Blazers force Game 6 with third period surge

Thunderbirds still lead Western Conference final 3-2

Will Blazers HC/GM Shaun Clouston guide a team to a 3-1 series rally?

The Kamloops Blazers pre-empted any celebration plans the Seattle Thunderbirds and their fans may have had.

On Saturday at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., the host Thunderbirds went into Game 5 of the WHL’s Western Conference Championship Series looking to close out the best-of-seven set. The visitors played the role of spoiler.

The two sides were locked in a 1-1 draw after 40 minutes, and the Blazers opened the third scoring three times in the first 5:31 of the frame to jump ahead 4-1. The Thunderbirds answered back scoring once 18 seconds after that surge, but the hosts wouldn’t score any more to the disappointment to most of the 5,063 spectators in attendance.

The Blazers made the 4-2 score hold up as the final outcome of the contest to cut the Thunderbirds lead in the series to 3-2. With the win, the Blazers force the series to go to a Game 6 that will be held on Monday at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops at 7 p.m. local time.

If the Blazer are able to win Game 6, that will force a series deciding Game 7 to be held on Tuesday back at the Accesso ShoWare Center at 7 p.m. local time. Last year, these two clubs went to a series deciding Game 7 in the Western Conference final that was won 3-2 by the Thunderbirds in Kamloops. The Thunderbirds trailed that series 3-2 before rallying to take the set in Game 7.

Of course, the Blazers are trying to rally back from a 3-1 series deficit to take the Western Conference final, and Shaun Clouston, who is the team’s head coach and general manager has experience with making a 3-1 series comeback.

Back in the 2014 WHL Playoffs, Clouston was the head coach and general manager of the Medicine Hat Tigers when they fell behind the Cranbrook, B.C., based Kootenay Ice 3-1 in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Tigers roared back for three straight wins to take the set 4-3 for the only 3-1 series comeback to date in team history.

Medicine Hat would proceed to bow out in the Eastern Conference final in five games to the eventual WHL and Memorial Cup champion Edmonton Oil Kings. Clouston joined the Blazers organization on June 17, 2019. The Ice moved from Cranbrook to Winnipeg, Man., before the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

Jared Davidson is Seattle’s career leader in post-season goals.

As for Saturday’s encounter between the Blazers and Thunderbirds, Blazers left-winger Matthew Seminoff scored his second of the contest 43 seconds into the third to give the visitors a 2-1 edge with a shot from the front of the net on a delayed penalty call. Seminoff converted a nice backhand pass that came from the left side of the Seattle goal from left-winger Caedan Bankier.

Just 23 seconds later, the Blazers pushed their lead out to 3-1 thanks in part to an error by Thunderbirds star goaltender Thomas Milic. Blazers import centre Jakub Demek was cruising around behind the Seattle net, and Milic was expecting a wraparound and shuffled from the left post to hug the right post of his goal.

Demek centred the puck just before passing the left post to Blazers star 20-year-old centre Ryan Hofer, who was about three feet out front of the left post. Hofer fired one shot off the post before putting his own rebound into an empty cage to give the visitors their two-goal advantage.

At the 5:31 mark of the third, the Thunderbirds were working on the power play, but the Blazers were able to break into the Seattle zone on a two-on-one break. Hofer jetted down the right wing, deked around Thunderbirds star defenceman Kevin Korchinski and snapped home a shot for his second tally of the contest that put the Blazers up 4-1.

Just 17 seconds later, Thunderbirds star left-winger Reid Schaefer scored on that same power play to cut the Blazers lead to 4-2. Seattle wasn’t able to get any closer even with having the benefit of being on the power play for the final 1:54 of the third including being down two men for a short span of 16 seconds.

The teams played through a scoreless opening frame with the Blazers holding a 12-7 edge in shots on goal.

At the 3:06 mark of the third, Thunderbirds star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who turned 21-years-old in January, appeared to have scored the first goal of the contest. The goal went to a video review, and it was disallowed after video determined there was a hand pass made by Thunderbirds captain Lucas Ciona in the puck possession sequence that led to Crnkovic’s tally.

Matthew Seminoff

The Thunderbirds did get the first goal of the contest as 20-year-old star centre Jared Davidson scored his ninth of the post-season to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. The tally was Davidson’s 22^nd career post-season goal with the Thunderbirds, which set a new team record. The old mark of 21 goals was held by centre Scott Eansor, who played for the Thunderbirds from 2013 to 2017 helping them win a WHL title in 2017.

Davidson has 22 goals and 26 assists in 41 career post-season games with the Thunderbirds.

With four minutes remaining in the second, Seminoff sniped home his first goal of the contest from inside the right faceoff circle to even the score at 1-1. That set the stage for the dramatics in the third.

Dylan Ernst stopped 36 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blazers. Milic turned away 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Thunderbirds.

Offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel had a pair of assists for the Thunderbirds.

The series between the Thunderbirds and Blazers was expected to be a heavyweight battle.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

The Blazers finished second overall in the Western Conference and third overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-13-4-3 mark. The B.C. Division champions were rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, while Kamloops has nine NHL drafted players on its roster. The Thunderbirds have seven players who participated in the last world juniors, and the Blazers have three players who took part in this past world juniors.

Reid Schaefer scored for the Thunderbirds on Saturday.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson for a third straight game. It is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of the series claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3. The Blazers were without defenceman Ryan Michael.

Kamloops rearguard Logan Bairos returned to action after missing three games due to injury, and blue-liner Ryan Nolan was healthy scratched to allow Bairos to return to the Blazers lineup.

The winner of the series between the Thunderbirds and Blazers advances to face the Winnipeg Ice in the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series. The Ice swept the Saskatoon Blades 4-0 in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference Championship Series.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

The Ice are likely watching the Western Conference final intently and have to enjoy the fact the Blazers and Thunderbirds are going to a Game 6. The winner if the Western Conference title series will have reduced rest before playing the WHL final.

The Ice will host Game 1 of the WHL final on Friday at 7 p.m. local time at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

Winnipeg would gain a further bonus of the Blazers do in fact rally to win the Western Conference final. The Blazers host the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion from May 26 to June 4 at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, so the WHL’s Eastern Conference Champion would make that event, if Kamloops makes the WHL final. In that scenario, the Ice would earn a berth to the Memorial Cup.

Ryan Hofer

For now, the Blazers are hoping to play in the third series in these WHL Playoffs that goes to seven games, and the Thunderbirds will do what they can to avoid a winner takes all contest.

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