(Facebook/Kamloops Blazers).

By Aaron Schulze

Thunderbirds 6 Blazers 1

Teddy bears fly but Blazers fall to soaring Thunderbirds 6-1

Dec 11, 2021 | 11:38 AM

KAMLOOPS — The good news for the Kamloops Blazers from Friday’s (Dec. 10) home game against the Seattle Thunderbirds: stuffed animals from 4,210 in attendance at the Sandman Centre hit the ice after Josh Pillar scored their first goal on Teddy Bear Toss night.

The bad news: nearly everything else.

The Blazers suffered their most lopsided loss of the 2021-22 Western Hockey League (WHL) season so far, falling 6-1 to the Thunderbirds.

In their first game without co-captain Logan Stankoven and starting goaltender Dylan Garand – who are away for Team Canada’s selection camp ahead of the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship – the Blazers surrendered four goals in the opening period and couldn’t build momentum from Pillar’s goal in the early second.

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The Blazers have lost three of their last four and fall to 18-5-0 on the season. However, the Blazers’ 36 points in 23 games is still good for first in the B.C. Division and second in the WHL Western Conference.

The Blazers travel to Prince George to take on the Cougars at the CN Centre at 7 p.m.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Thunderbirds, Tyrel Baurer (4) unassisted (shorthanded), 6:09

2-0, Thunderbirds, Henrik Rybinski (5) from Lucas Ciona, 7:38

3-0, Thunderbirds, Jeremy Hanzel (4) from Samuel Knazko and Henrik Rybinski, 7:52

4-0, Thunderbirds, Lucas Ciona (4) from Jeremy Hanzel and Henrik Rybinski

Second Period

4-1, Blazers, Josh Pillar (10) from Fraser Minten and Logan Bairos, 1:53

Third Period

5-1, Thunderbirds, Sam Popowich (3) from Jordan Gustafson, 3:42

6-1, Thunderbirds, Reid Schaefer (11) from Samuel Knazko, 8:36

Goaltending

Thomas Milic (W), Thunderbirds, 25 saves on 26 shots in 60 minutes played.

Dylan Ernst (L), Blazers, 19 saves on 25 shots in 49 minutes played.

Keegan Maddocks, Blazers, two saves on two shots in 11 minutes played.