By Earl Seitz

Blazers lose, fall back in the wild card

Mar 1, 2019 | 9:27 PM

KAMLOOPS —  The Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Blazers 6-4 Friday night at the Sandman Centre, to increase the lead over Kamloops for the second wild card playoff in the Western Conference.

Seattle took a 2-0 lead with goals two minutes and 30 seconds apart midway through the first period.

Matthew Wedman scored shorthanded, followed by Noah Philp with an unassisted goal.

Kobe Mohr cut into Seattle’s lead before the first was over, with his 7th of the season.

There were five goals in the second period.

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Wedman scored his second of the game to put Seattle back up by two.

The Blazers then scored two times in less than a minute — first Josh Pillar on the power play and then Orrin Centazzo.

Seattle had a goal waved off, but then quickly regained the lead on Andrej Kukuca’s power-play goal.

Snakebitten in Wednesday’s win over Tri-Cities, Connor Zary scored his 19th late in the second, and it was anyone’s game going to the third.

The Thunderbirds took another lead with Henrik Rybinski scored their second power-play goal.

Then it was Nolan Volcan unassisted to put Seattle up by two.

With under five minutes left Connor Zary appeared to score out of a scramble.

The official behind the net emphatically signalled a goal, but then after an on-ice conference between the four officials, and without a video review, it was ruled no goal because of contact with the goaltender.

A visibly upset Blazers coach Serge Lajoie said in the post-game “Pateman (referee) says they made a decision there as a group that there was goalie interference — and there wasn’t.   I fail to see why they ruled it off — but it is what it is.”

The Blazers pulled Dylan Ferguson with over two minutes left and put relentless pressure on Seattle, but couldn’t get anymore past Roddy Ross.

With the win, Seattle has a five-point lead over Kamloops for the second wild card.

The Blazers now play a home and away against the Vancouver Giants, Saturday at the Sandman Centre and Sunday in Langley.