall to Silvertips 4-1, welcome Kyrell Sopotyk back to Kamloops

Feb 19, 2022 | 11:18 AM

KAMLOOPS — One of the most challenging first periods of the Kamloops Blazers’ season put them behind for good against the Everett Silvertips Friday (Feb. 18) from the Sandman Centre.

Against the top-ranked team in the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Blazers were outscored 3-0 and outshot 17-4 in the opening 20 minutes. The Blazers pressed the Silvertips for most of the second period and were rewarded when Matthew Seminoff finished a pass from Luke Toporowski following a Logan Stankoven steal.

However, the Silvertips responded less than two minutes later when Alex Swetlikoff sprung Jackson Berezowski on a breakaway to make it a final 4-1 score.

A bright spot for the Blazers on Friday was the return of former teammate Kyrell Sopotyk following his tragic snowboarding accident at home that left him paralyzed from the waist down in January 2021.

Sopotyk received a standing ovation from the Sandman Centre crowd ahead of the ceremonial puck drop. The 20-year-old from Aberdeen, Sask. played 107 games for the Blazers from 2018 to 2020.

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The Blazers fall to 34-13-1 on the 2021-22 WHL season, good for 69 points in 48 games. They’re second in the Western Conference, trailing the Silvertips by five points, and first in the B.C. Division.

The Blazers host the Vancouver Giants Saturday (Feb. 19) at the Sandman Centre. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Silvertips, Niko Huuhtanen (27) from Ryan Hofer and Ben Hemmerling, 7:16

2-0, Silvertips, Niko Huuhtanen 2 (28) from Ronan Seeley and Ryan Hofer (power play), 11:55

3-0, Silvertips, Jackson Berezowski (33) from Alex Swetlikoff and Jonny Lambos, 17:47

Second Period

3-1, Blazers, Matthew Seminoff (20) from Logan Stankoven and Luke Toporowski, 12:43

4-1, Silvertips, Jackson Berezowski 2 (34) from Alex Swetlikoff, 14:01

Third Period

No scoring.

Goaltending

Koen MacInnes (W), Silvertips, 28 saves on 29 shots in 60 minutes played.

Dylan Ernst (L), Blazers, 26 saves on 30 shots in 60 minutes played.