Image Credit: Candice Ward/CHL

By Adam Donnelly

MEMORIAL CUP 2023

Seattle spanks Kamloops 6-1, Blazers in must-win territory against Peterborough on Thursday

May 31, 2023 | 10:10 PM

KAMLOOPS – Blazers head Coach and GM Shaun Clouston’s words from Wednesday’s pre-game media availability were somewhat prophetic.

“We know how we don’t want to play and we know how we do want to play right from this tournament.”

Unfortunately, the effort fell into the first category, as the Blazers struggled for consistency against a Seattle squad that looked every inch like the team that beat Kamloops in the WHL’s Western Conference Championship series back in early May.

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The Blazers looked tentative to start, as Seattle held the bulk of the possession early on in the first period. That offensive zone pressure paid off for Seattle, as they opened the scoring 4:02 into the opening frame when Lucas Ciona located a loose puck in front of Dylan Ernst and chipped it over the Blazers’ netminder.

However, that goal seemed to spark the Blazers. The line of Daylan Keufler, Ryan Hofer, and Fraser Minten went to work for the Blazers, and at 10:02 of the first, off a turnover in the neutral zone, Hofer broke in on the right side with speed and picked a spot on Thomas Millic’s stick side to tie the game 1-1.

The Thunderbirds came out hungry in the second, but Dylan Ernst made some early saves for Kamloops, stopping Lucas Ciona on a Seattle powerplay and Brad Lambert five-on-five.

At the other end, Thomas Millic looked steady as well, albeit on fewer shots. His toughest save came on a Logan Stankoven shot from the high slot that Millic snared with the trapper.

At 5:57 of the second period, Logan Bairos took a kneeing penalty. On the ensuing Seattle man advantage, the Blazers’ inability to get the puck in deep resulted in a quick strike from perennial Blazers beater Jared Davidson. Davidson took the stretch pass on the left wing with speed, broke in on Ernst and fired a sharp wrister that beat the Blazers netminder cleanly to give the Thunderbirds the lead.

Just eight seconds later, a miscue by a Blazers defender led to another Seattle goal. Aapo Sarel fanned on a clearing attempt behind his own net. Kyle Crnkovic slid a pass in front to a wide-open Jordan Gustafsson who beat a sprawling Ernst and extend the Seattle lead to two goals.

The Thunderbirds’ onslaught didn’t stop in the third period. After some sustained pressure in the Blazers zone, Kyle Crnkovic fired a wrister through traffic that eluded Ernst five and a half minutes into the period. 64 seconds later, Luke Prokop extended the Seattle to 5-1.

Kamloops struggled to find time in the offensive zone, despite earning three powerplays in the third period. Seattle kept a lid on Blazers’ top line, as Logan Stankoven, Matthew Seminoff, and Cadean Bankier didn’t register a point for the first time in the tournament.

Colton Dach rounded out the scoring for the T–Birds with just 5:32 left to play in the third period.

Seattle’s Thomas Millic stopped 30 of 31 shots he faced in the victory, while Dylan Ernst made 36 saves on 42 shots for the Blazers.

The Thunderbirds can watch Thursday’s tiebreaker between the Blazers and the Peterborough Petes, as they await an opponent for Friday night’s semi-final game.